Sisters Nancy and Yara Helmy moved to the U.S. from Egypt as young girls in 2000. Within a year, the Sept. 11 attacks took place and forever changed their lives.

In a new video produced by The Scene, the Helmy sisters described the effect Sept. 11 had on them as young Muslims navigating an increasingly Islmophobic climate .

Our parents were like, Stick together... Everyone hates the Muslims now, and youre Muslim and you need to protect yourself, Yara recalled in the video.

As adults, Yara and Nancy know better than ever how to protect themselves. The sisters have trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the past five years, during a time when the country has spiraled into some of the worst Islamophobia since the post-9/11 years . They train almost every day of the week and fight competitively at tournaments every year.