I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us in one of America's darkest hours.

Campbell reflects on a common post‑9/11 American experience: a sudden, crisis-driven encounter with Islam and the broader Islamic world. The quote suggests that prior to the attacks, many Americans had limited exposure to or curiosity about Islamic history, cultures, and politics; after 9/11, that gap was filled abruptly and under traumatic conditions. Implicitly, it critiques how knowledge acquired through fear and national tragedy can be distorted—filtered through security concerns, media frames, and wartime rhetoric—rather than through sustained education or cultural exchange. The line also gestures toward the long-term consequences of that forced attention: intensified public debate about Islam, identity, and foreign policy in the United States.