Arab-American History: A Book of Eid Stamps With a Deeper Meaning

Before work on the morning of 9/11, Aziz Ahsan, an attorney from Hopewell Junction, NY, purchased some “Eid Greetings” stamps to commemorate the Muslim festivals of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. 

Shortly thereafter, he arrived at 1 Broadway, where he worked for the law firm Kenyon & Kenyon. In the process of evacuating, Ahsan grabbed his laptop and the ream of stamps. Walking along Church Street, he was showered in debris from the now-collapsing South Tower. Still clutching his stamps, he caught a train home from Grand Central and was recorded on the ride by Tony Massu, a photographer for the Poughkeepsie Journal. Ahsan was covered in dust and his eyes were bloodshot.

When he got home, he was so shell-shocked that he couldn’t speak, communicating with his son Shahzad via notes.

“It hit me strongly because I saw my father getting out of our car, covered head to toe in soot and the World Trade Center,” said the younger Ahsan. “I was looking at my father almost dead, and I couldn’t understand why people would hate Muslims when they were victims of the attack as well.” 

In the days and months following the attacks, Shahzad — then in 7th grade — faced harassment at school. To raise awareness about anti-religious bigotry, he and his father collaborated with Jewish teens on an interfaith project called “Salaam-Shalom.” Their story has since been featured in documentaries, TV shows, radio interviews, and on social media. 

After meeting with Museum staff to share his experiences from that day, Ahsan donated several items to the collection, including the stamps he had purchased on the morning of 9/11.
 

By 9/11 Memorial Staff