Misguided hate
Sanjeev Kumar (MSB ‘04) was en route to work last Thursday, trying to put the tragic events of the past days out of his mind. Taking the GUTS bus to the Rosslyn metro, he rode the towering escalator down to the platform to catch the train into the city. As the doors of the car closed behind him, a man in his 30s wearing athletic clothes approached him.
“By the next stop, you better get off the fucking train or I’ll bash your fucking face in,” the man angrily yelled at him. No one else on the train responded.
“I tried to explain to him and say ‘You know, sir, it’s not my fault,’ but he cut me off,” Kumar said.
“Don’t give me that shit, it’s your people’s fault,” the man continued. Kumar got off at the next stop, shaken by the incident.
“Trying to point fingers is counterproductive,” Kumar said about the incident. “It’s horrible that I’m characterized as a terrorist just because of my physical characteristics.”
On Saturday, Georgetown held its annual Student Activities Fair on Copley Lawn. For some students, representing their clubs at the event now took on added significance. The Koran in her right hand, clasped against her chest, a dark blue hat with “Jesus” embroidered across the front on her head, Jumana Salem (SFS ‘03) stood behind the Young Arab Leadership Alliance table. The co-president of YALA, along with Yasmine Moll (SFS ‘03), Salem felt it was important to air her feelings after hearing of acts of prejudice against Arabs at Georgetown.
“I’ve got a lot of phone calls, about five or so already, from students who have been harassed on campus. Only one of those was physical?a girl had her veil pulled off. The others were just verbal,” Salem said. “At least we haven’t had the physical harassment here like other places. My cousin, who is Saudi, was at Wisemiller’s Friday and another Georgetown student came up to him and said, ‘You guys got our people, we’re going to get yours next.’ Most of the students who have faced harassment don’t want their identities revealed. They are afraid to talk.”
Moll, appearing equally distraught and focused, echoed the sentiments of Salem, revealing both fear and strength. “Arab-Americans are Americans?just like everyone else, we mourn and feel pain,” she said. “I have cousins, Arab and Muslim, who work at the Pentagon. I was just as scared as the next person of the violence.
“All the rest of our people who were supposed to work at the table today, five others, didn’t show up because they’re afraid of being harassed, of something happening,” Moll explained.
Since last Tuesday, national Arab and Muslim organizations have cautioned their members to stay indoors when at all possible, especially at night, in order to avoid harassment. Many Georgetown students are following this advice.
“No one is going out at night,” Salem said of YALA members.
Owais Balti (MSB ‘02), president of the Muslim Student Association said his group was taking precautions as well. “We have been advising our students to stay indoors and, when they go outside, to walk in groups. If they don’t feel safe, we don’t want them walking around,” Balti said.
Others were similarly concerned. “There is backlash in the United States right now against anything perceived as non-American. It’s just because Americans don’t yet perceive Islam as American,” John Halliwell (SFS ‘04), vice-president of MSA, said, trying to explain the harassment that has occurred.
“I haven’t personally felt any tension, but I think that is because I am a white American. I think the backlash is a phobic backlash. People of darker skin who are perceived as un-American have been feeling tension and that is not right.”
Halliwell said that all members of the MSA were deeply saddened by the events that took place last week. They also find troubling the desire of many to rush to judge Arabs or Muslims. “There is nothing in Islam that permits the massacring of innocent individuals. Look at the example of Mohammed and his companions; they were the some of the most civilized people in history. They desired peace and abhorred senseless barbarism. Terrorists who use Islam as a justification for their violence do not represent the true teachings of the Koran,” Halliwell said. “The object of terrorism is not to destroy military targets or personnel. The object of terrorism is to instill hatred in one people against another.”
Bassam Haddad, a graduate student, tried to put it all in perspective, “The racism, prejudice and ignorance in the United States regarding Muslims and Arabs is deeply embedded; it was already there before Tuesday, but because of the terrorist attacks and the human tragedy, it’s now being exposed much more clearly in acts of random violence.”
