September 11, 2001, a day that will live in infamy in American's hearts forever, a tragic moment in time where the World Trade Center fell to its' ruins and the Pentagon, a symbol of the American government was partially destroyed. The culprits, about twenty men of Arab descent who were Muslims involved in the terrorist group, Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden. All of our hearts were affected by these tragedies, but one group in particular was hit harder than any group in our society, Arab Americans, alienated by one hostile act. With the uprising of patriotism in the days after the attacks, many Americans distanced themselves from this group of people, always becoming more aware of them and their actions, and in extreme circumstances persecuting them. Immediately after another attack, the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, another group of people was shun as an outcast of society, 120,000 Japanese Americans, as a result of the upsurge of patriotism. Their punishment was more extreme though, almost four years in an internment camp. Will Americans ever learn from histories many lessons?

Many Arab Americans are finding themselves victimized by the September 11th

In solving the problems with patriotism, a person must first ask two questions, 'What is the true meaning of patriotism?' and 'What does it mean to be American?' A definition for patriotism is the freedom to think for ourselves. This come into conflict because patriotism, more often than not, rallies around group thinking not individual. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines patriotism as "one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests." Looking in these definitions, one sees the fundamentals in becoming a true and non-blinded American. One must follow one's own intuitiveness, and allow the abundance of emotions to cool down so rational thinking can take place, an element of patriotism. Biasness looms in all aspects, especially in the media, so it is important that we do not base our judgment strictly from them, otherwise we may be falsely deceived. Now, going on to the second question, 'What does it mean to be American?' Of course the Declaration of Independence grants Americans certain rights. "...All people are created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The meaning of being American is having freedom, but the definition expands further than that. Americans must also ensure that all of its citizens, no matter their race or culture, have the same rights they have. In short, we need to identify our shortcomings, learn from our mistakes, and make the necessary changes to support these truths for all people.

The media, a great indicator of the patriotism happening in the country, sometimes influences its audience also. In Washington D.C., Washington Mutual ran an ad picturing a Middle Eastern man and read, "Worry About Your Neighbors, Not About Your Loan" (Malek). This is not uncommon in society, especially in a society where the media intertwines terrorist and terrorism with Arabs and Muslims. Many polls taken across the United States indicate the current trend of patriotism. In a CNN poll, respondents were split 49-49 on whether to require Arabs in the United States to carry a special ID card (Crowley). In an ABCNEWS' poll, 43 percent of Americans said they thought the attacks would make them "personally suspicious" of people who appear to be of Arabic descent (Thomson). Some of these partakers of these surveys even agreed to the possible internment of Arabic American; this is appalling at the least, that someone could think in this manner. More recently, this past month three Arab American were detained for seventeen hours, after supposedly making a terrorist plot overheard by Eunice Stone, a white woman, in a Shoney's restaurant. Upon entering this restaurant, they were stared at from their entrance for their Muslim appearance and dress (Ibish). Four days after the September 11th attacks, a Sikh man, who was similar appearance to Muslim was shot and killed by a bar patron who was upset by the attacks (Crowley). All of these incidents are ferocious atrocities in them

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Approximate Word count = 2051
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)