The author, a Muslim researcher living in London at the time, recalls being on the ninth floor of a skyscraper when the news of the 9/11 attacks broke. They were one of the only Muslims working in their office and were bombarded with questions about Osama bin Laden and terrorism, leading to a significant shift in their career and politics. The article marks the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, which resulted in the loss of nearly 3,000 lives and had far-reaching consequences for global politics and society.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
September 11, 2001 is being remembered as the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that changed the world and people's lives 25 years ago. For Colin McShane, who was just 4½ years old at the time, his father's death on 9/11 is a significant event in his life. His father was a firefighter who had joined the FDNY for only 18 months, but had plans to continue serving.
In Canada, Sue Riccardelli and her wife Maureen Murray have been honoring the people of central Newfoundland who took care of them and over 6,500 other passengers after 38 planes were grounded in Gander, N.L. They are now returning to Gander for the anniversary and plan to bring their flag as a message of love and solidarity.
New Yorkers who worked at Windows on the World, the restaurant on the 107th floor of the North Tower, still carry memories of that day. One employee, Paulo Villela, immigrated from Brazil just to work there for its benefits, but lost his life in the attacks.
In recent years, many Americans have been scapegoating Muslims and eroding civil liberties through policies like warrantless wiretaps and racist deportation campaigns. This phenomenon of Islamophobia continues to play a major role in politics today.
9/11 responders, including Mia Farina, are still getting sick from their work at ground zero, despite promises of care through the World Trade Center Health Program. Many have died from complications related to their service on that day.
In addition to remembering those who lost their lives, it's also important for parents to share this historical event with their children and teach them about the impact of 9/11 on American society.
Written for “The Aftermath of 9/11” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 44 other(s) covering the same event.
Friday marks 25 years since September 11, 2001.
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Friday → mark → September
For my generation, 9/11 was our “Where were you when JFK was assassinated?” moment.
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JFK → assassinate → generation
Almost everyone who lived through that day remembers where they were, who they were with, and how they first heard that something unimaginable was happening in New York.
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something → live → York
I was in London, a young Muslim researcher at a British television company, sitting on the ninth floor of a skyscraper.
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I → sit → skyscraper
I’d started the job only days earlier.
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I → start → job
It was early afternoon for us when the images came on the TV.
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images → come → TV
My new colleagues and I had just returned to our desks from lunch.
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colleagues → return → lunch
And… wait… hold on… a plane had flown into the World Trade Center?
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plane → wait → Center
We all stared at the screen, stunned and confused, trying to work out what the hell was happening.
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We → star → screen
I vividly remember this random guy walking past our desks, looking up at the TV on the wall, and saying: “What have the Palestinians done now?”
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Palestinians → remember → What
We didn’t know what had happened.
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what → know → ?
We didn’t know who was responsible.
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who → know → ?
I’ve never forgotten it.
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I → forget → it
Then the second plane hit.
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plane → hit → ?
And everything changed.
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everything → change → ?
Suddenly, all of the journalists and editors on my floor were asking me about Osama bin Laden.
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all → ask → Laden
How on earth was I supposed to have all the answers?
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I → suppose → answers
But that became my new reality.
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that → become → ?
The months that followed were a blur of booking guests, panels, interviews: on 9/11, bin Laden, the Taliban, Afghanistan, Iraq, the so-called “War on Terror.”
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that → follow → Terror
Sometimes I wonder: What would I be doing today if those planes had never hit those buildings?
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planes → wonder → buildings
It’s a weird, uncomfortable, and yes, I freely admit, navel-gazing question.
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I → ’ → ?
But I genuinely don’t know.
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I → know → ?
9/11 was a tragedy of almost incomparable proportions for the 3,000 innocent people who were killed that day and, of course, for the hundreds of thousands of innocent people killed in the subsequent decades.
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who → kill → decades
For me, I can say this: it changed my career.
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it → say → career
It changed my politics.
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It → change → politics
It changed my life as a Muslim.
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It → change → Muslim
And it changed all of our lives in ways we are still living with: Afghanistan and Iraq; Guantanamo and torture; surveillance and Islamophobia; foreign wars, repressive laws, and far-right political movements taking office across the West.
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we → change → West
But before all of that came the day itself.
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day → come → that
And those images that none of us who watched them will ever forget.
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who → watch → them
So, a quarter of a century later, I want to hear from you.
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I → want → you
Where were you on 9/11?
Where were you when you first heard?
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you → hear → 9/11
What do you remember most vividly?
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you → remember → What
What did you think and feel in those first few hours?
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you → think → hours
And here’s the question I’m especially interested in:
Did September 11 change the course of your life, too?
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September → ’ → life
If you’re a paid subscriber, please do share your story in the comments below.
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you → ’re → comments
I’ll be reading them.
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I → read → them
