September 11 - turkofamerica.com

On the 65th Floor of the 1st Tower During the Terrorist Attack

“WE WERE THERE!”
Five years later, the Turkish people living in and around New York, in response to the unfair treatment against the Muslims and the change of attitude against the immigrants by the U.S. as well as other countries of the world say with reproach “We were there on September 11 and we also suffer from material and spritual losses.”

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Admin TOA

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Dr Oz: "Americans Were Not Able to Understand What Islam Was"

MEHMET ÖZ (HEART SURGEON)
“As a Turkish surgeon, I was not much affected by 9/11; however I happen to have observed its effects closely on Arabs, particularly the Saudis, as well as the Afghani, Iraqi and Pakistani populations…” says the world-famous heart surgeon Mehmet Oz.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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American Dream Is Over

İBRAHİM ÖZDEMİR (RESTAURANT OWNER)
A tiny but a well-known restaurant on 73rd Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan: Its name is Üsküdar. What seems quite unknown on the other hand is that its chef, İbrahim Özdemir, whose meals Americans adore, no longer sees America as the country of dreams after 9/11…

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

"Turkey Is Safer than New York"

SEYHAN E. ARKONAC (ECONOMIST-LECTURER at NYU)
It was September 10, 2001, when Seyhan Erden Arkonaç started to teach at New York University, leaving his position in Boston at North Eastern University due to the change of his wife’s job...

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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"Our Nervous Systems Are Not That Strong"

BEKIR SAHIN- (TADF, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT)
After the first shock of 9/11, the Turkish-American Association (TADF) in New York stepped in as soon as possible. They were receiving telephone calls from Turkey one after another. Those who hadn’t heard from their relatives and friends were worried whether their people were also in the building.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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"I Was Quite Afraid that I Was Wearing A Headscarf"

YETER ÖZDEMİR (HOUSEWIFE)
In the days following 9/11 maybe Americans never realized that they were looking at this woman who appeared quite different from them, maybe they observed her consciously, or maybe, they never saw her at all.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

"Discrimination between 'Our Muslims' and 'Other Muslims"

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the reaction against Muslims and the White House’s demeanor against immigrants made Turkish people who had been living in the USA for several years stop thinking that “the USA is the land of opportunity.” It is obvious that the time that has passed after September 11 has left deep marks on Turkish immigrants.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

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Lost Around $10 Million

ADEM ARICI (BUSINESSMAN)

Adem Arici first sees a flash, then a thick layer of smoke over the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, while he is crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. He is the owner of one of the top supermarket chains, Amish. He immediately calls his shop, which is next to the World Trade Center.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

He Lost His Brother

MEHMET IBIS (Trader)
Mehmet Ibis speaks of his desperation in the morning of September 11 with these words, “I got to work at an early hour that morning. My friend called and asked about my elder brother who was working in the World Trade Center. He told me he saw on TV that there had been a small accident at the Towers.

October 15, 2006
Published in September 11
Written by Elif Ozmenek

September 11: Through the Eyes of the Turkish Community

By Elif Özmenek
Photographs by Cem Yücer
Turks are Muslims, but they are not Arabs. They are also a minority in the U.S., but a minority whose origins are hard to tell from their physical appearance. However, their dramatic stories display the fact that the U.S. has started to go through a transitional period and has passed the point of no return.