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Friends and Neighbors

Anne Haidar

Henny2010

Our country has just suffered a despicable attack at the hands of Islamic radicals. There is no justification for this act of violence, and I am angry and outraged. I will not be satisfied until I see fighter jets flying out of Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan, and until I know that our nation will retaliate against those who are responsible for these heinous crimes.

What I cannot tolerate and will not support is the senseless violence and hatred being directed towards Arab Americans, so many who are my friends.

Michigan has the second highest Arab American population in the United States, surpassed only by Los Angeles, CA. It goes without saying that the backlash from Tuesday’s attack is being keenly felt here. Arabic homes, businesses and Mosques have been vandalized. Arab Americans are afraid to leave their homes and are not sending their children to school, in fear that they will be harmed. This is certainly not an overreaction.

In the past two days, I’ve made a point to reach out to my Arab American friends. They are all frightened. They want to support us, to reach out, to help somehow. In many cases, their offers of help, condolence and support have been rejected.

In Dearborn, Michigan, a candlelight vigil was held at the Islamic Center, and prayers have been said for victims of the tragedy. This location was their second choice, though; the vigil was originally to be held in front of City Hall, but after receiving numerous threats, the location was changed.

The most common feeling among the Muslim Arab-Americans is sorrow and a desire to somehow repair the damage caused by the extremists who claim to share their faith. What pains them the most is the knowledge that the “faith” practiced by these radicals is not the religion that they practice. However, for reasons they are all too aware of, this fact matters very little during times like these. And none of them would rub salt in our wounds by speaking out.

I believe that it is the responsibility of all intelligent, freethinking citizens to stand up against the bigotry that is being shown by so many. My suggestion to all of you: patronize a local Arab American establishment. Visit a restaurant or other Arab-owned business. Spend time at a Mosque. When you see a Muslim American, greet him or her with the traditional greeting, “As-salaam Alaikum”  (translated, “May the peace and blessings of God be with you.) They will respond with “Alaikum As-salaam”. The pronunciation of this greeting is ‘ah salom a lie koom’. This greeting will be received with warmth.

In the days since the tragedies seen in our nation, PIC has seen two types of people posting their opinions. Those who are self-named patriots, and those – termed by the patriots – who are “enlightened liberals”. Somehow, I have fallen into the enlightened liberal category. I am a conservative Republican, American born of European descent, and Catholic. But for those of you who are unaware, I was married to a Lebanese–born Muslim man for five years. During our marriage, we experienced different kinds of bigotry and racism; my experiences simply based on “guilt by association”. At the time of my divorce, I chose to keep my Arabic and Muslim last name, instead of taking my maiden name back. In light of Tuesday’s horrific events, my first reaction was to remove my name from my apartment mailbox, for starters. I decided against it. I will not be a victim – even indirectly – of the rampant and widespread nescience that has become the newest threat to our solidarity as a nation.

It would be a travesty to repeat the atrocities of ignorance that were practiced during WWII. We are bigger than that. We are smarter than that. We cannot let our fears blur our rational thinking and we must have faith that Americans of every color, creed and nationality love this country as much as we do.

As for those who are truly responsible for the attacks on our nation, may God have mercy on their souls. Because the United States of America most certainly will not.