While members of the Muslim and Arab communities have been told by friends and family not to wear headdress (hejab) or other identifying clothing due to the threat of harassment and racism, many students at Georgetown have taken a stand. Kate McDonald (CAS ‘04) wearing a hatta, a traditional black and white patterned Arab scarf said, “I wear it as a symbol of Palestinian national aspirations and as a symbol of ‘Arab-ness.’ The meaning of the hatta in the western media is ‘terrorist,’ but that’s wrong.”
Saaj Patel (COL ‘02), facing a similar dilemma, said that his father told him he should shave his beard, in order to look less foreign. “As time goes on, I’m becoming less and less comfortable walking around. I’m not going to lie, there are racist people at Georgetown. But maybe we can be a safe place for students, because it is better here than other places in the city,” Patel said. “I hate feeling like I’m just waiting around, checking the Internet to hear about my fellow Americans killing my other fellow Americans.”
National trend, local troubles
Anti-Muslim sentiment across the nation has boiled over since last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks. As the media and the government came to the conclusion that Islamic or Middle Eastern terrorists had carried out the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, some Americans in turn have targeted those whom they perceive to be Muslims or of Arab descent.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported 352 anti-Muslim incidents as of Monday, including two shooting deaths, both of which are being investigated as hate-related crimes against Muslims. The first victim was a Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, Ariz., who was shot and killed. Sikhs wear turbans and grow their beards long, leading the man’s relatives to believe the murder occurred because he looked Middle Eastern. The other victim was a Pakistani store owner in the Dallas area. Another shooting took place at a mosque, also in Dallas, which shattered windows and caused about $3,000 in damage.
Other events, while less grim, have been equally representative of growing anti-Muslim sentiment nationwide. In a Chicago suburb, about 300 American flag-waving demonstrators marched in front of a mosque on Wednesday. The Associated Press reported one 19-year-old protester as saying, “I’m proud to be American, and I hate Arabs and I always have.”
President George W. Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft drew praise from Muslim advocacy groups for their condemnation of racial profiling against those of the Islamic faith or of Arab descent.
“We must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday’s violence by targeting individuals based on their race, their religion, or their national origin,” Ashcroft said in a speech last Wednesday.
Anti-Muslim violence and racial slurs have also been reported locally. In Alexandria, Va., a Muslim bookstore had two bricks thrown through its window. Attached to the bricks were notes reading, “Arab Murderers” and “You come to this country and kill. You must die as well.”
The Washington Post reported that in Sterling, also in nearby Northern Virginia, Muslims found “Die pigs” and “Muslims burn forever” on a bus they had chartered to take them to a blood donation clinic.
Within the District itself, incidents have been less outstanding. Aside from threats and racial slurs, there have been almost no instances of violence toward Arabs or Muslims.
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams joined Bush and Ashcroft in decrying instances of hate against Muslims.
“There are over 6 million American Muslims in this country who are feeling the same pain and the same sense of loss that all their fellow Americans feel. We must be careful not to assess responsibility to a larger community for the reckless and barbaric conduct of others,” Williams said Monday in a press release.
Even so, some Georgetown students who declined to be identified said they have preferred to stay at home rather than come to campus or go into the city.
At the Islamic Cultural Center on Massachusetts Avenue, there were few visitors this weekend. The Center, which boasts characteristically Middle Eastern architecture and a popular mosque, is surrounded by about 20 flags from Muslim nations.
The building has unofficially served as the city’s focal point during times of tension between the United States and Islamic nations. Historically, it has seen protesters during the Gulf War, and even a hostage situation in 1974.
This week, however, all flags remain at half staff, and the gates are wide open to visitors. President Bush also spoke at the mosque on Monday, pledging safety and tolerance from the government. Despite the openness, prayer services have been less than full, evidence perhaps that Muslims are afraid to venture into the city’s public center of Islam.
