saugoree: Brusslles story and American Muslims

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Brusslles story and American Muslims

Although this day is important for Pakistanis as the decision to place the idea of a separate country for Muslims was passed and put before the then British Government on 23rd March 1940 but I wish to say something different here. I had wanted to say something like this which is done by my son more eloquently so without his permission I paste it here

It was the first thing I read this morning. Another attack. In a European country. And sadly, my first thought was, this is gonna be a bigger deal than, say, what Turkey has endured over the past several months. Innocent blood always hurts but it is valued inconsistently.

My second thought, of course, was the backlash. At this point, I think I could've written certain candidates' responses for them. It was too easy.

I was on a long drive today and the open road is a wonderful place to think. I heard Cruz talking about patrolling Muslim neighborhoods and Trump of course thinking that was a good idea. I wondered what a "Muslim" neighborhood looked like...because I happened to be driving through Dearborn, Michigan this morning, reading street signs in Arabic. Cruz justified his bright idea by drawing parallels to policing neighborhoods with increased gang activity.

And then I realized I wouldn't have been able to write his response to Brussels for him after all.

Because in his mind, being in a Muslim neighborhood (whatever that means) isn't safe. It's "the hood," the ghetto, el barrio. Simply being Muslim is criminal (or should be), like being part of a gang.

"Gang activity" brings images of Crips and Bloods, or maybe MS-13 or Mara 18. Of a strange and barbaric culture that doesn't value human life, that is always planning the next conquest and vying for superiority and annexing turf. Of not letting people leave except through death but promising untold riches to those who swear loyalty and move up the ranks.

This is how they see my faith. In one poisonous comment, Cruz effectively relegated the faith of 1.6 billion people to a "gang." He tied it in with bigoted imagery of the scariest minority bogeymen: blacks and Latinos. As far as fearmongering goes, it's genius. Does it matter that he says 'radical Islam' when his newly-picked advisor, Frank Gaffney, does not even believe Islam is a religion? (I wouldn't be surprised if drawing parallels to gang activity was his idea.)

I can't see black people or Latinos this way. I see communities terrorized by the gang elements within, victimized largely by them, growing like cancer. I see them struggling to prosper while fighting systemic discrimination, both de jure and de facto. Muslims are no different.

My prayers go out to the victims of not only today's attack, but any innocent person whose blood is used by opportunistic politicians to push an agenda that only results in more innocent blood.