Seven years ago today, Molly Fay stood on a hill near her home in northern New Jersey and witnessed a smoky city skyline that cleared to reveal one of the most deadly moments in American history.

That smoky scene still resonates with many here at Penn State and across America as the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks arrives once again. The attacks rocked New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville when planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

Fay (sophomore-chemical engineering), of Ramsey, N.J., said she could see fighter pilots overhead and sense the ground shaking. She said her father, who worked in the city, took longer than usual to get home.

"I personally didn't get pulled out of school, but some of my friends did," she said.

Fay said when she returned home from school she found out her father was OK, but she was still concerned.

One graduate from Fay's high school perished in the towers, she said, and people in her area have a tendency not to talk about the attacks.

"I think it's always going to be a part of the community," Fay said.

Nancy Londin (junior-communication sciences and disorders), of New City, N.Y., said she was in eighth grade when the attacks occurred and didn't find out what happened until late that morning. Londin recalled coming home and watching repeatedly the images of the towers falling.

"We're never going to forget it," she said.

Londin said she has a poster of Manhattan Island, including the towers, hanging above her bed.

"I have one [up] every year in my room," she said.

Syed Fakhri (graduate-mechanical engineering) came to the United States from India a year ago and is part of the Muslim Student Association (MSA). Fakhri said the events of Sept. 11, 2001, were felt the world over and affected Muslims in the same manner they did any other citizens.

"It was saddening, it was horrify

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Anniversary

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ing and it was despicable to say the least," Fakhri said.

Last fall, Raeed Tayeh, former public relations director of MSA, spoke at a forum aimed at dispelling prejudices about practitioners of Islam. Tayeh said Americans viewing Muslims as a threat to their country emerged as a result of Sept. 11.

Fakhri said Islam has always emphasized non-violence and those who perpetuate violence are not following the religion or the Quran. He said questions and misconceptions about Islam can be answered by those who follow it.

"Terrorism basically has no religion," he said.

Roger Finke, professor of sociology and religious studies and director of the Association of Religion Data Archives, said Muslims may face discrimination from the local population, but religious freedoms are protected on a federal level. Islamic centers have been working to educate the public, he said.

Mary Anne Knapp, a clinical social worker and senior staff therapist at the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), said in earlier years there had been some increases in CAPS services connected with 9/11.

She said students seeking services can call 814-863-0395 to set up an appointment in the new Student Health Center on Bigler Road.