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Muslim students and families in Fairfax County say heightened tensions surrounding the Middle East have brought renewed discrimination, leading some community members to hide their identities or avoid displaying their culture.
For many, the current climate recalls the fear that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Marwa*, the parent of a Fairfax County Public Schools student, said acceptance of Muslims had appeared to be growing before 9/11, with more Muslims entering politics and government.
“Then 9/11 happened, and everybody clammed up out of fear,” Marwa said. She believes that fear had begun to ease before returning after the Oct. 7 attack and the subsequent war in Gaza.
“I want the Muslim community to survive and thrive,” she said, adding that renewed anxiety is limiting the community’s growth.
Marwa was a hijab-wearing high school student in the days after 9/11. She recalled a boy approaching her, shaping his hands like guns and suggesting her scarf concealed weapons.
Her own family had also been directly affected by the attacks. Her grandfather worked for the State Department and had previously worked in the section of the Pentagon that was destroyed. Her uncle was a victim at the World Trade Center.
“So I was affected too, but yet I was the perpetrator,” she said.
Marwa said jokes and hostile portrayals increasingly cast Muslims as terrorists and villains, eroding trust and making hateful rhetoric seem normal.
Students say similar attitudes have surfaced at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, including incidents connected to Palestinian-themed clothing.
Fatima* said a teacher stopped her in a hallway and ordered her to change or cover a shirt because the teacher believed its design showed a weapon in a bag. Fatima complied, putting on her jacket before being escorted back to class.
After looking at the shirt again, Fatima said she remained convinced that it did not depict a weapon. The design carried the words “Grand Theft Palestine,” which she believes drew the teacher’s attention.
Fatima was also involved in a controversy last November after the Muslim Student Associations at Thomas Jefferson and Langley High School posted a video promoting upcoming events.
She said the reaction left her mother worried about further problems and reluctant to let her wear Palestinian-themed clothing.
“I want to be more upfront, because I am proud of my culture,” Fatima said. “But then there’s the fear that we’re going to get ourselves into trouble.”
Concerns have also emerged over proposals to remove Eid observances from the FCPS calendar. Eid holidays occur according to the Islamic lunar calendar and therefore fall on different dates each year.
Marwa said officials viewed the midweek holidays as disruptive to the school system’s five-day-week model. Although she supports maintaining consistent school weeks, she argued that recognizing two Muslim holidays should not be treated as a major burden.
“Muslims deserve their holiday recognized,” she said.
Some Muslim residents say their unease extends beyond schools. Safa*, who moved to the United States in 1987, described her early experience in the country as welcoming but said that changed during President Donald Trump’s first term.
She became afraid to take her children to the park alone and said minor driving mistakes sometimes prompted strangers to honk and tell her to return to her country.
Despite those experiences, community members say pressure has strengthened their determination to remain visible and connected.
“I wish that things were different and it would be easier for everybody to just be safe in a better environment,” Marwa said. “I think that pressure creates diamonds, so what we’re creating right now, regardless of this pressure, is an amazing youth.”