How many tragedies might have been prevented if someone had spoken up sooner?

That is the provocative question raised by a recent commentary arguing that fear of being branded “racist” or “Islamophobic” has sometimes caused people to second-guess legitimate security concerns. The issue is especially timely as America approaches the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when nearly 3,000 people were murdered by al-Qaeda terrorists.

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From RAIR Foundation USA:

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two ticket agents saw it and swallowed it.

Mike Tuohey stood at the counter in Portland, Maine, and checked in Mohamed Atta. His stomach turned. He thought the words out loud in his own head: If this guy doesn’t look like an Arab terrorist, nobody does.

Then he slapped himself for thinking it. He told himself they were just Arab businessmen. He later said that if he had called security and been wrong, the airline could have been sued and fined for racial profiling. He processed them. They boarded. The North Tower fell.

At Dulles, Vaughn Allex checked in two of the men who would take Flight 77 into the Pentagon. He started to follow them toward security. Then he stopped. He asked himself whether he was doing it for a racial reason. He did not want to be accused of that. He went back to work. They boarded.

The broader argument deserves careful examination. Tuohey has indeed spoken publicly about his encounter with Atta and the guilt he carried afterward, although hindsight does not establish that an intervention based on appearance alone would have prevented the attacks. The failures preceding 9/11 involved far more than individual hesitation; investigations subsequently identified serious breakdowns in intelligence sharing, aviation security, and government coordination.

But other terrorist attacks have raised legitimate questions about whether warning signs were adequately confronted. Before Army Maj. Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, colleagues recalled disturbing statements about suicide bombings and conflicts between Islamic beliefs and military service. After the attack, some critics—including military personnel—argued that fear of appearing intolerant contributed to warning signs being discounted.

RAIR highlights other examples as well. Terror attacks in San Bernardino, at Manchester Arena, and around the United Kingdom all began with security guards, law enforcement, and concerned neighbors having uneasy feelings. According to RAIR, all chose not to voice their concerns out of a fear of being labeled as racist. And because of this fear, Muslim terrorists were able to kill, injure, rape, and traffic innocent people.

The tension is real: as believers, we are called to view all men and women as equal. None of us want to be seen as racist or bigoted. However, we cannot allow fear of accusations of prejudice to prevent authorities or citizens from reporting specific, observable behavior that may indicate a threat. Islamic terrorism is a genuine security threat, and our nation can’t ignore it in the name of political correctness.

Organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations have worked aggressively to combat what they describe as Islamophobia. CAIR defines the term broadly as prejudice toward Islam and Muslims that produces discrimination or oppression and has promoted efforts to identify and challenge anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies. CAIR itself has acknowledged in past materials, however, that it is inappropriate to characterize everyone who questions Islam or Muslims as Islamophobic.

This distinction matters. Labels should never become substitutes for examining facts. Neither prejudice nor political correctness should prevent Americans from exercising sound judgment. When someone observes concrete warning signs—threats, extremist advocacy, suspicious preparations for violence, or other alarming behavior—the proper response is not collective suspicion of an entire religious population. It is the courage to report what was actually observed and allow appropriate authorities to investigate.

Scripture repeatedly pairs discernment with courage. We are commanded to “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), while Proverbs warns that “the prudent sees danger and hides himself” (Proverbs 22:3). Ahead of the anniversary of one of the nation’s darkest days and most violent Islamic terror attacks, let’s pray that Americans reject both hatred and fear, and that law enforcement and citizens alike would never allow political correctness to interfere with protecting Americans.

Pray for discernment and courage in America—and share your prayers in the comments below.

(Excerpt from RAIR Foundation USA. Photo Credit: Dying Regime from Maldives – Protest calling for Sharia in Maldives, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38161912)