Aalia Haque decided to start wearing a headscarf when she entered high school as a 14-year-old freshman.“The scarf symbolized that I was growing up in my faith,” Haque said. “I really thought it was time to take that step.”About a week after Haque made that advance, the 9/11 terrorist attacks delivered a blow that pushed her backward to a place where she believed it was best to discontinue wearing the scarf to avoid a possible backlash.The turbulence created by the attacks elicited emotions that unified and divided, and shined a light on how intolerant some people could be in a nation founded on religious freedom. Many Muslims found themselves targeted.Immediately after the identification of the terrorists as Muslim, Islamic organizations throughout the nation condemned the attacks and terrorism in general. Some people outside the Muslim community offered support. Others responded with rage, threats and deadly violence. The local Islamic community dealt with angry phone calls, insulting mail and damage to its buildings, including graffiti, a smashed glass door and bullet holes through a window of a prayer hall.Looking through the lens of local Muslims, the harassment, threats and violence appear to have diminished over the past decade amid dialogue to increase understanding of the Islamic faith and to promote interfaith cooperation. “The challenge is to move from dialogue to action and from tolerance to acceptance. Tolerance is not good enough. The understanding needs to go to the acceptance level,” said Dr. Ihsan Haque, a local cardiologist, leader of the Islamic Society of Akron and Aalia’s father. “A lot of good things have happened and a lot of Americans have accepted Muslims as part of society, but the fringe that spews hatred has hardened.”The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is once again focusing attention on Islam and the growing number of Muslims in the United States. Research indicates a mix of ongoing problems and progress.Earlier this week, the Brookings Institution and the Public Religion Research Institute released the results of a national survey that shows Americans are still struggling with their views of Muslims. What It Means to Be American: Attitudes in an Increasingly Diverse America Ten Years After 9/11 reveals that Americans are evenly divided over whether the values of Islam are at odds with American values and life (47 percent agree and 48 percent disagree).Americans have a double standard when assessing violence committed by self-identified Christians and Muslims. According to the survey, 83 percent of Americans say self-proclaimed Christians who commit acts of violence in the name of Christianity are not really Christians. Less than half (48 percent) of Americans say that self-proclaimed Muslims who commit acts of violence in the name of Islam are not really Muslim.Robert P. Jones, chief executive of the Public Religion Research Institute, said Americans are wrestling with the nation’s founding principles (like religious freedom) and their fears and concerns. He points to findings that show 88 percent of Americans support the notion of religious freedom, yet when asked to consider the Islamic faith, nearly half express uneasiness.“Ten years after 9/11, Americans continue to grapple with issues of security, tolerance and pluralism — matters that lie at the heart of what it means to be American,” Jones said. “Americans strongly affirm broad First Amendment principles and respect for difference, but they don’t always apply these principles evenly or consistently, particularly with regard to American Muslims and immigrants.”Jones concludes that the future holds promise because the data show a generational divide. For example, the majority of older respondents agree with the statement that Islam is at odds with American values. The majority of Millennials, on the other hand, disagree.“The youngest Americans of the group, who were eight to 19 years old 10 years ago, were shaped by the events of 9/11 but are also part of the most religiously and ethnically diverse generation in our country’s history,” Jones said. “They are much more likely to have positive associations with Muslims.”Jones said Americans are still operating with a lack of knowledge about Islam and limited relationships with Muslims. As those relationships increase and knowledge broadens, he expects Muslims to assimilate, much like Jews and Catholics.That’s good news for local Muslims, like Ibrahim Saoud, treasurer at the Akron Masjid. He was 19 years old when the four jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa.Saoud recalls being confused about the identification of the terrorists as Muslims, because the Muslims he knew would never perpetrate such acts. In the days that followed, he was amazed at how quickly all Muslims were painted as terrorists and how anyone perceived as being Muslim or Middle Eastern faced discrimination. “There are still voices shouting for an end to our existence. But those same voices have shouted for the end of other minorities in the past,” Saoud said. “We will keep doing our part in reaching out to more and more Americans in hope that the masses will eventually begin to see the current Islamophobia as just another unfortunate phase in the rich history of America.” Like Saoud, Abdul-Hakeem Najeeullah, of Copley Township, is looking toward a future where people better understand the Islamic faith and can separate extremism from the faith.“Muslim is not synonymous with terrorist. Someone used my faith and associated it with acts of violence,” Najeeullah said. “Our biggest challenge now is to help others understand that the Islamic faith is a peaceful faith and that Muslims are normal, loyal Americans.”Singled outA new study by the Pew Research Center (which estimates the nation's Muslim population to be about 2.75 million) shows that more than half of Muslim Americans (52 percent) said anti-terrorism policies single them out for increased surveillance and monitoring. Many (43 percent) reported that they had personally experienced harassment in the past year. The latter number represents an increase of 3 percentage points from 2007, the first time Pew surveyed Muslim Americans. Still, most report that they are satisfied with the way things are going and rate their communities as positive places to live. The poll also found no signs of rising alienation or anger among Muslim Americans, despite recent government concerns about homegrown Islamic terrorism and controversy over the building of mosques.Najeeullah, Saoud and the Haques harbor no anger. They believe that building more bridges of understanding will help alleviate the fears that drive people to lash out.As for Aalia Haque’s head covering, she wears it only in religious settings. Since her days as a high school student at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, she has earned her undergraduate degree in information technology and Spanish from John Carroll University. She currently works as a sales research intern at Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing in Solon. She hopes that one day she can return to wearing her scarf, or hijab, regularly.In the Islamic faith, the hijab symbolizes modesty. In some families and cultures, young women are pressured to wear it, but it is becoming more common for families like the Haques to leave the decision up to the girl.“Since 9/11, I have been hesitant to wear the scarf in settings that aren’t religious because I think it makes me stand out and I don’t want that kind of attention,” Aalia Haque said. “I don’t get any negative attention when I’m not wearing it. Maybe one day, if it is better received, I will be more comfortable wearing it.”Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.