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An Arab-American's Thoughts on America's Tragedy

© Aida Hasan

Due to the recent tragedy in NY, D.C. and PA, I am temporarily discontinuing the article series on Female Visual Artists.

When I heard the news that tuesday September 11 morning I was in utter disbelief. No matter how many times I've listened to the reports and watched the video footages of buildings burning, people running, crying, smoke, soot, rubble, dust, chaos, I still can't believe that it all happened. Just two days before, I was visiting New York on a warm sunny calm happy day, and never would I have guessed that everything would suddenly change. I too hope that whoever is responsible will be brought to justice, and I have been feeling vulnerable and fearful for us all ever since.

As an Arab-American, I am unfortunately feeling fears on two fronts. The first is the fear that all Americans are feeling-- that this sort of nightmare does not ever get repeated. It is a senseless, devastatingly tragic event that never should have happened, and trying to understand how and why it did continues to occupy my mind. But my second fear is that the senseless hate and violence that resulted in those tragedies does not breed more hate and violence. I have been hearing and reading reports of harassment and violence against Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans and I am deeply saddened by it. In Chicago, police had to block a mob of 300 who wanted to attack a local mosque. In another city, a Pakistani woman in the parking lot of a mall was nearly run down by a 75 year old man who felt that the tragedy of September 11 was somehow her fault.

The reports are endless and I am shocked by each one. Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans are feeling the same sorrow and pain as the rest of America. Every Arab and Muslim organization of America has strongly condemned the act of evil that took place in NY, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania, and have been encouraging everyone to assist the victims and their families in anyway they can. They are grieving the loss of friends and families and all people of this tragedy too.

But sadly, some individuals are choosing to seek "revenge" on individuals who have absolutely nothing to do with the terrorists but who simply happen to be of Arab heritage or of the Islamic faith. There is nothing in the Arab culture or the Islamic faith that preaches or condones this kind of terror. And as far as punishing the perpetrators of this crime, if it is determined that the terrorists were indeed of Middle Eastern background, it is never justifiable to punish an entire community/ethnicity/religious group for the actions of a few. We don't punish the brother of a serial killer. Why then should an innocent, law-abiding Arab woman in Detroit be afraid to step outside of her home to take her children to school?