As I stood in the crowded East Room during the conclusion of the first of its kind, United We Stand Summit, President Biden reminded us that “The power is within each of us to transform the story of our time to rise together against hate, to show who we are. We are the United States of America. There nothing, nothing, beyond our capacity.” The President’s address, my fellow panelists, and the elected officials, civil rights groups, law enforcement, faith, and community leaders, and all who attended renewed my hope for peace, understanding, and healing.
Attending the Summit was an incredibly emotional experience. I couldn’t help but reflect upon the last 21 years – from lying in my own blood fighting to stay alive, to this very moment, being invited to the White House to share my story and commitment to combating hate and violence. I’m always honored to share my experiences in hopes of inspiring others to get to know the other because once you do, it is hard to hate them.
When I first arrived in the U.S. and later when I moved to Dallas, I found Americans to be friendly, often curious about where I was from and what brought me to America. Immediately after September 11th, 2001, everything changed. Even the regular customers who came into the convenience store where I worked looked at me with suspicion. Others became angry at me. I no longer felt safe, or even welcome, in the country and community that had embraced me just days before.
Anti-Muslim sentiment was immediate. My faith and dark skin now made me feel like a target. I realized my life in America would never be the same. In the instant it took the pull the trigger, my American dream turned nightmare. I lost everything except for my life, but held tightly to my hopes, dreams, and faith. Though my face and skull are riddled with bullet fragments, and I lost sight in one eye, but gained another kind of vision in my heart, a vision to help create a world based upon mutual respect, dignity, and understanding where we, and our next generations, can coexist peacefully. While I continue to make peace with my pain, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not reminded or affected by my attack.
Occasionally, I hear that my story is “old” and too many people only know me as a 9/11 hate crime survivor. While it may seem irrelevant to most, I believe it is vital to continue sharing stories like mine because tragically, hate fueled violence continues to grow in our country. And those of us who bear the brunt don’t have the luxury of putting the experience behind us — ever. The ongoing physical, mental, and emotional ramifications of being a hate crime victim are felt every day. Every. Single. Day. Part of my mission to prevent and disrupt hate and violence is to save others from having to live a life like mine. I wish it for no one.
To make matters more complicated, after 9/11 hate in the U.S. took a dramatic turn. Multiple groups such as Muslims, Sikhs, and people of Arab and South-Asian descent — or those perceived to be members of these groups — were suddenly labeled as threats, as terrorists living among us. As the years went on, anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate fueled violence skyrocketed. Tragically, the trends continue today. According to Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor, School of Public Affairs & School of Education at American University from a study last year, only half of Asian-American-Pacific Islanders said they feel safe going out. I can certainly attest to this.
Islamophobia is used to create misinformation, intolerance, fear, and hate against a group of people still truly unknown to most. This is ultimately why I was attacked. It is also why I continue to live in fear, never knowing exactly how someone might perceive me along the way. Islamophobia is used as a political weapon — to energize political bases and to divert voter focus from actual, fact-based issues, aiding in political and personal gain. We saw it with former president Obama during his presidential campaigns and we saw it again during the 2016 and 2020 elections. The seed of intolerance, fear, and hate against Blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, LGBTQ, and non-binary folks, and too many others has been nurtured by more power and money than the rest of us can fight against. Prime examples include the evil manifested and displayed on Jan 6th and the rise of anti-Asian hate due to Covid.
During the last twenty-years, while our country had to fight and dismantle foreign terrorist groups, home grown terrorists and extremist groups have flourished at the detrimental expense of religious and ethnic minorities. Hate knows no bounds. When we allow hate to spread against one group, it eventually spreads to others. We’re living it today, as a highly divided nation, where certain elected officials and the media continue pinning Americans against each other for power and profit. These tactics destroy and take lives.
It’s never too late to do the right thing. I do applaud the Biden-Harris administration for focusing on this issue, taking initiative to prevent the further fragmenting of our nation, working with people across party-line and encouraging all Americans to come together, and to find ways to prevent and disrupt hate and violence. Each of my fellow panelists at the United We Stand Summit – Mayra, Vilma, Pardeep, Joseph, and Dawn have paid the ultimate price because of hate fueled violence. While carrying life-long pain, we have all found purpose – a shared purpose to combat hate and find our way to a more united nation. While the White House’s Summit was just one day, the hard work continues. I am encouraged by the promises Vice President Harris, Ambassador Rice, President Biden and all who shared the vision for ongoing community-wide collaborations made to us. I echo the sentiment of everyone in the East Room on September 15th – we won’t let hate win. There’s nothing that we can’t fix or achieve when we work together.
I invite you to subscribe to our email list and follow us on social media to join our journey toward a world without violence, a world without victims and a world without hate.
~ Rais Bhuiyan, Founder, World Without Hate
