Dear Emgage advocates,

Tomorrow, we commemorate the nearly 3,000 lives lost and the many more that were forever changed because of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We also reflect upon the impact 9/11 had on our nation and the world.

The Muslim American community was doubly harmed by this heinous crime. Our country was attacked and fellow citizens, including Muslims, were harmed. Then our Abrahamic faith was questioned, scrutinized, and blamed. An entire generation grew up during the War on Terror era, where Americans in their moment of indescribable pain were asked to surrender cherished civil liberties and bless military occupations of other people in far off places.

From no-fly and watch lists to countering violent extremism (CVE) programs that cast a deep shadow of suspicion on an entire religious group, American democracy was weakened. Rather than treating all threats to the homeland, including White Supremacist violence, equally, our law enforcement and judicial bodies focused primarily on Muslim and other communities of color as Emgage and the Muslim Public Affairs Council's (MPAC) report shows.

Abroad, our invasions and occupations devastated hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives, including our men and women in uniform and their families, draining our resources, and degrading our moral standing. Undoubtedly America’s War on Terror dealt international terrorist organizations a devastating blow. Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State today are severely weakened if not completely defeated. But even on the counterterrorism front, the transnational threat, as Hassan Hassan demonstrates, has morphed into localized insurgencies from North Africa to Southeast Asia, with their own brand of grievance-fueled extremism.

Where do we go from here? Extremism and terrorism will continue to challenge us at home and abroad. Whatever our responses will be, they must take care to protect the most important elements of our national security: our freedoms and our democracy, equal protection under the law, due process, and respect for pluralism and diversity. As for our engagement with the rest of the world, even its more troubled parts, we should strive to do no harm and be true allies of those who seek a more just and tolerant world.

Our faith teaches us that suffering also presents an opportunity for transformation and we are reminded in Surah Al-Inshirah (94:5-8) of the Holy Quran: “For indeed, with hardship will be ease.” As we commemorate the twentieth remembrance and mourn the terrible loss, we also look forward to a more peaceful and just society.

In solidarity,

Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage