Scroll: Was it hard to believe that anyone would dare to attack the U.S. in such a way?
Rahul: It was unbelievable that any-body would have the organization and courage to act against the U.S. in such a manner.
Rafi: For many Americans it is hard to believe. Personally, I was expecting a major attack of some sort within the near future. I actually was expecting one of a greater magnitude, and I believe that more are on the way. While I deeply condemn violence, the U.S. brought this attack upon itself by pursuing foreign relations that have created a global environment with hostile feelings towards the U.S. Muslims in particular have had to bear the bad side of U.S. foreign policy over and over again.

Scroll: How has this incident affected you? It's not always the same when you are not a citizen.
Rahul: This incident has profoundly influenced each and every person around the world. Thanks to the aid of global media and modern technology, this event has reached millions of people worldwide. Virtually all of them feel sympathy for the U.S. Also, an immediate concern is that no country, state, or city can now feel safe from the influence of terrorist activities.
Rafi: This incident has made me more aware of the fact that while I have a U.S. passport and was born in the U.S., I am an outsider in many people's eyes. Showing my passport last week to get a train ticket got me a dirty look and a lot of questions. I've always been searched to the hilt by European and U.S. authorities because of my name and the places I visit. Also, the things people say about Arabs (even though I am technically not one because Iranians are Aryans) and Muslims hurt me. People talking about towel heads, or asking me why some stupid religion lets people do things like this (which it doesn't), or making jokes about how my friends in Lebanon and my family in Iran will soon be blasted to the roof really does hurt me-even though I may not show it.

Scroll: Do you know of any instances where the actions of Americans have harmed the innocent populations of other countries?
Rahul: I do not know of any instances where Americans have directly harmed the people of other countries, but, indirectly, they definitely have. This is bound to be the case; when you make friends with other countries, you also end up making enemies. In this manner, while siding with one country, the other countries tend to feel provoked. Unfortunately, looking back at recent U.S. history, Americans have always been somewhat against Islamic countries.
Rafi: When Israel purposely bombed the U.N. compound of Fijian peace-keepers in Lebanon in operation "Grapes of Wrath," President Clinton called the actions "a tragic misfiring in Israel's legitimate exercise of its right to self- defense." This was found by an Israeli government inquiry to have been an action committed purposefully (with American-made weapons). This "tragic misfiring" killed 102 innocent refugees and UN peacekeeping troopers. One other case which is representative is that of the U.S. shooting an Iran Air plane carrying hundreds of innocent people.

Scroll: Do you think the U.S. is being prudent in that response?
Rafi: The U.S. is being far far, far from prudent in its response. One can not be adequately sure that Osama bin Laden did this. Also, from what the response seems to be shaping into, it looks like the U.S. is going to bomb lots of innocent Afghan people, maybe get Osama bin Laden, and leave the Taliban in power (which it actually used to support). It deeply saddens me that even if they do throw the Taliban out of power, they are looking to replace it with the despotic and pro-U.S. king. Scant attention has been paid to the democratic and legitimate government of President Rabbani. President Rabbani has an army of 250,000 people up in the north of Afghanistan who would be thrilled to reinstall the secular and democratic government. Also, the U.S. has turned a blind eye to the rising anti-Arab sentiment. In fact, U.S. media has even incited a lot of this sentiment. CNN happily played over and over again two video clips of a few Palestinians celebrating what happened to the U.S., but they played only once -at 3 a.m .- a video clip showing 10,000 Palestinians holding a candlelight vigil outside the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem.

Scroll: Do you feel threatened in any way because of your international background? If yes, how?
Rahul: No.
Rafi: I do feel threatened. A bunch of Arab-Americans are now dead because of vigilantes. Mosques have been firebombed. This is not happening just in the U.S., but all around the world. If I show my passport at the Springfield train station next week, who knows if some people might decide to take care of another terrorist? What about when this article is published in the Scroll? How will people treat my family when my father is the Chairman of Islamic Sudies at Harvard? I have always known that people look at me somewhat differently, but now I feel it all more intensely.