Pakistani student turns to patriotism to fight persecution

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Jibran Shermohammed remembers Pakistan, his homeland, as a peaceful country where kids play hide and seek and fly kites. But ever since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, Jirban has found that he often has to defend the place he was born and his religion.

"Everybody sees on TV (that) it's a big corrupt place where everybody goes around burning U.S. flags, but that is not true at all," Jibran says of Pakistan.

"It's a good place. Maybe they are not so rich like the USA, but it is still a good place, you know? Kids are just like kids over here," he says. "We go downstairs, we play hide and seek, we ride bikes, we fly kites and stuff. It's just like a regular place."

VIDEO CNN's Stephanie Oswald talks with a Pakistani middle school student about his American patriotism Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

In one of his classes, a fellow student asked if Jibran was Muslim.

"I said, 'Yeah, sure. Why?' And he said, 'Because I want to know if you're gonna grow up and come to bomb us …'"

Jibran says the question made him feel bad, so he decided to combat the persecution he and other Muslim Americans are feeling with patriotism.

CNN's Stephanie Oswald talks with Jibran to find out how he and others at his school are battling ignorance with education, and raising money for a good cause as well.