They are our fellow citizens too

[Cloud9]

This is just a reminder of thoughts that should be obvious for all of us, but may be forgotten in our panic and rush for revenge across the ocean.

I attended a Shuruq Week Event tonight. "Shuruq" means light, and these events are a response to the backlash of anger, hatred, and predjudice that muslim, middle eastern, and even southeast asian americans recieved following the wake of 9/11. It was a reaction felt especially strong here in NYC for obvious reasons. This weeklong series of lectures, performances, and panels are meant to bring understanding to students about their muslim/middle eastern colleagues, and the traditions, culture, and religious backgrounds that shape their experience as a muslim in America.

A woman who performs in the Def Comedy Jam on Broadway spoke tonight on her experiences as a writer, poet, and performer. She is the first Palestinian actress to have a leading role on broadway. She spoke of how her experiences with hostility and misunderstanding have grown heavily over the past two years. She described performances where people would walk out when her act began. She described being asked by people on the street why she was here("why don't you go back to Iraq?"), in the only place she has known to be home. She talked about her relatives in Baghdad, a city where over 50% of the population are children under 16, who do not understand why their homes are being bombed. She talked of her white friends, who found it easy to justify death in another country though she had comforted them in their despair on 9/11. She does not support Saddam Hussein. She does not believe in this war. She believes in this country and its power to do good, though she feels that it has gone astray in those good intentions.

I saw many Middle Eastern students tonite, some in traditional garb, and others in jeans. I saw nothing of the stereotypes we have come to find portrayed through the media. They were all at once the embodiment of two identities: Ethnic(Iranian, Egyptian, Palestinian, Saudi Arabian, Iraqi), and Americans. They had all come together to denounce violence and predjudice, and to celebrate the positive contributions of their past, which are vast.

Please, remember, not just you yourselves, but for others that you interact with, that Middle Eastern Americans are our fellow citizens and deserve no less support and understanding, indeed I would say they deserve more now than before, because they have unwillingly been thrust into a spotlight, often as villains by the US media. Do not let your fear or anyone else's fuel an unfounded hate or distrust. They deserve our support as much as anyone else.