9-11...for a world in mourning

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Grassroots Information Coordination Center (GICC) : One Thread

Dear citizens of the world and friends on this forum:

With a heavy heart I bring my support and condolences to all of you who have been affected in so many ways by this unbelievable tragedy. Primarily to those in and from the US, but not solely. The WTC and its environs housed citizens from almost every country around the world and, at present, families worldwide anxiously await word on missing relatives--60 to 100 Canadians, 100 Britons, 160 Chileans, for example. In addition, at least two Canadians were on the airplanes. The terrorists could not have created outrage in a more maximum number of people around the world if it had attacked the UN itself.

At a time of such inhumanity of act please keep your humanity of actions. In Australia a school bus loaded with muslim children has been stoned; in Canada muslim mosques have been vandalized and set afire. The need for revenge on a personal and on an international level has the power to engulf all of us in a realm where we really don't want to be.

If we care for ourselves, we must care for others. In every way.

Blessed be.

A humbled Canadian.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 13, 2001

Answers

Revenge against innocent Muslims is clearly wrong. I know a good number of Palestinians aned Iraqis who are all glad to be in the U.S. and do not support terrorist activities.

-- John Littmann (johntl@mtn.org), September 13, 2001.

Thank you Rachel

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 13, 2001.

Grass roots . . . that's us.

I'd like to work up some way of letting our Arab-American neighbors know that many of us do care, and do worry about them. There have been yellow ribbons for soldiers abroad; maybe a blue armband or something, as a sign of "lack-of-blind-prejudgment here"? Any takers, any other suggestions?

-- L. Hunter Cassells (mellyrn@castlemark-honey.com), September 14, 2001.


If there's a mosque or related community center in your area, you might consider just dropping by briefly, for example after prayers today (it's Friday) and simply expressing your support with a few words to the people there. I think that alone would help alot.

One of the radio interviews on NPR yesterday was with a family of *3rd-generation* Arab-Americans -- emphasis on the "American" part -- and the family was upset over how to explain things to their 5 year old son. The father noted that the vast majority of immigrants came to the U.S. precisely to get away from all the strife and make a better life for themselves. They are as appalled as anyone.

It's also worth remembering that at such a time as this, irrational acts may be directed against *anyone* who even *looks* Middle Eastern, even if they are not -- or even if they are Coptic Christian or Jewish. Such idiocy has happened before.

Be nice to each other.

Be well.

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), September 14, 2001.


[Just one of many incidents big and small that have already been reported]

Headline: MUSLIM MOM CHASED

Source: New York Post, 14 September 2001

URL: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/32595.htm

A 24-year-old Long Island mom from Pakistan narrowly escaped with her life when a drunken man shouting, "I'll kill you! I'm defending my country!" tried to run her down with his car, cops said. The victim jumped out of the way and ran. Her attacker then chased her on foot around the Walt Whitman Mall in Huntington for 10 minutes - as she screamed for help in vain.

Finally, the terrified woman ran to the jewelry department of Macy's, where she knew she would find a security guard - who tackled the ranting assailant and ended her ordeal, cops said.

Her family said they feared Arab-Americans might be rounded up and put in camps, as the U.S. government did with Japanese-Americans during World War II.

The ugly incident began just after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, as the young mother, who had just finished work at a nearby department store, waited to be picked up by her husband in an underground parking garage.

While she was waiting, 75-year-old Adam Lang, who was 15 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked, allegedly stopped his 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier when he noticed the woman.

Police said Lang, of Huntington Station, began racing his engine menacingly and yelling at the woman that she and her "people" were responsible for the World Trade Center terror.

A line of cars behind him honked their horns but Lang ignored them.

The woman protested, "I had nothing to do with that," but Lang suddenly raced straight for her, screaming: "I'll kill you! I'm defending my country!"

She jumped aside, fell and injured her leg but got up and began to run, as Lang pursued her, shouting, "Your people and country are destroying my country! I'll kill you!"

None of the people in the cars tried to help, her family said, and the sobbing mother of a 16- month-old son dashed from store to store pleading with shoppers:

"Help me! Please help me! He's going to kill me!"

Even after he was tackled by security, Lang - who was allegedly intoxicated - continued to scream "Let me go! I want to kill her!"

"She was screaming for help but they did nothing," said the victim's brother-in-law, who also asked not to be identified. "No one cared. He almost killed her."

"A lot of people just looked at her" and did nothing, said the man's wife. "It makes me angry."

He said the incident has turned his family's American dream into a nightmare. "This is weird," he said. "We've never had anything like this. I came here to get an education and a better life. In other countries, you have to worry every day about bombings and things.

"What happened in the city is very bad but we had nothing to do with it. We don't deserve these kinds of things. They did it and we have to face it," he said, shaking his head.

Lang was charged with reckless endangerment as a bias crime and driving while intoxicated.

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), September 14, 2001.



Moderation questions? read the FAQ