The War on Terror: Impacts on and Implications for America’s Muslim Students

Propaganda, rhetoric, and actions in the name of the Global War on Terror created an uncomfortable and hostile environment for many of America’s Muslims post-9/11. This paper will explore impacts on the youngest casualties, school-age children, and examine how these impacts have informed engaged citizenship among these students as young adults. By utilizing media accounts, personal interviews, and statistical evidence, the paper will trace primary effects such as the rise of bullying based on religious identity and the efforts of Muslim students to hide their religious identity; secondary effects such as the increase in enrollment in Muslim educational institutions as a “safe space” and the overall growth in the Muslim student population in the American educational system due to the influx of refugees; and the longer-term implications that have led to an uptick in political participation and social activism among young adult Muslims as a result of their experiences.