Society
Comedians Discuss How Muslim Americans Were Profiled After 9/11 Attacks
Theo Von
#656 - Fahim Anwar
"It was dicey for a while because every time there was a, you know, post-9/11, the temperature was— if you happen to be that, you felt it. You know, when I would fly, I would be secondary search. And I grew up with Boy Meets World and TGIF. I'm just as American. I watched Saved by the Bell. But you just happen to look a certain way."
Fahim Anwar, whose parents are from Afghanistan, describes experiencing systematic discrimination after 9/11 including routine secondary searches at airports. Despite being culturally American, he faced prejudice based on appearance. He argues social media has reduced this type of broad-stroke stereotyping by allowing people to form their own opinions beyond controlled narratives.