Image Source: Reuters
World – More than two decades have passed since the September 11, 2001 attacks, yet the world continues to feel the enduring impact of that tragic day. In its aftermath, 9/11 not only reshaped global politics but also significantly influenced societal attitudes, particularly towards Muslim communities and other groups resembling Muslims.
Investigative Journalist Roscoe Palm noted that in the months following 9/11, fear and suspicion spread across Western societies with widespread misinformation, often perpetuated by official sources, fueling a rise in Islamophobia.
This misinformation has had a lasting effect, subjecting Muslim communities to increased scrutiny, discrimination, racism, hatred, and prejudice. At the same time, the narrative of terrorism became closely tied to their religious beliefs and identity.
In addition, the dehumanisation and portrayal of Muslims as “the other” has alienated many people and communities, reinforcing harmful stereotypes that have led to a rise in hate crimes, racial profiling, and the introduction of discriminatory policies in numerous countries.
As such these dangerous attitudes persist today, evident in everyday interactions, media representations, and government actions, making it difficult for many Muslims to feel fully accepted or safe in their own societies.
“Immediately after the September 11 incident, there were many false rumours spread about another bomb and Muslims celebrating as the towers fell. Similarly, after the October 7 incident in Israel, there were also myths propagated through official channels, as high as the President of the United States, where false information was platformed to horrify, such as claims of sexual assault and babies being beheaded.”
“We also see the rise of such disinformation that results in longstanding discrimination against Muslim people, including the banning of the burka in places like France and Canada, and discrimination against anyone that Western liberals deem to be ‘other.'”
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The Impact 9/11 Has on The Genocide in Gaza
Since the onset of the war in Gaza, the United States, Western governments, various media outlets, and Zionist public figures have framed Israel’s actions against Palestinians as part of the global “War on Terror,” even referring to Hamas’s retaliation by its date, October 7, in a manner reminiscent of 9/11.
By drawing parallels between these two events, the US and its allies have reinforced the narrative that Israel, often described by officials as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” is engaging in a justified campaign against Islamic extremism, thereby positioning its genocide in Gaza—including the widespread violence against Palestinians—as part of a broader anti-terrorism effort.
Palm pointed out that this framing has enabled the US and its Western allies to continue offering military, financial, and diplomatic support to Israel, despite widespread international condemnation and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
Tragically, by consistently marking Palestinian resistance as terrorism, portraying them only as aggressors rather than a people resisting oppression, this narrative shapes public perception in a way that justifies Israel’s disproportionate military actions in Gaza, while obscuring the occupation’s crimes and numerous human rights violations.
Moreover, this narrative hinders any meaningful push for a ceasefire or humanitarian pause, as the violence is continually justified under the pretext of self-defence.
Labelling the aggression as self-defence further enables the killing of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children to persist without significant scrutiny or intervention. As seen in Afghanistan and Iraq, this tactic allows those responsible for the violence to evade accountability no matter the cost to innocent human life.
“Being a client state of the US, it is able to do that, and I believe that when you are a friend of the United States … You accrue certain benefits, certain standing, certain favour, and the illusion of the rules-based order. I think September 11 was the moment where we all started waking up from that particular delusion.”
“So, the international rules-based order, where there was once a reverence for or rather an aspiration to be part of that, has now been completely dissolved to a state where we realise that the US and any superpower serves its interests.”
