Former Muslim shares journey from celebrating 9/11 to Christian faith

A man who grew up in Jordan recounts his experience as a 13-year-old watching the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on television. He describes how he and others in his community cheered at the news, believing at the time that God was punishing America. He explains that he was raised to view the West as the "Great Satan" and all non-Muslims as "infidels."

After converting to Christianity in 2007, the author reflects on the human tendency to project personal biases onto the divine. He observes that some Christians also claim God uses disasters to punish their perceived enemies, just as he once believed. Drawing on Luke 13, he notes that Jesus rejected the idea that victims of tragedy are necessarily worse sinners than others. Now participating in "Infidel Awareness Month," he visits the site of the 9/11 attacks to honor the victims and advocate against the ideologies he once held, warning that using God to justify tribal resentment is a dangerous form of self-righteousness.