IAM A PAKISTANI, IAM NOT A TERRORIST.

This is going to be very long, but I have had enough because there is something exhausting about having people decide who you are before they have even spoken to you. I am a Pakistani girl. I come from a Muslim cultural background, although I personally identify as an atheist. And yet, because of where I come from and the religion associated with my roots, I have experienced people making assumptions about me that I never asked for. Recently, I met someone online, this Brian Acuff something on spacehey, who started talking to me about Pakistan, Islam and 9/11 right after we exchanged discord accs. What started as a conversation quickly turned into comments about how Muslims are “weird,” how Islam is supposedly the problem, and how Muslims were responsible for what happened in New York.

That isn't simply an unpopular opinion. It is prejudice.

Imagine meeting someone from another country and immediately deciding that their ethnicity, culture or religious background tells you what kind of person they must be, Imagine being told that your people are strange or dangerous because of the actions of people you have never met. I have been called a terrorist before simply because I am Pakistani. I shouldn't have to defend my existence every time someone hears where I am from.

And let's talk about 9/11.

The September 11 attacks were horrific, Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, and the victims deserve to be remembered with respect. But saying that “Muslims attacked New York” erases an extremely important distinction: TERROR*STS COMMITTED THE ATTACK, AN ENTIRE RELIGION DID NOT. The FBI's investigation identified the 19 hijackers as members trained by al-Qaeda. They were individuals belonging to a terrorist organization. Their actions do not represent every Muslim person on Earth any more than the actions of a criminal who happens to belong to a particular nationality represent every person from that country. And yes I have researched this from multiple resources, so I know exactly what Iam talking about.

There are billions of Muslims around the world living ordinary lives. They are students, doctors, teachers, parents, artists, engineers, athletes, neighbours and friends. Some are Pakistani. Some are Arab. Some are African. Some are European. Some are American. And many have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism. In fact, extremist violence has also killed enormous numbers of Muslims themselves. Terrorist organizations don't magically become representatives of an entire religion because they claim to act in its name. 

Oh and the Quran? 

You are allowed to disagree with Islam. You are allowed to be Christian, Jewish, atheist, agnostic, Muslim, or something else entirely. Freedom of belief means people can question religions but there is a difference between CRITICIZING religion and INSULTING people who follow it.The Qur'an is an important religious text within the Abrahamic tradition, and it shares many figures and stories with Jewish and Christian scripture. Abraham, Moses, David, Mary and Jesus are among the figures recognized in Islamic tradition. Islam also considers Jesus a prophet, although Muslims and Christians have very different beliefs about who Jesus is.

So no, the Qur'an isn't some random book belonging to a completely unrelated tradition. Islam, Christianity and Judaism have deep historical and theological connections, even though they disagree profoundly on certain beliefs.

And then of course is new York.

Today, New York has a Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who became the city's first Muslim mayor in January 2026. His administration has pursued policies involving affordable housing, public transportation, childcare, consumer protections and support for immigrant communities. Whether someone agrees with all of his politics is completely fair to debate. But his religion does not make him incapable of governing New York. His administration has, for example, introduced measures involving bus improvements, affordable housing, consumer protections and support for immigrant New Yorkers.

That matters because it demonstrates something incredibly simple: BEING MUSLIM DOES NOT DETERMINE SOMEONE'S CHARACTER.

Being Pakistani doesn't determine someone's character either.

Neither does being Christian, Jewish, Hindu, atheist, American, Arab, Indian or anything else.

I am tired of being expected to prove that I am “one of the good ones.” I shouldn't have to say, “I'm not Muslim, so please don't judge me,” just because someone has decided that being Muslim is something shameful. I shouldn't have to distance myself from an entire community to deserve basic respect, and I certainly shouldn't have to hear the word “terror*st” attached to me because of my nationality, and religion, whether I personally follow one or not, doesn't give anyone an excuse to dehumanize millions of other people. I am still young. I shouldn't have to spend my life defending myself from stereotypes that existed before I was even born.

So if you meet someone from Pakistan, don't assume you know them

If you meet a Muslim, don't assume you know them

If you meet an atheist, Christian, Jew, Hindu or anyone else, don't assume you know them.

Because I am not responsible for the actions of strangers who share my nationality, and Muslims are not responsible for the actions of terror*sts who claim their religion.

So to hundreds of Brian Acuffs here

I am Pakistani.

I am a girl.

I am my own person.

And I am not a terror*st.