The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks forever changed the relationship between American Muslims and the American public at large. The event not only impacted the lives and families of those killed, but also affected the perceptions of all American Muslims. On that fateful day, four airliners were hijacked by the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, with the aim of sowing terror in the United States. One of the four planes hit the Pentagon, another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, and the remaining two planes destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing more than 3,000 people. Nineteen years later, the effects of oral tradition and dominant narrative must lead to the perpetuation of stereotypes and prejudices against American Muslims and the Middle East as a whole. Islamophobia, the irrational fear of or discrimination against Islam, became more evident as Americans feared they too would become victims of another devastating attack. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The fear created after the terrorist attacks of September 11 pushed Americans to act in defensive and marginalizing ways. Due to a lack of knowledge about the Islamic religion, some Americans have experienced xenophobia. Instead of acknowledging that the September 11 attacks were caused by Muslim extremists, some Americans blamed the attacks on religion and Muslims as a whole. To address the fear of the unknown as a defense mechanism, Americans have generalized all Muslims as attackers and enemies of the United States and in doing so have created stereotypes to better support their security. In Figure 1, a man holds a poster that says, “everything I need to know about Islam, I learned on 9/11.” More specifically, this man is professing the dominant narrative that Islam preaches or practices terrorist ideologies. To show his support and appreciation to the United States, most likely out of fear and misunderstanding, he is simply perpetuating the stereotype of violence on an actually peaceful religion. The fact that he kept this poster does not appear to be an unintentional perpetuation of the narrative, he most likely believes the stereotype is an accurate representation, especially if his only potential interactions with a Muslim were in the news during and after 9/11. Changes in American perspectives toward Muslims after 9/11 have had a detrimental effect on the culture of American Muslims and their life experiences, regardless of their religion that preaches peaceful action. Many Muslims after 9/11 found it easier to give up their heritage to better assimilate. For fear of being associated with terrorism, Muslims often change their names to avoid harassment. The new name some Muslims assumed gave them the opportunity to live like any other American citizen. Many Americans suspect that the Muslim religion, Islam, preaches terrorist ideals, based on the actions of a few, yet the Quran, the religious text of Islam, contains passages that specifically condemn terrorism and advocate for peace. In a translated passage the Quran explains: “Whoever kills an innocent human being, it will be as if he had killed all humanity.” This quote embodies one of the many peaceful teachings found in the Quran and distances itself from the dominant narrative that all Muslims are terrorists. Oral stories told about Muslim Americans following the attacksterrorists of September 11 created fear towards Muslims, marginalizing them in society. and referring to them as terrorists and jihadists, however, Islam is quite peaceful. Americans are often engulfed in their own unacknowledged ideals and stereotypes of Muslim Americans and are often caught in the dangers of a minority of individuals carrying out attacks in the name of a religion that does not agree with the ideology of extremists . Muslims learn that they must disguise their true identity and leave behind their previous cultures in order to feel connected to society and renounce the judgment of the American people. By viewing all Muslims through one lens of being terrorists, many Americans continue to carry forward this endless cycle of stereotypes imposed on Muslims and Muslim Americans and neglect to see the full picture and the people within of these stereotypes. Muslims are terrorists, Rais Bhuiyan, an American Muslim, uses his experience with stereotypes to fight hatred in the world. Rais Bhuiyan, founder and president of “A World Without Hate,” first created his organization as a victim of the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on American Muslims. After being shot in the head by a white nationalist, Bhuiyan used his education and the teachings of the Quran to create an organization to educate Americans and people around the world about the true ideologies of Islam and encourage world-wide peace global. Bhuiyan is one of many examples of American Muslims who push back against the dominant narrative that all Muslims are terrorists. Instead of internalizing his frustration and accepting the incorrect stereotype, Bhuiyan was able to use his story and his peaceful teachings to create an entire organization to fight the false images painted by the single story, an attempt to educate and change the narrative dominant. A World Without Hate is an organization that encourages respectful dialogue and storytelling as a way to truly learn about each other's background. Along with this, A World Without Hate aims to create ambassadors to help fight the cycle of Islamophobia and hatred towards other marginalized groups in America. The Hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty that must be performed during the lifetime of all practicing Muslims, emphasizes the concept of the equality of mankind. The pilgrimage alone combats the dominant narrative that all Muslims are terrorists by showing the unknown and peaceful side of Islam. During the Hajj, Muslims are expected to dress the same and honor the same rituals that remove inequality based on race, gender, or social status and promote modesty and loyalty. Furthermore, during the Hajj pilgrimage, Muslim participants are prohibited from arguing, arguing or losing their temper. In “The World's Largest Pilgrimage: Hajj Documentary,” the producers take audiences into the depths of the Hajj to show frightened Americans what the Islamic religion is really about. Showing real footage of what it means to be a Muslim completing the Hajj, the documentary presents the background and importance of Islam and what it represents, peace. In a testimony, Amir Abudauh, an American Muslim, professes his reasoning for completing the Hajj by saying, “my religion is misunderstood in the eyes of my countrymen, here I pray for unity and peace.” Here, Amir makes it clear that there are two sides to every story. By telling the public that his religion is misunderstood, he alludes to the fact that Americans think of Islam as a terrorist religion when in reality it represents peace and.