"He looks like a terrorist for f*cks sake!"

"Justice" (Photo: Mohammed Affan/NBC News)

The look on his face says it all.

The absurd thing is that this isn't the first time Ahmed was accused of being a terrorist.In an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes, Ahmed says he's been called a "terrorist" and a "bomb maker" since middle school.  For anyone that's ever been "the only one" in their school, community, or job, this sounds depressingly familiar.  Ironically, the mentality that led to his arrest, designed to protect students, does the exact opposite.  Most of us reject extremist propaganda.  Why?  Because most of us live pretty decent lives and the message simply doesn't resonate.  By all accounts, Ahmed and his family are peaceful.  Other than Ahmed's extraordinary talent for building things, they're just like any other American family looking for a great education for their kid.  They're living the American dream far away from an oppressive Sudanese regime.  Why would he care about some radical imam thousands of miles away chanting "Death to America" if his belly is full,  he has clothes on his back, and there's a roof over his head? From his perspective, even though he shares their religion, giving them what they want would really kill Friday night.

Pretty sure this looks as crazy to them as the KKK does to us.

Imagine you're in his shoes.  All you care about is building cool things and if that cute girl that sits behind you would be impressed enough to go out with you.  The other kids at school call you names like, "terrorist" and "bomb maker" but you can handle it.  They're dumb and jealous they can't do what  you can so you don't pay them much attention.  You know there's a future without them.  Then, you decide to bring what you think is a cool project for your engineering class.  Though impressed, the teacher cautions, "I would advise you not to show it to any other teachers."  Of course you think this is strange but you comply.  You don't show anyone but the clock ends up outing you by beeping in English class.  You desperately try to explain to your English teacher, someone you're sure is a reasonable adult, that it's not what she thinks it is.  You fail.  Then you're dragged out of class into a room with 6 more adults.  One is the principal.  The other 5 are cops.  Now, they press the issue, refusing to allow you to call your parents and pushing you to say it's a bomb.  Eventually, they slap the cuffs on you like you're on your way to Guantanamo and there's nothing you can do about it. Suddenly America doesn't seem like such a great place.  You went from being an inquisitive teenager to a terrorist because everyone has seen "Die Hard" too many times.  (Side note: this exactly how Hollywood warps your thinking and is yet another example of why it's not just "entertainment")  Now the rantings of a radical Imam talking about America's lies and hypocrisy don't seem so far fetched. What's happening to you is proof.  This is how radicalization starts.  Congratulations, your fear has just turned an ally into an enemy.

It's clear to me no one believed the "bomb" was real.  The English teacher took the device from him until they dragged him into an interrogation room later in the day.  They never asked the engineering teacher, the only person at the school qualified to determine the device's purpose, if it was intended to be a bomb.  They never called the bomb squad nor did they evacuate the school.  This wasn't about the "bomb" at all.  This was about the fear his origin and name inspire among people who believe that "all terrorists may aren't Muslims but all Muslims are terrorists."  A narrative, by the way, that is dangerously inaccurate.  The humiliation of being perp-walked out of school when your only real crime is that you were smart enough to build a clock sends a very clear message.

"You will never be one of us."

The More Things Change

The New York skyline as it should be.

Where does the time go?  In 2001, the world had just been introduced to the iPod, Google was 3 years away from its IPO, the full scope of Enron's shenanigans had yet to be uncovered, and Mark Zuckerberg was still just a Harvard undergrad with a chip on his shoulder.  The changes since then have come so gradually that you only notice when you stop to think about the last time you didn't need to frantically search for your cellphone just to leave the house, check e-mail, actually hand write a  letter, or use an answering machine for all your messages, or wait until you made a special trip to see how much a baby has grown.  Everyone's phone is a camera granting us so much unprecedented access into each other's lives that being private has become an active choice, not the norm and our cars are on the verge of driving us.  Some us have become parents or uncles or anties or godparents.  We've gained friends, lost friends, changed jobs, changed cities, graduated from school, started businesses, or taken any number of steps toward our personal quest for "happy."  For families of the 9/11 victims, however, time stopped that day.

"Why are we still talking about this?  It was 14 years ago isn't Bin Laden dead?"
Imagine the most painful day of your life was documented on video from every possible angle, dissected by every political pundit and military analyst for the past decade plus, used as a talking point to stoke fear in a nation during elections, and permanently memorialized in 3 states with museums and monuments.  Let's also not forget the conspiracy theorists and armchair engineers, none of whom were here that day, who swear the whole thing was faked by the government for the sole purpose of going to war for oil.  This is clearly the perfect environment for emotional healing and spiritual renewal.  They can't move on because America hasn't moved on.  In truth, America doesn't move on from things like this and never will.  The Boston Massacre was the match that sparked the American Revolution, creating the original 13 states.  Bloody Kansas pushed us into the Civil War, abolishing chattel slavery.  Pearl Harbor dragged us into the Second World War, establishing the USA as a world superpower.  Each of these tragedies fundamentally changed the country and 9/11 will be no different.  It's too soon to get as clear a historical perspective as the over three pivot points I mentioned but a few things about Post 9/11 America are clear.

• America is more aggressive about hunting down terrorists and potential terrorists, even at the cost of privacy and personal freedom
• Modern patriotism seems to have taken on a more legalistic tone.  Self-described Constitutionalists treat the document as a static, infallible set of laws rather than the living malleable document it was designed to be.
• Adherence to ideology has overtaken compassion as an admirable trait

People have lost faith in each other and have developed an even more exaggerated fear of the "other." In that respect, the terrorists achieved their goal.  Life in America isn't the same as it once was, not that its ever static from year to year, but the unity we had as a nation right after the attacks has all but dissipated.  Even our government has lost the ability to compromise.  The simplest issues turn into government shutdowns.  This day shouldn't just remind people of the lives we've lost but a little but of our own humanity as well.  Our politicians, media, opinions, and entertainment all reflect the value we hold dear and we look like xenophobic hate mongers.  A little bit of all of us died that day and it shows.  Perhaps the best way to honor the 9/11 victims and sacrifices made by our military to bring Bin Laden to justice is to get back to being what we were before before that day.  We need to get back to being the country they would recognize.