What to do on 9/11 if you're Middle Eastern or Muslim.

1.  Look at the ground, breathe steady in and out, hope that nobody notices the occasion.
2. Wince whenever anyone mentions the date and the chorus of sympathies and 'oh man's' that follow.
3. Flinch at every word coming out of everyone's mouth because you're afraid that it will be another comment that jabs at your skin, jabs at your very being.
4. Notice that not many people notice the occasion but you, because they have that privilege, to forget, oh, to forget everything it brought on.
5. Be extra careful with what you say. No wayward comments appreciated. 
6. Avoid the news that day. You know that they'll likely be debating whether your religion is an ideology or not, or whether all Muslims should wear tags, without equal representation. 
7. Sigh at the inevitable stories on the Internet of hate crimes that always seem to 'coincidentally' happen.
8. Sit and forget for a while, laugh with your friends, until you hear the word 'bomb', then your attention suddenly snaps back to the person who said it.
9. Think how awful it must have been for the victims, and all the people who in the aftermath got killed, mugged, raped, tortured, or held unfairly without any probable cause. You know what was in common for all these people? They were either Middle Eastern or Muslim.
10. Curse how the day that you don't even remember could cause you and your people so much sorrow.