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HungrySeacow · Sep 9, 2006, 03:27 PM

First I would like to mention that I am not Islamic. I am not religious. I am American, and proud to be such... The reason for this post is to tell the story of the unjust act a good friend of mine was subjected to.

America's war on all of Islam....
The injustice of bigoted generalization.

Since 9/11, Muslims in America have had to struggle to not be framed as enemies of the sate in the eyes of America's populous. Now even I can understand a large percentage of Americans having a generalized suspicion days after 9/11, but we are now about to pass the 5th anniversary of that tragic day.

Now, on to my friends experience.
My friend Yasir is a Muslim, an American, and of Pakistani decent. Pakistan gained its independence on August 14th 1947. August 14th is celebrated as Independence Day, just as America celebrates the 4th of July. Last August my friend Yasir was proudly displaying a Pakistani flag in the side window of his car. This is not unlike someone of Irish-American decent or of Chinese -American decent celebrating St. Patrick's day, or the Chinese new year.

Yasir was getting out of his car at a shopping center as a man left is car and approached him. He was very aggressive toward Yasir and was questioning him as to why he was in this country. Yasir told the man that he lives here and that he is an American. The man gave him a dirty look and then yelled, "TERRORIST!" so everyone else in the parking lot would hear him. My friend said everyone looked at him, and someone screamed "OH MY GOD!". My friend said that he was scared that the man would beat him up or damage his new car. Let me also note that my friend was not confrontational and just wanted to get himself out of the situation.

I could also image a situation where someone in the parking lot might have had a gun in their car, heard the man scream terrorist, and felt it was their duty to withdraw the weapon and eliminate the threat of a terrorist.

Yasir goes to a local Mosque every friday and many of the sermons by his Imam are about this very subject. This is common all over the country because too much of America sees all Muslims as being radical.

I asked my friend why he didn't remember the mans license plate and call the police. His response was that he gets dirty looks and verbal abuse quite a lot.

How is is that Americans have forgotten what this country is about. The only people who are true natives to this land are the ones that were removed from it. We are all emigrants or descendent of such. Yasir's mother gave birth to him in Pakistan. She left Pakistan with him to come to America when he was 4 years old. She wanted a better life for her son.

So I would like for us all to recall these great words this country stands for..

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

This whole thing reminds me of the self made bumper sicker I read on the side of a van a few months ago, it read, "A towel is not a hat".

Don't prejudge others...

Chuckit · Sep 9, 2006, 03:31 PM

Fear makes people do stupid things. That's the whole idea behind terrorism.

HungrySeacow · Sep 9, 2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Fear makes people do stupid things. That's the whole idea behind terrorism.

Are you saying the man was justified because he was terrorized by Al-Qaeda?

goMac · Sep 9, 2006, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by HungrySeacow

Are you saying the man was justified because he was terrorized by Al-Qaeda?

I don't think that was what he was saying, but I find the double meaning of his post interesting. Who are the terrorists causing irrational fear he's referring to? Al Qaeda or our government?

jeffreyfrabutt · Sep 9, 2006, 03:43 PM

If I may generalize... humans are idiots!

Spliffdaddy · Sep 9, 2006, 07:33 PM

In the US, Muslims and Arab-Americans have an unfair stigma attached to them. As do Mexicans - to a lesser degree.

Chalk it up to human nature, I reckon. Americans are still humans, and all human faults are present.

Life never has been fair.

RAILhead · Sep 9, 2006, 07:52 PM

Well, you have to admit: a towel really isn't a hat.

Gee-Man · Sep 9, 2006, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Well, you have to admit: a towel really isn't a hat.

Actually, no, you don't have to admit that:

ebuddy · Sep 9, 2006, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by HungrySeacow

First I would like to mention that I am not Islamic. I am not religious. I am American, and proud to be such... The reason for this post is to tell the story of the unjust act a good friend of mine was subjected to.

America's war on all of Islam....

No more a war on Islam than a war on all of the national guard because a soldier in uniform got jumped, a war on all of homosexuality because a gay person got jumped, a war on all black people because a black man got jumped, or a war on all women because a woman got jumped and all other...

injustices of bigoted generalization.

Since 9/11, Muslims in America have had to struggle to not be framed as enemies of the sate in the eyes of America's populous. Now even I can understand a large percentage of Americans having a generalized suspicion days after 9/11, but we are now about to pass the 5th anniversary of that tragic day.

