Arabs mourn with America

Of course I'm shocked. Every Arab person I know on campus is shocked. Every Arab I know absolutely condemns this atrocious act. There is no way to overstate the revulsion and grief every member of the Arab community on campus is feeling. It's certainly insulting when people ask me or any of my Arab friends how we feel about the acts of terror. Part of my shock is compounded by the fear that some people expect me to feel otherwise.

NEWSMAKERS Palestinian children hold up signs in support of the U.S. after Tuesday's tragedy.

The images of Palestinian children celebrating and the sounds of Palestinian women ululating are repulsive to us all. But I urge you to understand that these people are not representative of Arabs or Muslims at large. I am sure that most Palestinians truly understand suffering, and that they also mourn the loss of their loved ones. I don't think it is reasonable to predict what kind of behavior a people under occupation should be expected to display. It is disappointing to see that the media failed to capture scenes of Arabs living overseas mourning for and with Americans. The number of Arab and Muslim American victims should serve as enough evidence that Arab and Muslim communities in the U.S. are certainly in mourning with the rest of the country. The attacks were against people of all races and creeds—against anyone who was unfortunate enough to face the wrath of this devastating act of violence.

There is a double terror being felt by Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. right now. First, witnessing the destruction of American icons of power and the death of thousands of fellow citizens is more horrific than anything most people have seen before. The second terror is the fear of being implicated in this crime against humanity. It stems from the perception that Arabs and Muslims are all fanatics and somehow do not want the "Great Satan" to prosper in peace. Often, actions of individuals are blamed on the entire group. One reason American media can succeed in implicating Arabs in Tuesday's tragedies is because anti-American sentiment is rife in the Middle East. However, this widespread resentment of American policies is mostly, if not completely, directed towards American policies in the Middle East, rather than innocent American civilians.

I urge others to understand that Arabs are a people of peace and that Arabs form a civilization that values human life. Three of the world's greatest religions originated in the Middle East. Arabs have been unfortunate to find themselves living in countries controlled by such oppressive regimes as Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Morocco, as a result of colonization not long ago by European powers. The dictatorships and monarchies are legacies left behind that have yet to be replaced by constitutional democracies. The brutality of these countries' leaders causes many non-Arabs to assume that they do not have democratic values and that they share many of their leaders' despotic traits. The struggle to establish viable democracies in the Arab World isn't an easy and painless one, but rather difficult and protracted. As some Arabs such as the Lebanese and the Palestinians seek self-determination in their respective homelands, realize they're attempting to establish the same type of democracy that this country's forefathers created over 200 years ago.

Finally, the Arab people on this campus are fortunate to be in a relatively sheltered and educated environment, where stereotyping isn't as likely to occur as elsewhere. I hope Arab Americans do not end up facing the same tragic fate that Japanese Americans, African-Americans, suspected Communists, Vietnamese Americans, and other minorities did during other times of crisis.

Many Arab Americans still remember the indiscriminate attacks against their community following the Oklahoma City catastrophe. I pray that such unmeasured and irrational retaliation isn't a hallmark of this country or the people who are proud of it.

Fadi Pierre Kanaan, CC '02, is co-president of the Arab Students' Association.

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