[Austin-ghetto-list] (no subject)
James Holland
jhollnd@swbell.net
Wed, 19 Sep 2001 17:50:46 -0500
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This first appeared a few days ago and I'd like to pass it on.
Jim
THERE'S a famous photo of a Japanese-owned grocery store in the
aftermath of Pearl Harbor, with these words emblazoned across the
front: "I am an American." It accurately encapsulates the way many
of us in the Islamic and Arab community in America feel at this
hour.
As it becomes ever more apparent that our co-religionists have
visited slaughter upon our compatriots, so many of us want to
declare from the rooftops our allegiance to this great nation, to
show our solidarity with our fellow citizens, and to join the fight
against our common enemy.
Despite their demonstrations of patriotism after Pearl Harbor,
Japanese Americans were thrown into internment camps. This is not
likely to happen to us. President Bush, Colin Powell, Ted Kennedy
and countless pundits have bent over backwards to make sure
Americans know that not all Arabs are to blame, and to explain that
Islam and Islamic fundamentalism are not the same thing. They are
correct, and it is good to hear them say it, because even I need to
be reminded sometimes.
In fact, I wonder, when I hear these words of ecumenical
brotherhood, whether Islam and Muslims are not getting a bit of a
pass on this one. When I read Muslims posting messages of joy on
internet newsgroups, declaring that the chickens have come home to
roost, I wonder where these people come from. Are they the people I
pray with at the mosque? Are they the New York cabbies I greet with
a hearty salam alaikum and who in my mind have always been models of
hard work and the American way? Could it be that Islam is not the
religion of peace that I've been telling everybody it is, but
instead a faith of bloodthirsty fatwas that exalts murder and
suicide? Is it conceivable that Muslims are not the noble people I
believe them with all my heart to be, but rather the kind of
monsters who celebrate death and destruction?
No. It cannot be. But if I - a man born and raised into the faith,
with Arab parents and a deep love for the culture of the Arab world
- can ask these questions, what questions must my Protestant and
Jewish and Catholic friends be asking? And how can I, as a Muslim,
give them an answer? I certainly cannot look to the national
leadership of the Islamic community in America for guidance. The
American Muslim Council tells us to be careful, to be on the lookout
for suspicious and anti-Muslim behaviour, presumably by other
Americans seeking revenge. The Council on American Islamic Relations
even sent out an e-mail with a handy form for reporting hate crimes
against Muslims. I wonder if these groups are oblivious to the fact
that it is Muslims, with names such as Mohammed and Abdullah and,
yes, Tarek, who have committed the greatest hate crime in American
history?
As the nation mourns, as foreign countries pledge support and offer
condolences, American Muslims are strangely absent from this
tragedy, save the occasional press release. The only Muslims that
America sees are Osama bin Laden and the mugshots of Tuesday's
suicide bombers.
Already we can hear rumblings in the Muslim community about the need
to keep fighting against "profiling" - the practice of singling out
Arabs and Muslims for increased scrutiny at airports. They had been
making headway - both presidential candidates denounced profiling
during the 2000 campaign - and now they fear that public sentiment
will slide in the other direction.
But Tuesday's events should have demonstrated the folly of their
position. How many thousands of lives would have been saved if
people such as me had been inconvenienced with having our bags
searched and being made to answer questions? People say profiling
makes them feel like criminals. It does - I know this firsthand. But
would that I had been made to feel like a criminal a thousand times
than to live to see the grisly handiwork of real criminals in New
York and Washington.
I can hear my co-religionists arguing that Muslims bear no special
responsibility for these attacks, that a community of six million
law-abiding Americans should not apologise just because a few of
them committed a crime. Perhaps they are right. But looking at the
images of shattered buildings and dead bodies, of people jumping to
their deaths and of planes wielded as instruments of death, how can
we not apologise, knowing these images were brought to us by people
who claim to act in the name of the faith we call our own? An
apology would be little to ask. Instead of jealously protesting our
innocence and guarding against repercussions, we should be asking,
"What else can we do to help?"
Like the New Yorkers who even now are volunteering in greater
numbers than relief workers can make use of, it is time for American
Muslims to start acting like Americans.
Tarek Masoud is a graduate student at Yale. This article first
appeared in the Wall Street Journal.
www.telegraph.co.uk.
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This first appeared a few days ago and I'd like to
pass it on.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jim</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><BR>
THERE'S a famous photo of a Japanese-owned grocery store in the
<BR> aftermath
of Pearl Harbor, with these words emblazoned across the
<BR> front: "I
am an American." It accurately encapsulates the way many
<BR> of us in
the Islamic and Arab community in America feel at this
<BR> hour.
