A young Arab girl writes about her life, especially since after September 11, 2001, and how difficult it has been.
Fahid Mohammed is my name, and I am 10 years old. I am Muslim by faith, and I came to America from Saudi Arabia a few years back. I came to America to have a better life for me and my family.
I live in Nashville, Tennessee, with my mother, Habida, my father, Ali, and my twin sisters, Amira and Amida (they are both 7, they are younger than me). I also have a baby brother, Jafar, who is only two years old. We also have a dog and a cat.
I love America now, but I still find it hard to make friends. It seems people are not as nice towards me after September 11, 2001, happened, and I think it is because I am Arabian and am a Muslim. People seem to think that my family are terrorists, and they think that we are evil. But we are NOT evil; we are nice people who just happen to be Muslim!
Every day at school, kids tease me. They call me "Terrorist" and worse, and sometimes it gets so bad I come home from school in tears. They make fun of my talk, my Muslim clothes, and the way I pray. I have very few friends at school; and I don't like school all that much because of all the teasing I have to endure.
The only friends I have are two girls in my class named Nicole Aldape and Ronee' Le-Anne Reaux; both are my age, and they don't care that I am Muslim. They are both Christian, but they respect my beliefs; and I respect theirs, which is how it should be. Both Nicole and Ronee' are handicapped (that is, both use crutches for walking, and they sometimes use wheelchairs), but they are really nice and respectful. They treat me like a person, and they always play with me at recess. I wish more people were that accepting of me because it is so hard to get through an entire schoolday without crying! If more people were as nice as Ronee' or Nicole, then I would be MUCH happier!
It wasn't MY fault that September 11, 2001, happened; but it did, and now the world has gotten to be a much uglier place. People are meaner now, and now there is a new war going on in Iraq; and people are scared and uncertain. I was so scared when I saw the news of the Twin Towers being attacked, and I cried like I had never done before in my life! But MY being a Muslim has NOTHING to do with it, and I wish people would just leave me ALONE!
heartbreaking write, karen...i wish all people were accepting of others, irregardless of their color, faith, culture, dress...painful lesson contained within this story, but one that must be addressed...BRAVO! ((((HUGS)))) and love, karla. :(
Colorful interactive book for teaching children the ABC's using God’s creation of the animal kingdom and featuring some of His most exotic creature. More importantly the book segues into the very special love God has for children.
