In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Muslims and Arabs in the US faced intense discrimination and harassment, as did Sikhs, Somalis, and other people perceived to have Middle Eastern ancestry or connections. They experienced slurs and violence from other members of the public including demands to remove hijabs or turbans, housing and employment discrimination, and physical attacks. In addition, many experienced targeting from the government in the form of intrusive surveillance and questioning, often without charges or due process. However, many members of these groups also began engaging more deeply with their communities - starting Arabic language classes, open houses at mosques, or founding groups to teach immigrants about US civic processes.

This image shows Marlina Soerakoesoemah editing fashion photos for Azizah magazine in her Redmond home office. Soerakoesoemah was co-founder and creative director of Azizah, a national magazine for American Muslim women. This photo was taken for a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article about discrimination and harassment since 9/11, published on the one year anniversary of the attacks. Soerakoesoemah was quoted in the article, speaking about how her life changed since the attacks. She began volunteering at her son's school and started a community festival to teach people about Islam, but also became more cautious, saying "Even though I'm an optimistic person, I have to be careful in what I do."

Caption information source: "For some, the fear persists," by Vanessa Ho and Daikha Dridi, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 11, 2002, page A12.