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It has been more than two years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the harassment of Muslim Americans that accompanied the disaster, but Muslim students at UCLA say they are no longer experiencing noticeable backlash from the attack.

“I honestly did not experience any changes. It might have been due to my surroundings, since everybody knows me pretty well, but there was no change for me,” said Alia Khan, a third-year political science student.

In fact, some say the attacks may have had a reverse effect, increasing awareness and interest in the Islamic religion, a major theme of this week’s events aimed at promoting Islamic culture.

“My friends started asking me questions about Islam after Sept. 11. They felt more open about it, and even though I was afraid they would judge based on the events, it didn’t happen,” said Hanna Siddiqui, a second-year chemistry student.

For many Muslim Americans, the weeks after Sept. 11 greatly changed the way they were perceived, with nationwide reports of hate crimes against Muslim Americans or those who appeared to be Muslim.

Mariam Jukaku, Muslim Student Association president, said though she was worried about the possible backlash Muslim Americans would experience after Sept. 11, there has been no substantive negative reaction on campus.

“There was a lot of support in my community and now I feel like people are more curious about the religion now,” Jukaku said.

With the attack two years in the past, Jukaku believes there have definitely been changes for the better in the way Muslim Americans are treated.

“Muslim Americans are becoming full members of society – they do community service, get involved in the political system. After all, this country is based on taking the good from different cultures and people and making a change,” Jukaku said.

Attacks against Muslim Americans have been steadily declining in the last two years and violent attacks against Muslim Americans have virtually disappeared, said Laila Al-Qatami, a spokeswoman at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many Muslims predicted a potentially violent backlash against Muslim Americans.

“When I saw the attack on the television screen, I knew it was a life-changing event. It was just too much,” said Robina Khan, a fifth-year psychology student.

Some students, like Khan, still feel some of the negative backlash associated with Sept. 11, 2001.

There have been less than a handful of isolated incidents of hate crimes directed at Muslims on campus since the attacks. In April 2003, Muslim prayer rugs in the UCLA Medical Center chapel were found soaked in a liquid suspected to be pork blood.

Kahn said people have looked at her differently since the terrorist attacks and she recently experienced anti-Muslim harassment.

“I was driving on the 405 Freeway a couple of days after the second anniversary of the attack, and this car next to me was inching closer and closer, with the driver and passenger trying to look into my window. I looked over, and the guy blatantly told me to go back to where I came from,” Khan said.

“It made me feel very insecure and uncomfortable.”