2 Years Before 9/11

Yesterday, I found my High School year books. I graduated in 1999, the year of Columbine (see below). I was quiet and shy. There were people in my class of 119 that I never saw until we were in our caps and gowns! I heard and saw a lot of things but wasn't part of much.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre

While going through the pictures of my classmates, I came across two boys I forgot about. I know one is Muslim because I remember him talking about Ramadan once. The other one mentioned family in the middle east in the yearbook. I'm pretty sure Waleed is Muslim too.

1999, two years before that day. Back then these two boys were like the other boys. They were treated like the other boys. They had friends. No one would use the word "radical" to describe them.

On 9/11 I had dinner with a Muslim friend. I will never forget her anger over what happened that day. Yesterday, I started thinking about how life changed on that day for those two boys. I haven't seen or heard from either so I really don't know. But I'm going to take a guess.

My guess is that since that day they run into some people that continue to treat them like everyone else and others that wonder if they are radical or not. I can't picture either being radical. They never complained about America back then.

It made me think about what high school would have been like for them if we were the class of 2002 instead. I still don't think either would be a threat. But, I do think some people would pay more attention to make sure they didn't become a threat.

That's what really changed. 2 years before, no one would have paid more attention to see if they were a threat or not. After 9/11, people pay attention. Even if they relax after determining there is no threat, there are people that look into it first. In 1999, a few Goth kids made jokes that they would be more closely watched, but they weren't. Possible threats were determined based on behavior not religion or personality type.

We will never forget 9/11. But, seeing those yearbooks yesterday made me think about how 9/11 changed the way some Americans think. Those two boys had nothing to do with what happened that day. We were college age so my guess is that on that Tuesday morning they were in class, doing homework, working, or hanging out with friends.

It's not right that airports suddenly got harder for them to go through. They aren't threats. It's not right what all Muslims have to go through in this country because of a small percentage of radicalized Muslims. When can we go back to treating Muslims like we did in 1999?