Opinion Today: American Muslims are in a painful, familiar place

There seems to be a sense of both resignation and shock.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 2, 2023 By Meher Ahmad Staff Editor, Opinion Rozina Ali has built her career as a journalist covering the war on terror and the many ways Islamophobia has manifested itself after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In her guest essay for Times Opinion this week, she writes about the ways the backlash against American Muslims in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks has shaken the community, dredging up painful memories of the last two decades. "I've been speaking with lawyers, community groups and advocacy organizations that worked closely with Muslims after September 2001 about what they're seeing," she writes. "After living through and reckoning with the devastating aftermath of the war on terrorism, it seems the lessons of Sept. 11 have been forgotten. There seems to be a sense of both resignation — we've been here before — and shock — but we've been here before." Ali has spent years analyzing the contours of the war on terror, including the U.S.'s misguided attempts at liberation for Afghans and former President George W. Bush's call to win the "hearts and minds" of Iraqis. For her, the days and weeks after Hamas's deadly attack in Israel brought back a sense of déjà vu: the "us-v.s.-them" mentality that puts American Muslims, once again, in a place of suspicion in this country. The piece brought a feeling of anxiety that has pervaded the Muslim community into sharp contrast for me: While the Oct. 7 attacks, and the deadly invasion of Gaza that has followed, are happening far from American soil, as Ali discusses, they are affecting our country in troubling ways. Ali's piece is a worthy examination of the fraught moment we find ourselves in, a reflection that could help us prevent mistakes we've already made as a nation. Read the guest essay here. Chantal Jahchan GUEST ESSAY American Muslims Are in a Painful, Familiar Place There seems to be a sense of both resignation (we've been here before) and shock (but we've been here before). By Rozina Ali Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Seeing the Big Picture in Two Big Wars Israel, Iran, Ukraine and Russia are driving too much about geopolitics today. By Thomas L. Friedman More From Opinion CARLOS LOZADA It Isn't Easy to Be Mitt Romney It's a wretched time to be an institutionalist in the Republican Party. By Carlos Lozada PAMELA PAUL The Democrats Are Their Own Worst Enemy John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira say the Democratic Party is failing on matters of culture and in matters of class. By Pamela Paul CHARLES M. BLOW I Grew Up in Mike Johnson's District, Where Kindness Can Mask Cruelty Where he and I are from, even would-be oppressors can be affable. By Charles M. 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