Dawud Shakir is a UNM senior and a Jordan native. His father is an Iraqi, but lives with his wife in the United States. Shakir is also treasurer of UNM's Muslim Student Association.
Daily Lobo: What were you doing when Sept. 11 happened?
Dawud Shakir: I was sleeping. We had football practice, so I had to wake up, rush over to practice and everything was canceled. Everything was chaos. They basically canceled practice for the next two days.
DL: Were you treated any differently afterward?
DS: There were a few jokes here and there. I think if I was a woman when that happened, and it was a lot easier to tell because I was wearing a scarf, I would be ridiculed a lot more. When people see me, they're not actually sure if I'm Arab.
DL: How has your family here dealt with having relatives in Iraq?
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DS: We're pretty good over here. It's kind of complicated. A lot of people would think that because we're Iraqi, we would think the war is a horrible thing. But actually, from what my family says from Baghdad, they're actually happier Saddam is out of power.
DL: How do you feel about Sept. 11?
DS: Personally, I was shocked. I was like, "How could anyone do this?" It's completely immoral, and it has nothing to do with the cause they were going for. If anything, it hurt their cause.
DL: Do you think Americans have a misunderstanding about Iraq?
DS: Let me first say that America went into the war for the wrong reasons - mainly for oil.
With that being said, something good came out of it. My family was actually very oppressed by Saddam. I had two uncles who were taken early who were tortured and killed. My whole family doesn't like Saddam.
I see it as we went in to get weapons, but then they didn't find any weapons. My family thinks the same way I do.
DL: Do you think people make a lot of assumptions about Muslims?
DS: I guess. A lot of people think that because I'm Muslim, I hate women, and I won't talk to women. A lot of people think I worship pigs because we don't eat them. I guess a lot of people don't understand a lot about Islam and our culture or anything like that. Most Muslims are good guys, but there are a few who mess it up for the rest of us.
DL: Do you feel you have a better understanding of the Sept. 11 attacks and the war in Iraq because you have family in Iraq?
DS: Even I can't get past that. There was no reason to justify killing that many innocent people. They went after civilians. They didn't have the guts to go after an army base, they just killed innocent people. I just can't get past that.
DL:What will you be doing this year on Sept. 11?
DS: I will say a prayer for all the innocent dead. I'll probably talk to my friends about how I feel.
