Changed lives: The British Muslim who wanted peace

Salma Yaqoob, a psychotherapist, is now the chair of the Birmingham anti-war coalition

Special report

The shadow of terror: Three months on

A few days after 11 September, I went into the centre of Birmingham with my three-year-old son, Mikael. A man spat on me in the street and it was the first time I had ever experienced direct racism. It was in a busy place, but no one stopped and that was scary.

At that moment, something inside me changed. Lots of people saw it happen, and no one thought it was a good idea, but no one stepped in. I knew I could have acted like that, so I decided that in the future, I should try to stand up for justice as I see it.

For the first two weeks after the attacks, my family and I felt paralysed. My little brother was told, "It's one of you lot!" in the street, and on the bus, someone said: "We want to stab all Muslims."

Suddenly, you didn't know what people were thinking. People with whom I had previously chatted were turning away. I felt powerless, as though all the things I'd taken for granted were being swept away.

A few weeks later, I heard about an Anti-War Coalition meeting. I wasn't sure about going, but when I did, it was a relief. People were saying: "This war, and the racist backlash, is wrong." It was a complete change from the panic and denomination. Soon after, I became chair of the Anti-War Coalition. We're for the victims in America and Afghanistan. We don't make a distinction. The war is unjust, and our money is going towards it.

People are uniting as a result of this war. We had 50 coaches going from Birmingham to the last peace march in London. It's not just a Muslim issue. Everyone was there – whites and people from every class, as well as Muslims.