ALL-AMERICAN MUSLIM: The Day the World Changed
Premieres Sunday, January 1 at 10 PM (ET/PT) on TLC
Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, the Muslim community of Dearborn braces for a painful anniversary. It’s particularly emotional for Deputy Chief Mike Jaafar, who prepares to both protect his local community and honor fallen comrades at a special ceremony before a Detroit Tigers game.
Premieres Sunday, January 1 at 10 PM (ET/PT) on TLC
Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, the Muslim community of Dearborn braces for a painful anniversary. It’s particularly emotional for Deputy Chief Mike Jaafar, who prepares to both protect his local community and honor fallen comrades at a special ceremony before a Detroit Tigers game.
The town mourns the loss of their fellow Americans while also recalling the backlash many faced in the wake of the attacks. Reflecting on whether things have gotten better or worse for Muslim Americans in the years since, the community is split in its judgment, and the anniversary reveals some unhealed wounds and contrasting experiences. While Nawal recalls being pulled out of school by her panicked mother, Lila was comforted and embraced by her non-Muslim colleagues at work.
The anniversary is marked in different ways… or not at all. The Zabans attend an interfaith service at a local church and Lila attends a city-wide memorial at a local park, inviting Shadia and Bilal to join her. They’re reticent, feeling an unspoken pressure to apologize for something they didn't do. However, when Shadia and Bilal travel to NYC, Bilal wants to visit Ground Zero, the "place that changed his life” forever. Afterwards, he and Shadia get tattoos from Ami James, of NY INK fame. Ami's past in the Israeli military concerns the siblings and they worry if it will be a source of friction between them.