Now, on to my friends experience.
My friend Yasir is a Muslim, an American, and of Pakistani decent. Pakistan gained its independence on August 14th 1947. August 14th is celebrated as Independence Day, just as America celebrates the 4th of July. Last August my friend Yasir was proudly displaying a Pakistani flag in the side window of his car. This is not unlike someone of Irish-American decent or of Chinese -American decent celebrating St. Patrick's day, or the Chinese new year.

While this is certainly true, I don't see a whole heck of a lot of this. Do you?

Yasir was getting out of his car at a shopping center as a man left is car and approached him. He was very aggressive toward Yasir and was questioning him as to why he was in this country. Yasir told the man that he lives here and that he is an American. The man gave him a dirty look and then yelled, "TERRORIST!" so everyone else in the parking lot would hear him. My friend said everyone looked at him, and someone screamed "OH MY GOD!". My friend said that he was scared that the man would beat him up or damage his new car. Let me also note that my friend was not confrontational and just wanted to get himself out of the situation.

I'm glad he made it out of there unscathed. There is no excuse for this. Be sure to tell him that if he ever decides to visit his homeland; ABSOLUTELY NEVER fly an American flag.

I could also image a situation where someone in the parking lot might have had a gun in their car, heard the man scream terrorist, and felt it was their duty to withdraw the weapon and eliminate the threat of a terrorist.

I find it much easier to imagine that nine out of ten times, he walks down the street without people staring and screaming TERRORIST!

Yasir goes to a local Mosque every friday and many of the sermons by his Imam are about this very subject. This is common all over the country because too much of America sees all Muslims as being radical.

An 89-page report called, “Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques,” is based on a year-long study of over two hundred original documents, all disseminated, published or otherwise generated by the government of Saudi Arabia and collected from more than a dozen mosques in the United States. Some fears are founded on ignorance, hatred, and xenophobia. Sometimes they're spot on. Unfortunate, but true.

Your example is no more an American War on all of Islam than the above example is an Islamic War on all of America. Call me paranoid, but while the Imam is giving many sermons on the injustices against Muslims in the US, I hope there's at least a mention of Achmed who was able to procure a small business loan for his shop and is now living the American dream. I'm just sayin'.

I asked my friend why he didn't remember the mans license plate and call the police. His response was that he gets dirty looks and verbal abuse quite a lot.

This is unfortunate. I'd like to believe this will get better, but I have a hunch it won't.

How is is that Americans have forgotten what this country is about.

Some have, some have not. Some have forgotten what was required to attain the freedoms we have and some forget how to maintain those freedoms. Some are complacent, some are vigilant, some are smart and some are stupid. This is not a war on all of Islam.

The only people who are true natives to this land are the ones that were removed from it.

They were moved from their land just as the tribes before them and the tribes before them. It is the way of things. Unfortunate, but true. Did you think all Native Americans lived in peace and harmony with one another, somehow impervious to the human conditions of greed and imperialism until the white man came?

We are all emigrants or descendent of such. Yasir's mother gave birth to him in Pakistan. She left Pakistan with him to come to America when he was 4 years old. She wanted a better life for her son.

Does she regret it? When he flies his flag here in the US, does he regret where he is?

So I would like for us all to recall these great words this country stands for..

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Unfortunately, it has become;

"Give me my culture, my language, and your jobs,
your national anthem and your lawyers,
The doctor's brews and your drug stores.
Send these your homes for what is not given is owed to me,
Take us all or we'll break down your door!"

This whole thing reminds me of the self made bumper sicker I read on the side of a van a few months ago, it read, "A towel is not a hat".

That's just sad.

Don't prejudge others...

... and by all means don't indict an entire country for the actions of those who couldn't locate Pakistan on a map.

analogika · Sep 10, 2006, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by ebuddy re: "A towel is not a hat" bumper sticker racism

That's just sad.

It's been in idjeff's sig for months...except the gibbering idiot can't spell "towel".

Kerrigan · Sep 10, 2006, 12:39 AM

analogika · Sep 10, 2006, 01:19 AM

That's a very nice little question mark there, Kerrigan.

Zeeb · Sep 10, 2006, 08:12 AM

I think you're mostly preaching to the converted here. The ideals you mentioned in your post are just that. . ideals. People should strive to accept them but the vast majority fall far short. Though I'm not sure many try or even understand.

That being said, most of the time people are quietly bigoted and seek to discriminate in a non-confrontational manner. What's particularly disturbing about your story is how bold and empowered that idiot felt when harassing your friend.