Even though there have been no incidents at the mosque, a knife-wielding man attacked a Kurdish vigil in the Sheridan Circle a few blocks up Massachusetts, which has been in place for years. No one was hurt in the attack, but several signs surrounding the vigil were destroyed, the Washington City Paper reported.
Signs of tension were evident throughout the area. There were two police cars stationed in Dupont Circle this weekend, and military police squads were placed on several street corners throughout Georgetown and Northwest Washington, drawing mixed reactions from some students.
“I felt a bit scared seeing the humvees driving around, because I didn’t think there was a reason for them to be there,” Alex Jarema (CAS ‘03) said. “But at the same time I felt safe because if something was to happen, they were there.”
There was one hint, however, that the strain between those who want war and those who want peace could reach a boiling point. A small nondescript sign was stuck on the base of a gray lamp post lining Massachusetts Avenue.
It quoted Martin Luther King and read “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate.” The second hate was scratched out by a disagreeing passerby, and replaced with “Not hate … JUSTICE.”
What this means for Muslim-Americans in the District remains to be seen.
What’s being done about it?
In response to growing safety concerns on the Georgetown campus following Tuesday’s tragedy, the Department of Public Safety has taken several measures to ensure the well-being of all students and particularly Muslim students, as they feel there is the possibility of aggression directed toward them. William Tucker, Director of DPS said, “Our security plan encompasses the entire Georgetown community, but has a special emphasis toward the groups that might be targeted. We established check points all around campus and posted officers at particular locations that might be subject to attacks.”
Beginning last Tuesday, two DPS officers were positioned outside of the Muslim Prayer Room in the basement of Copley and were scheduled to be there 24 hours a day. Beginning this week, however, officers will no longer be positioned outside the room but will instead be on patrol in the area.
Flyers were also distributed outside of the Muslim Prayer Room describing the steps necessary to report a hate crime. At the bottom of the flyer there was also an assurance that “If you feel unsafe security officers should not be far from you anywhere on campus for the next several days,” once again reaffirming that DPS is taking a potential threat to Muslim students or students of Arab descent very seriously.
Over the weekend, DPS also posted signs around campus encouraging students to utilize the various services offered for their safety, including Safe Rides, Safe Walks and the Alpha Phi Omega Van Service, a shuttle service which is sponsored by the service fraternity.
As an additional protection, DPS has positioned officers at Healy gates to monitor cars entering the University. At night, they check IDs to ensure that all who enter the Georgetown campus after dark have a reason to be there and do not pose a threat to other students.
“When information reached us that there had been an attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon here in Arlington, we saw a need to go on high level alert and to establish control in accordance with our security plan,” Tucker said. “Safety is our number one priority.”
DPS said that while it has heard of instances of verbal abuse towards several students on campus, no reports have officially been filed with the department. Mr. Tucker did say that an anonymous caller had told officers to “watch out in Red Square,” but they were probably trying to create excitement on campus and the call would be looked into.
“We take hate crime very seriously anytime,” Tucker said. “If there are any instances, we will investigate and take any measures we need to take to ensure the safety of all students.”
In the greater D.C. area, a spokesperson for the Metro Police Department, Officer Kelly McMurray said that Metro was taking every precaution to make sure the members of the Muslim and Arab communities throughout the city were protected.
“We are increasing our patrols paying special attention to mosques and other areas that might be targeted.” McMurray continued that Metro had received a few complaints of verbal abuse but had not received any reports of violence related to backlash from Tuesday’s terrorist attacks.
“We are concerned for the safety of the Muslim community as we would be for any other group facing potential threats,” McMurray said.
Movement for Greater Understanding
In spite of the hate and the violence across the country, Georgetown has continued to seek a strengthening of community and a bridging of several ethnic divides.
Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez expressed his support last Friday in a press release.
“Georgetown University was founded on the ideals of dignity and worth of every person and the love of truth. Respect and understanding for persons of all religious traditions and ethnicities are core values of this University,” he said.
