Zainab   Baloch  attended Al  Iman , a local Islamic private school as a child. On 9/11, by the time the second tower was hit, the school “had received so many bomb threats, and people threatening our school, they thought it was safer for us to leave.”

An anti-Muslim sentiment had suddenly taken hold in the U.S ., and according to Baloch , junior in psychology, the non-Muslim majority in the nation began to misconstrue the faith, and liken it to the acts of terrorism witnessed in New York and Washington D.C .

In the years between the attacks on the World Trade Center and today, this resentment toward Muslims on the part of many non-Muslim Americans has shifted drastically. After steadily rising for the better part of a decade, in recent years, it has slowly begun to subside.

In a 2006 article of the Washington Post, a study showed 46 percent of Americans held negative views about Islam. This growing resentment toward the religion manifested itself not only in numbers but in a display of ignorance toward the faith. Terms such as jihad, an inner struggle for God, and Allah, which literally translated from Arabic means “the God,” became words associated not with a peaceful religion, but with holy war and extremists such as al-Qaeda and its leaders.

An article published on the University of Wisconsin at Madison website for Islamic and Middle Eastern studies found that two-thirds of Americans admit to have little or no knowledge about Islam.

Despite these numbers, there have been signs of progressive change in American sentiment.

“I feel there has been some positive cultural advancement,” Emily Ford, a junior in communication, said.

These improving sentiments are echoed in more recent polls conducted this calendar year, showing a reversal of trends, as 61 percent of Americans now claim to have a favorable view of Islam and Muslims, according to an article published in January in USA Today.

“Before 9/11, I don’t think people knew much about Muslims. Ten years later, I still don’t think people know much about Muslims,” Baloch said.

Despite militant Islamist political thought and violence, Baloch said her religion is rather based on acts of charity and goodwill that are basic tenants of the religion. But Baloch believes the experience has made her stronger, bringing her closer to her faith.

“It made me more focused on learning my religion and how to answer questions,” she said.