Dany Bouchedid

In the case of Dany Bouchedid, founder and CEO of COLOTRAQ, the events of 9/11 made him the target of misdirected rage and prejudice.

“From the first moment I boarded a plane after 9/11 I could feel every single guy on that plane sizing me up and giving me dirty looks. And it was this way for every plane ride I took. I even shaved my beard after the first few times this happened, so as to not look as much of an Arab.” 

“And this wasn’t exclusive to flying. It happened in pretty much any public place — supermarket, retail store, sports or concert venue — anywhere where people might fear a terrorist attack. Hell, even people I knew and friends ‘joking’ around with me for years after that calling me a terrorist until I finally spoke up and said it bothered me.” 

“The thing is, to most people, we ‘all look the same’ and they don’t understand or care that some Arabs are not Muslim and even the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful people. I guess it’s just easier to fear and hate than to educate yourself. We are seeing that often these days.”