مجلة عصور الجديدة
Volume 15, Numéro 1, Pages 561-576
2025-05-31

The Impact Of September 11th Events On U.s Domestic Affairs

Authors : Boudjahfa Nawal .

Abstract

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 have had extensive consequences on American policy, especially in the field of national security. 9/11 hate crime backlash substantiated the apprehensions and fears of Arab and Muslim Americans because the attacks of such amplitude have propagated nationwide waves of hate crimes directed towards individuals, organizations and all institutions perceived to be Arab or Muslim. The attacks have made indelible marks in the American minds; unfortunately, they have also had a terrible legacy which is to forget the principles on which the United States was built and conflate between revenge and justice. In their obsession for safety, terrorized Americans scarified their arduously gained civil liberties in the name of security. In spite of the great criticism, American lawmakers passed the USA Patriot and Terrorism Reauthorization Acts in March 2006. These acts violate the Fourth Amendment by allowing the government to access the private information of US citizens in the name of terrorism prevention. This article is predominantly devoted to the analysis of the most important impacts of 9/11 on national security and daily life of the Americans, mainly those from Arab and Muslim origins. Aiming at a conceptual clarification, this article is based on a comprehensive literature review and historical analysis to find out how and when the United States has turned into a totalitarian democracy misusing terror to the detriment of freedom. Our analysis shows that, despite sectarian and other differences between various groups, their final purpose is to face terrorism while striving to maintain freedom through various strategies and initiatives.

Keywords

Muslim Americans ; Arab Americans ; Civil Liberties ; Immigration Policy ; September 11th attacks ; Terrorism ; The Patriot Act ; 4th amendment ; Immigration policy