Have we learned nothing from our own human history?  Some have insisted that we expel all Arabic-Americans or intern them.  Must I remind them of the Japanese Internment Camps?  There have been attacks, even murder, on people who look Arabic or are Muslim; on Indians, mistaken as Middle Eastern because of their dark skin; and Sikes, sworn enemies to the Taliban.  People on a plane meant to fly out of New York refused to travel unless the Middle Eastern passengers were first removed from the plane.  Muslim elementary school children are kept home by their mother because their teacher was taunting them at their school.  Muslims living in the United States are afraid to worship, go to work or school, and their concerns are not entirely unfounded. 

I have heard other Americans insist that we “bomb Afghanistan back to the stone age.”  Besides the obvious fact that most citizens of Afghanistan already live an existence much resembling that time, aren’t we suffering now from the same sort of arbitrary attack on innocent civilians?  And yet, we define those others who did this as “pure evil,” the other innocents who might be harmed by such attacks are referred to by our military as “collateral damage”.  Why do some in the U.S. insist that we carry out in retaliation acts similar to those done to us?  How can doing the same as these “evil” people be called “good”?  The only difference I can see between such actions is that one would be carried out on our behalf. 

As my husband commented, “It’s as if they not only bombed the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, but they let some chemical loose that is eating away at people’s brains.” 

© Salahub 2003