Introduction

Abstract

On September 11, 2001, New York City residents awoke to witness unexpectedly the forceful deployment of a horrific and devastating event that was going to affect every aspect of social life. Two attacks on the World Trade Center, masterminded and carried out with some precision by Muslim extremists, not only destroyed the two architecturally elegant towers that for many years graced the skies of Manhattan and served as a global financial transactional center, but also caused the death of countless innocent victims of diverse faiths and ethnic backgrounds. The anti-Muslim sentiment that these deadly hijacked jetliner attacks suddenly stirred up from among the larger population gives us cause to revisit the multiethnic, multireligious makeup of the city and to view it from a new angle — that of its multitemporal character.