How far have the hearts and minds of American people come after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks? Is there still a stigma associated with people in the United States of Middle Eastern descent? How have the attacks shaped the cultural views of America’s youth for the future?

On Jan. 26, President Barack Obama sat down with Arab TV network Al-Arabiya for his first television interview as president.

“We are looking at the region as a whole and communicating a message to the Arab world and the Muslim world that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress,” Obama said. “And so what we want to do is to listen, set aside some of the preconceptions that have existed and have built up over the last several years. I think if we do that, then there’s a possibility at least of achieving some breakthroughs.”

Is this message by the president to the Muslim world different from those made in the past by the United States? Is the president speaking for the true thoughts and ideals of the people in the United States towards the Muslim world?

Through interviews with five young people in and around the Pittsburgh area, ages 14 to early twenties, there is some evidence to suggest that the younger generations are still affected by the aftermath of Sept. 11. When given a word, such as “Muslim,” “terrorist,” “Hussein,” “war” or “Middle East,” each person interviewed was asked to respond with the first word that comes to mind. This short experiment was to determine the truth behind what they really think in terms of terrorism, the Middle East and Muslim stereotypes.

Allie Maccanelli, 16, a junior at Alderdice High School, and Rose Barlow, 14, a freshman at Alderdice, were the youngest of those interviewed. In response to the word “Hussein,” Maccanelli replied with “evil.” Barlow responded to the word “Muslim” with “turban.”

The two girls, although they were young, still remember how they felt on Sept. 11.