<BR>
<BR> As it
becomes ever more apparent that our co-religionists have
<BR> visited
slaughter upon our compatriots, so many of us want to
<BR> declare
from the rooftops our allegiance to this great nation, to
<BR> show our
solidarity with our fellow citizens, and to join the fight
<BR> against
our common enemy.
<BR>
<BR> Despite
their demonstrations of patriotism after Pearl Harbor,
<BR> Japanese
Americans were thrown into internment camps. This is not
<BR> likely to
happen to us. President Bush, Colin Powell, Ted Kennedy
<BR> and
countless pundits have bent over backwards to make sure
<BR> Americans
know that not all Arabs are to blame, and to explain that
<BR> Islam and
Islamic fundamentalism are not the same thing. They are
<BR> correct,
and it is good to hear them say it, because even I need to
<BR> be
reminded sometimes.
<BR>
<BR> In fact,
I wonder, when I hear these words of ecumenical
<BR>
brotherhood, whether Islam and Muslims are not getting a bit of a
<BR> pass on
this one. When I read Muslims posting messages of joy on
<BR> internet
newsgroups, declaring that the chickens have come home to
<BR> roost, I
wonder where these people come from. Are they the people I
<BR> pray with
at the mosque? Are they the New York cabbies I greet with
<BR> a hearty
salam alaikum and who in my mind have always been models of
<BR> hard work
and the American way? Could it be that Islam is not the
<BR> religion
of peace that I've been telling everybody it is, but
<BR> instead a
faith of bloodthirsty fatwas that exalts murder and
<BR> suicide?
Is it conceivable that Muslims are not the noble people I
<BR> believe
them with all my heart to be, but rather the kind of
<BR> monsters
who celebrate death and destruction?
<BR>
<BR> No. It
cannot be. But if I - a man born and raised into the faith,
<BR> with Arab
parents and a deep love for the culture of the Arab world
<BR> - can ask
these questions, what questions must my Protestant and
<BR> Jewish
and Catholic friends be asking? And how can I, as a Muslim,
<BR> give them
an answer? I certainly cannot look to the national
<BR>
leadership of the Islamic community in America for guidance. The
<BR> American
Muslim Council tells us to be careful, to be on the lookout
<BR> for
suspicious and anti-Muslim behaviour, presumably by other
<BR> Americans
seeking revenge. The Council on American Islamic Relations
<BR> even sent
out an e-mail with a handy form for reporting hate crimes
<BR> against
Muslims. I wonder if these groups are oblivious to the fact
<BR> that it
is Muslims, with names such as Mohammed and Abdullah and,
<BR> yes,
Tarek, who have committed the greatest hate crime in American
<BR> history?
<BR>
<BR> As the
nation mourns, as foreign countries pledge support and offer
<BR>
condolences, American Muslims are strangely absent from this
<BR> tragedy,
save the occasional press release. The only Muslims that
<BR> America
sees are Osama bin Laden and the mugshots of Tuesday's
<BR> suicide
bombers. <BR>
<BR> Already
we can hear rumblings in the Muslim community about the need
<BR> to keep
fighting against "profiling" - the practice of singling out
<BR> Arabs and
Muslims for increased scrutiny at airports. They had been
<BR> making
headway - both presidential candidates denounced profiling
<BR> during
the 2000 campaign - and now they fear that public sentiment
<BR> will
slide in the other direction.
<BR>
<BR> But
Tuesday's events should have demonstrated the folly of their
<BR> position.
How many thousands of lives would have been saved if
<BR> people
such as me had been inconvenienced with having our bags
<BR> searched
and being made to answer questions? People say profiling
<BR> makes
them feel like criminals. It does - I know this firsthand. But
<BR> would
that I had been made to feel like a criminal a thousand times
<BR> than to
live to see the grisly handiwork of real criminals in New
<BR> York and
Washington.
<BR>
<BR> I can
hear my co-religionists arguing that Muslims bear no special
<BR>
responsibility for these attacks, that a community of six million
<BR>
law-abiding Americans should not apologise just because a few of
<BR> them
committed a crime. Perhaps they are right. But looking at the
<BR> images of
shattered buildings and dead bodies, of people jumping to
<BR> their
deaths and of planes wielded as instruments of death, how can
<BR> we not
apologise, knowing these images were brought to us by people
<BR> who claim
to act in the name of the faith we call our own? An
<BR> apology
would be little to ask. Instead of jealously protesting our
<BR> innocence
and guarding against repercussions, we should be asking,
<BR> "What
else can we do to help?"
<BR>
<BR> Like the
New Yorkers who even now are volunteering in greater
<BR> numbers
than relief workers can make use of, it is time for American
<BR> Muslims
to start acting like Americans.
<BR>
<BR> Tarek
Masoud is a graduate student at Yale. This article first
<BR> appeared
in the Wall Street Journal.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> <A
href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk">www.telegraph.co.uk</A>.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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