N.L. residents helped Muslims feel safe amid post

N.L. residents helped Muslims feel safe amid post-9/11 prejudice, says association leader

Support from residents has brought community 'reassurance and confidence', says Haseen Khan

Muslim association president remembers feeling support for his community in years after 9/11

When Haseen Khan looks back on his memories around the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, he often begins on the shock it brought.

It's a "grave wound" that is still open for many.

"It was beyond imagination. It was beyond anyone's imagination, that humanity can fall that low," Khan told CBC News Wednesday.

"A loss of one innocent life is loss of the entire humanity. And that's a very strong reminder, and that's what was going through our minds at that time."

But Khan also looks back on how it impacted Newfoundland and Labrador's Muslim community at the time.

Twenty-five years after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, Khan is president of the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. Back then, he was part of a growing population in the province — one that has grown from 50 people in 1989 to more than 4,000 residents as of the 2021 census.

He said he remembers the tragedy bringing out both the best and worst in people. It rallied the world closer together, he said, but it also changed how Muslims were viewed globally.

"These perpetrators, they associated themselves with Islamic faith. And that created lots of anxiety and fear among Muslims and, unfortunately, the entire community," Khan said.

"Sometimes, you see people react to the situation and they don't, kind of, respond to the situation. That kind of had some lasting impact that led to Islamophobia. And that resulted in, kind of, fear, injustice, and [a] sense of insecurity."

The attacks stoked fear across parts of Canada, which led to Muslims being targeted in some parts of the country.

A 2003 report from the Canadian Islamic Congress showed more than 170 anti-Muslim hate crimes were reported to the group in 2002 — a 1,600 per cent increase from the just 11 reports made in 2000.

'It's like living in a nightmare': Canadian Muslims describe their experiences after 9/11

In the days that followed Sept. 11, then-prime minister Jean Chretien publicly condemned the attacks while visiting a mosque in Ottawa, saying he turned his back on Canadians who took part in shaming or attacks.

Muslim people who spoke with CBC News in the years that followed shared they often faced threats while in the United States, questioning their safety, security and voicing a desire to find a new home where they could freely embrace their Muslim identity.

Muslims in Canada on why they left the U.S. after 9/11

But Khan said he also remembers the support that came from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the years that followed.

He's felt residents have historically been quick to support the community in times of need. He specifically cited support following a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City on Jan. 29, 2017, when residents formed a human chain around the St. John's mosque during prayers in the following days.

'Canada has spoken, no to hate': Hundreds support Human Shield for N.L. Muslim community

"Our fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians showed a very strong, kind of, support that, 'We are with you. You should not feel, you should not have any type of concern," Khan said.

"The support of local people and their welcoming attitude, I think that has been a source of reassurance and confidence."

Looking ahead to Friday, Khan said he believes his thoughts will be on the response following the tragedy.

He encouraged other spiritual leaders to think the same, hoping the community can continue to invest in interfaith community building.

"In order to understand and respect our differences, and to find common ground for collaboration, [we have] to build a stronger, safer and united community so that future generations will inherit a world defined by unity. Not division."

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