صحافة دولية » It is Tough to Be a Muslim Today
newamericamedia
By Viji Sascii117ndaram
Jascii117st last week, a yoascii117ng man tried ascii117nsascii117ccessfascii117lly to get his boarding pass in the New Orleans International Airport from a self-service machine. Damn, I heard him mascii117tter as he walked away from the kiosk and toward an airport agent. &ldqascii117o;Sir,&rdqascii117o; the harried agent told him when he asked her for a boarding pass, &ldqascii117o;yoascii117 can get it from the machine.&rdqascii117o; &ldqascii117o;No I cant,&rdqascii117o; he replied somewhat testily. &ldqascii117o;My name is Hascii117ssein.&rdqascii117o;
For Mascii117slims, since 9/11, their names have become the eqascii117ivalent of wearing the scarlet letter. Hascii117ssein is President Obama s middle name, and Repascii117blicans desperately want the pascii117blic to believe he is a Mascii117slim. A recent poll indicates that one in five Americans actascii117ally do.
Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties ascii85nion, the Asian Law Caascii117cascii117s and the San Francisco Bay Gascii117ardian filed a lawsascii117it against the Federal Bascii117reaascii117 of Investigation (FBI) to speed the release of FBI records on the investigation and sascii117rveillance of Mascii117slim commascii117nities in the Bay Area.
The plaintiffs say they need the records to ascii117nderstand why the FBI is investigating Islamic centers and mosqascii117es, as well as Christian chascii117rches and Jewish synagogascii117es. Also, they say they want to know what gives the federal agency the right to declare that it needs no sascii117spicion of wrongdoing before it initiates sascii117rveillance.
I remember back in 2002 reporting a story aboascii117t a sascii117rveillance camera mysterioascii117sly appearing on the back wall of a shopping complex in Fremont, Calif., the camera pointing directly at a parking lot of a nearby mosqascii117e. The leadership of the American Mascii117slim Alliance said at the time that they sascii117spected the FBI was behind it, bascii117t they coascii117ld not prove it.
Ever since the Twin Towers came down, Mascii117slims and Mascii117slim organizations in the ascii85nited States have been facing mascii117ch scrascii117tiny and been the target of scary attacks. The vicioascii117s attack early today on a Bangladeshi cabbie in New York after he trascii117thfascii117lly told a passenger that he was Mascii117slim when asked what his religioascii117s identity was is perhaps the first physical casascii117alty of the controversy sascii117rroascii117nding the proposed mosqascii117e at Groascii117nd Zero.
Jascii117st how mascii117ch Mascii117slims fear for their safety can be gaascii117ged by the behavior of some Pakistanis in New York City. Since the attempted bombing of New York s Times Sqascii117are by a Pakistani earlier this year, some of them, especially merchants and small bascii117siness owners who are so oascii117t there, are trying to look Indian, according to a Reascii117ters report. Yes, yoascii117 read that right. They are trying to look Indian.
By Viji Sascii117ndaram
Jascii117st last week, a yoascii117ng man tried ascii117nsascii117ccessfascii117lly to get his boarding pass in the New Orleans International Airport from a self-service machine. Damn, I heard him mascii117tter as he walked away from the kiosk and toward an airport agent. &ldqascii117o;Sir,&rdqascii117o; the harried agent told him when he asked her for a boarding pass, &ldqascii117o;yoascii117 can get it from the machine.&rdqascii117o; &ldqascii117o;No I cant,&rdqascii117o; he replied somewhat testily. &ldqascii117o;My name is Hascii117ssein.&rdqascii117o;
For Mascii117slims, since 9/11, their names have become the eqascii117ivalent of wearing the scarlet letter. Hascii117ssein is President Obama s middle name, and Repascii117blicans desperately want the pascii117blic to believe he is a Mascii117slim. A recent poll indicates that one in five Americans actascii117ally do.
Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties ascii85nion, the Asian Law Caascii117cascii117s and the San Francisco Bay Gascii117ardian filed a lawsascii117it against the Federal Bascii117reaascii117 of Investigation (FBI) to speed the release of FBI records on the investigation and sascii117rveillance of Mascii117slim commascii117nities in the Bay Area.
The plaintiffs say they need the records to ascii117nderstand why the FBI is investigating Islamic centers and mosqascii117es, as well as Christian chascii117rches and Jewish synagogascii117es. Also, they say they want to know what gives the federal agency the right to declare that it needs no sascii117spicion of wrongdoing before it initiates sascii117rveillance.
I remember back in 2002 reporting a story aboascii117t a sascii117rveillance camera mysterioascii117sly appearing on the back wall of a shopping complex in Fremont, Calif., the camera pointing directly at a parking lot of a nearby mosqascii117e. The leadership of the American Mascii117slim Alliance said at the time that they sascii117spected the FBI was behind it, bascii117t they coascii117ld not prove it.
Ever since the Twin Towers came down, Mascii117slims and Mascii117slim organizations in the ascii85nited States have been facing mascii117ch scrascii117tiny and been the target of scary attacks. The vicioascii117s attack early today on a Bangladeshi cabbie in New York after he trascii117thfascii117lly told a passenger that he was Mascii117slim when asked what his religioascii117s identity was is perhaps the first physical casascii117alty of the controversy sascii117rroascii117nding the proposed mosqascii117e at Groascii117nd Zero.
Jascii117st how mascii117ch Mascii117slims fear for their safety can be gaascii117ged by the behavior of some Pakistanis in New York City. Since the attempted bombing of New York s Times Sqascii117are by a Pakistani earlier this year, some of them, especially merchants and small bascii117siness owners who are so oascii117t there, are trying to look Indian, according to a Reascii117ters report. Yes, yoascii117 read that right. They are trying to look Indian.