According to Balti, the MSA has also been buoyed by the support of other student groups, as well as concerned individuals on campus.
“It has been very heart-warming. Everyone, the administration, other student groups, really the whole Georgetown community has supported us at all levels,” Balti said.
Last week, University President John J. DeGioia spoke to the Georgetown Muslim community to voice his support. Prayer services have also seen overwhelmingly strong attendance from both those of the Islamic faith as well as other religions.
These interfaith prayer services, organized by the MSA as well as the Unity Coalition, have attempted to bring students of all faiths together to promote unity. On Tuesday, the MSA supported observing five minutes of silence in memory of the previous week’s victims.
Many Muslim students have expressed their appreciation of the show of unity on campus.
“When DeGioia came and spoke to the Muslim community, that really made me feel good,” Shadi Hamid (SFS ‘05) said. “On Friday, at the Muslim prayer service, I was expecting maybe 10 or so non-Muslims, but over 80 came.”
Hamid was one of 30 community members who gathered in LXR on Saturday evening at Professor Mark Lance’s residence to discuss the racial backlash. The group, more than half of whom were students, spoke about the need for a campus dialogue regarding these tense racial issues.
“Although we are a country with a history of racism, we are also a country with legal and moral traditions of equality, and we can and must appeal to that. We can win the battle for public opinion,” said Adil Haque (CAS ‘02), one of the meeting’s attendees.
That battle was waged this week in public by means of gatherings designed to promote tolerance and discourse. Many Middle-Eastern groups were actively recruiting at Saturday’s SAC Fair, including the MSA, the Iranian Students Association and YALA.
YALA says its main goal is to educate the Georgetown Community about Arab culture and politics while trying to provide an alternative for the skewed way YALA feels the American media present them.
“We try very hard not to be confrontational, but inevitably some people are going to feel alienated,” Salem said.
While organizations like YALA were busy mingling with the student body, another coalition was busy promoting unity and decrying hate across from Copley Lawn.
Along with Janet Lawson (SFS ‘04) and Stephanie Green (SFS ‘05), co-chairs of the social action committee of the Jewish Student Association, Balti and Halliwell organized the construction Saturday morning of a “peace tree” on the brick wall of ICC in Red Square. Passers-by were encouraged to write a prayer or message on a paper leaf and paste it on the tree. Lawson and Green thought up the idea, based on the “tree of life,” a traditional symbol in Judaism. “We wanted to do something that would show a sentiment of anti-racism and to support the Muslim students,” Lawson said.
By the end of the day, the tree was covered with the multicolored leaves. A suggested donation of $1 to the Red Cross for each leaf raised $150 in donations, the sale of the tree to an anonymous donor brought in a $100 donation, and the doubling of those donations by the Georgetown Student Credit Union meant the tree earned more than $500 the for Red Cross.
That Saturday night, the Unity Coalition of Georgetown sponsored “A Call for Peace” on the steps on White Gravenor. The event, billed as an open forum for Georgetown students to express their thoughts, concerns and opinions about race relations and the terrorist attacks, was moderated by Halliwell.
“Muslims believe that out of every evil can come good. Despite the anger and divisiveness, a greater good has been formed. We as a community have come together to create safety, greater understanding and unity,” he said.
The steps dimly lit by a few dozen candles, about 30 students as well as Juan Gonzalez stood and listened as various heads of Georgetown’s ethnic organizations voiced their support for the University’s Muslim community.
“Be proud of who you are. Stay strong. All ethnic organizations on campus are with you guys,” said Dan Chiao (COL ‘02), president of the Chinese Student Alliance. During the comments, Balti stood with David Gold, president of the Jewish Student Association, before getting up to speak for himself.
“I don’t feel the same fear on this campus that I would feel elsewhere. People of all faiths have been encouraging me,” Balti said. “[The intolerance] is not going to hurt, because I’m not going to let it hurt.”
