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 |