ABSTRACT

The lives of American Muslims will never be the same after the events of 9/1l. The dramatic and tragic events sent a shock wave through diverse communities of Muslims living in the United States. Elements of individual and communal identity were destabilised and accented in the wake of the terrorist attacks including racial categories, concepts of citizenship, and ideologies about Islam. In particular, American Muslims, whether immigrants, Euro-American or African-American converts, were shocked and surprised to find cultural tensions that they may have already experienced in the Muslim community embodied and exaggerated in reaction to the events.