Ten years ago, the September 11 attacks were a seismic moment in history. The tragedy was most keenly felt in the United States, but its impact resounded worldwide. For many young people who came of age around 2001, the events of that day shaped their view of the world.
Here at the British Council, we build trust by encouraging people to engage with each other, across different cultures. In this series of short videos, we asked young adults from across the globe to talk about how September 11 changed their perspective. Their answers were thoughtful, encouraging - and sometimes surprising.
Salmaa Elshanshory was in Texas at the time of the attacks. As an Arab-American, she remembers encountering some negative reactions, but also immense kindness and generosity from her community. She was inspired to study abroad in college afterwards, to counter what she felt were misperceptions about Muslims and Americans.
After 9/11, Hisham Almiraat in Morocco resolved not to let extremists represent his faith and culture to the world. He began blogging, and like many of his peers in the region today, he now uses social media to publish citizen journalism. He sees the devastation of September 11 and this year's Arab Spring as bookends to a decade of intense change.
Nadia Zaffar, a young Pakistani, was just starting college in the U.S. on September 11 2001. She feels that the tragedy underscored the need to communicate effectively between cultures, and to emphasize that we share more similarities than differences.
On the ten-year anniversary of September 11, this generation of young people provide cause for hope. You can watch more of their videos on our Generation 9/11 video project website. The project was a joint endeavor of the British Council's Our Shared Future and Transatlantic Network 2020."