Thoughts on 9/11 memorial

Good morning everyone,

Whenever I think about the 9/11 Memorial, I not only remember the loss and suffering thousands of people experienced as a result of the terrorist attacks, but I also remember the fallout, the discriminatory backlash that I personally have experienced as a result of 9/11. Post 9/11, I felt like I was constantly surrounded by Islamophobic, anti-Islamic rhetoric, whether it was on the news or hearing people say things to me. I knew that these were the raw products of insensible, fear-inspired hate, but for many years, I felt like I could do nothing to suade these sentiments, allay the fear, anger, and hate against millions of Muslim Americans, including myself.  As a result of these feelings, I decided to advocate on behalf of Islam by setting the record straight so that one day, the people who know me can automatically know the difference between what Islam actually teaches and terrorism.

 I recorded us actually walking around the 9/11 Memorial before we even saw the South Pool or the Survivor Tree because while we were walking, I had a strange sense of foreboding and mourning in the pit of my stomach. These feelings reached their height when I approached the South Pool.

While I was gazing at the seemingly depthless hole in the South Pool inhaling the faint scent of perfume and sea salt, those initial feelings of anger and frustration created a sort of mental vacuum that prohibited all other thoughts from settling into my mind.  After some time, I noticed the sober colors of the 9/11 Memorial that exacerbated those initial feelings: black, grey, and dark green emphasized my feelings of sadness and oddly, drowning. It was all very strange: the sea salt reminded me of my times walking along the beach, which reflected that horrible sense of drowning.  Needless to say, the 9/11 Memorial had a significant emotional impact on me for some reasons that I cannot describe.

A couple of hours passed before I could actually marvel at the architecture present before me in the form of the South Pool. I admired the clever juxtaposition of the tall, reflective, steel buildings that surrounded the deep, dark pools. The depth of the etched names in the black, cold marble complemented the profundity of my emotions and the depth of the holes in the center of the pools.

All in all, visiting the 9/11 Memorial was a rather interested experience. Feel free to share your own thoughts.