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Two decades after 9/11, Muslim Americans still fighting bias

Shukri Olow, center, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, prays at the Islamic Center of Kent, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Kent, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, center-right, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, poses for a selfie photo with supporter Samia El-Moslimany, center-left, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at a rally at a park in Renton, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, right, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, talks to a visitor about her campaign outside the Islamic Center of Kent, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Kent, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, right, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, speaks with Soleil Lewis, left, a candidate for Des Moines (Wash.) City Council Position 7, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, during a picnic with the Highline Education Association at a Park in Burien, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, left, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, watches television with her son, Khalid Ahmed, 9, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, at their home in Kent, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, left, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, gets a thumbs-up as she greets worshippers outside the Islamic Center of Kent, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Kent, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, right, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, hands a campaign flier to Tayyabah Ahmed, left, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, as she campaigns in Renton, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Shukri Olow, a Muslim woman who is running for King County Council District 5, poses for a portrait, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Kent, Wash., south of Seattle. Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. Olow says the aftermath of the attacks has helped motivate her to become a community organizer and to run for office in Washington state. (AP Photo/Karen Ducey) Amirah Ahmed, 17, video chats with a friend from her home in Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Amirah Ahmed prays at her local mosque in Fredericksburg, Va., on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Amirah Ahmed, 17, checks her watch while running near her home in Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Amirah Ahmed, 17, adjusts her hijab before leaving for the grocery store on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, in Fredericksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Amirah Ahmed, 17, pushes a cart while shopping with her family at a Walmart in Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Amirah Ahmed, 17, pins a free community tutoring flyer on a bulletin board at a frozen yogurt shop in Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Born after the 9/11 attacks, Ahmed feels she was thrust into a struggle not of her making. After 9/11, many young American Muslims have found ways to fight back against bias, to organize and to craft nuanced personal narratives about their identities. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Angela Ahmed, left, and her daughter, Amirah Ahmed, 17, lay on a bed while browsing the internet on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, in Fredericksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Amirah Ahmed, 17, outside of her home in Fredericksburg, Va., on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Born after the 9/11 attacks, Ahmed feels she was thrust into a struggle not of her making. After 9/11, many young American Muslims have found ways to fight back against bias, to organize and craft nuanced personal narratives about their identities. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Mansoor Shams, a former US Marine, stands at the end of his driveway on Friday evening, Aug. 13, 2021 in Baltimore. Shams, who served in the Marines from 2000 to 2004, was called names like "Taliban," "terrorist" and "Osama bin Laden" by some of his fellow Marines after 9/11. In recent years, Shams has used his identity as both a Muslim and a former Marine to dispel misconceptions about Islam. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Mansoor Shams looks through photos from his time in the Marines, Friday Aug. 13, 2021 at his home in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) A sticker reading "Just ask a Muslim US Marine" sits on the back of Mansoor Shams' vehicle at his home in Baltimore, on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. Shams, who served in the Marines from 2000 to 2004, was called names like "Taliban," "terrorist" and "Osama bin Laden" by some of his fellow Marines after 9/11. In recent years, Shams has used his identity as both a Muslim and a former Marine to dispel misconceptions about Islam. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Mansoor Shams, center, and other community members attend Friday prayer on Aug. 13, 2021 in Rosedale, Md. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Community members talk outside of their local mosque in Rosedale, Md., after Friday prayer on Aug. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Mansoor Shams talks with a group of men after Friday prayer on Aug. 13, 2021, at his local mosque in Rosedale, Md. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) A group of old photos laying on Mansoor Shams' desk in his Baltimore home on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, show him as a young Marine during his service from 2000-2004. After 9/11, Shams was called names like "Taliban," "terrorist" and "Osama bin Laden" by some of his fellow Marines. In recent years, Shams has used his identity as both a Muslim and a former Marine to dispel misconceptions about Islam. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Abdul Latif Balanta, left, and Mansoor Shams joke with each other after Friday prayer in Rosedale, Md., on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. In recent years, Shams has used his identity as both a Muslim and a former Marine to dispel misconceptions about Islam. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) Shahana Hanif, a community organizer strongly favored to win a seat on the New York City Council in the upcoming municipal election, stands in front of her home in the Kensington neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. In 2001, mere weeks after the twin towers at the World Trade Center fell, car passed, the driver’s window rolled down and the man spat an epithet at two little girls wearing their hijabs: “Terrorist!” as a 10-year-old Shahana and her younger sister were walking to the local mosque from their Brooklyn home. Unsure, afraid, the girls ran. (AP Photo/Emily Leshner)