Arab and U.S. flags
kptyson
Jordanian and American Flags wave at the 2008 Arab Heritage Celebration at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers, NY

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Arab and Muslim-American children often found themselves caught between two worlds — the American world in which they lived and felt a part of, and a perceived identity, marked with discrimination, suddenly assigned to them because of their appearance, ethnicity or religion.

Author Moustafa Bayoumi is author of How Does it Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America, which tells the stories of seven young Arab Americans who struggle to navigate through a post-Sept. 11 world. Bayoumi explains why he wrote the book, shares thoughts on whether national tensions toward Arab-Americans have eased since the 2001 attacks, and if the U.S. government is working hard enough to help curb negative perspectives.

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