Analysis Of The Documentary 'Whose Children Are These?'

Shock, disbelief and terror were just enough for a country to be flipped upside down. The

attacks on the United States of America on September 11, 2001 sent the country into a frenzy

about the safety of civilians. Both the elected leaders and average citizens were faced to answer

the question of who, in their eyes, could be trusted. After the attack, not only were Muslim-

Americans suddenly seen as evil by the American people, but a program was initiated which

required immigrants from specific countries to register with the government in order to screen

for any risks to the nation. The documentary “Whose Children Are These?” brought the lives of

Muslim-American youth into the spotlight as they discussed how the country’s response
to

September 11th affected their lives along with the lives of their loved ones.

Navila Ali, Mohammed Sarfaraz Hussein and Hager Youssef are the youth featured in the

film and while their stories were different, post 9/11 America had taken a toll on each them.

Hager experienced the fear in being a Muslim-American on her way home from school after the

attacks. Her teacher called her parents asking if Hager could remove her hijab just so she could

return home safely. Navila was faced with the destruction of her family due to new immigration

registration. Her father, a hard-working man who provided for his family every day, left early

one morning to register when he was sent to do time in a detention center for being

undocumented. After eleven months, he was sent back to Bangladesh. As the young woman of

the household, Navila had no other choice than to take over many responsibilities due to her

father’s absence and her mother’s ceaseless working. Sarfaraz was a young man with a big

dream of playing professional basketball. When the day came for him to register, his

undocumented status was revealed during a hostile interrogation, and he was to be deported.

Sarfaraz’s community fought for him to stay in the country and he gained the support of a

congressman who stepped in before he was sent away. Eventually, Sarfaraz was again faced with

deportation, yet was granted political asylum soon after, when his community did not hesitate in

taking up arms for him once more.

During the analysis of the documentary, the strengths are made evident directly from the

stories the young adults tell about the negative effects this historical event brought into their

lives. Sarfaraz’s case is a strong point since it shows just how activism can move mountains and

make a difference in even just one person’s life.
His community’s tireless efforts to save him

through their protesting until the media got involved is the main reason why he was granted the

proper documentation to stay in the country. Navila’s story was especially touching due to the

loss of a father in a close-knit family and the unfortunate call for her to cope all too quickly to

keep her siblings and mother from crumbling. The film does not have any notable weaknesses

due to its brutal honesty which speaks volumes about the issues in post-9/11 America. The

documentary’s ability to show how strong humans are both together and individually is key in

raising awareness to the issues of immigration, deportation and feelings towards Muslims.

The issues for immigrant youth in a post-9/11 world is discussed in Chapter Four of

“Youthscapes” by Sunaina Maira. This chapter focuses on how the recent War on Terror has

affected the lives of who is assumed to be responsible for September 11th even when they are

innocent. A strong connection between the chapter and the documentary is the obstacles

immigrant youth have had to overcome, “…all of them have had to grapple with
the

scapegoating of Muslims, the demonization of Islam, and the fear of suspicion and surveillance

after 9/11” (Maira, 69). The adolescents in the documentary all faced these feelings from those

around them and even the government of the country they lived in. The registration of Muslim-

Americans and immigrants is seen as similar to the internment of Japanese-Americans during

World War II.
Due to the war, Japanese-Americans were looked down upon as those who would

betray the country. Just as Muslim-Americans were seen as threats, the American government-

with its people behind it-turned against those of Japanese descent, “In the event of a Japanese

invasion of the American mainland, Japanese-Americans were feared as a security risk”

(ushistory.org). In the recent presidential campaign, immigration was a major focal point with

emphasis on Muslims. Donald Trump called for a complete ban to all immigration from this

group due to ISIS terrorizing much of the world. Trump’s campaign released statement after

statement, ““Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering

the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what’s going on,”” (cnn.com).

This proposed restriction connects to the documentary by falsely giving members of one religion

ties to one group committing heinous acts.

The “American Dream” has always been about one idea: human beings all around the

world seeking a better life for their family by prospering through diligent work and
never-ending

determination. Even though the image of America has been painted its iconic patriotic colors

with the ideas of freedom, opportunities, and bright futures for all- not everyone on its soil are

given equal access to these. “Whose Children Are These?” is a documentary which brilliantly

shows how groups of innocent people are blamed and hated for acts they would not even dream

of committing. Families and men and women of all ages suffered due to generalizations and fear.

In analyzing this film, the message to be taken away is that change is needed.