Ten years. Ten years since I was woken by my mother, who delivered the news that our Twin Towers fell, that our center of security, the Pentagon, was attacked. Ten long years. In some senses, September 11, 2001 still feels like just yesterday, but ask any Muslim in America, and they will tell you they have felt each day of these ten years.

I remember taking off my hijab on September 12^th. I remember the fear. This fear that has infiltrated into the very essence of what it is to be an American Muslim. I remember Muslims putting American flags on our mosques, cars, and stores, in the hopes that it would help to protect themselves and their families. Once I put my hijab back on, I remember getting onto airplanes and having what seemed like hundreds of eyes on me, watching my every move. I remember the scanning of my cell phone, computer, and camera; the patting and groping; the removal of my hijab in full view of others in order to search my hair; the denial of jobs I was more than qualified for; the isolation- I remember all of it and I will never forget it. 

Our phones are tapped, our adherents face constant interrogation, removal and humiliation in airports, our children are not allowed to play with friends, our sisters are harassed when they display their Islam outwardly, our holy spaces are under surveillance; we are constantly being watched for any hint of a connection to terrorism. Enough. We have had enough. The beards of our brothers, and hijabs of our sisters do not signify a connection to terrorism, they are simply a representation of the individual's attempt to connect with God.

Alia Ansari, remember this name. Mother of six, shot in cold blood in front of her young daughter, simply because she was not afraid to display her Islam outwardly. Balbir Singh Sodhi, remember this name. Our Sikh brother, killed four days after September 11th, because he was not afraid to represent his religion, even in the face of ignorance. Ahmed Sharif, remember this name. A New York City cab driver whose throat was slashed, and lived to tell his story. Zohreh Assemi, remember this name. Robbed, beaten, cut with a boxcutter, and whose hand was smashed by a hammer, simply because she is Muslim. There are countless stories, stories that keep Muslims trapped in fear. These assaults and deaths cannot only be blamed on the murderers and attackers of these victims, or even the terrorists of September 11th- the blood of innocents is also on the hands of those who perpetuate Islamophobia.

One complaint I have heard tirelessly in support of Islamophobia, is that nobody in the Muslim community has stepped forward to show an otherwise moderate Islam. The speeches are available, the literature is available, the videos are available- if one truly wants to understand Islam at a deeper level. Moderate Muslim scholars including Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir, among countless others, have spoken out against terrorism, and clearly stated that there are no Islamic roots behind modern-day terrorism.

We have nothing to hide- you are free to search our mosques. We have nothing to apologize for- you are free to interrogate us. The colors of our national threat level may change, more money may be contributed to fund Islamophobia, the Muslim community divides, pundits tirelessly attack Islam, ignorance and misinformation spread like wildfire, but through it all: la hawla wa la quwwata ila billah, there is no power and no strength save in God.