Of Terror Scares and Stereotypes
by Hesham A. Hassaballa
On
September 13, two days after the one-year anniversary of the
September 11 attacks, three Muslim men were detained by Florida
law enforcement officials on suspicion of plotting a terrorist
attack. A customer in a Georgia restaurant, 44-year-old Eunice
Stone, told police that she overheard a conversation in which
one of the men said Americans had mourned on September 11 and
would mourn again on September 13. That was enough evidence to
move law enforcement officials to track the three medical
students, shut down a stretch of highway in south Florida for
several hours, and search their vehicles with both sniffer dogs
and a robot. In fact, live television showed a bomb squad team
blowing up what appeared to be a backpack. After 17 hours of
detention, the three were released without being charged.
Contrast this
false alarm with another case, also from Florida. In August, police
arrested Dr. Robert J. Goldstein and charged him with possession of
a non-registered destructive device and attempting to use an
explosive to damage and destroy Islamic centers.
Deputies found
more than 30 explosive devices, including hand grenades and a
5-gallon gasoline bomb with a timer and a wire attached, and a
licensed cache of up to 40 weapons, including .50-caliber machine
guns and sniper rifles, during a search of Goldstein's Seminole
home. They say they also found a typed list of approximately 50
Islamic worship centers. Almost immediately, the judge in the case
ordered that the doctor undergo psychological testing.
Why? Is it
because Muslims are considered to be violent by their very nature,
and potential acts of terrorism by non-Muslims must be, a priori,
due to some mental deficiency? It seems so, unfortunately. Although
Dr. Goldstein openly admitted he wanted to kill, in his words,
"Islamic rags," his mental state has become a major issue from the
very beginning of the case. For why else would a non-Muslim American
want to terrorize other Americans if he were not mentally ill? Yet,
no one questioned alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid's mental health.
Would not attempting to detonate a bomb in one's shoe be a glaring
sign of mental illness? Not for a Muslim, apparently. The Muslim
medical students were considered terrorists until proven innocent.
It is a disturbing double standard, but it illustrates how entreched
is the notion of Arabs and Muslims being terrorists.
I do not blame
law enforcement officials. Their response may have been a bit
exaggerated, but it is their duty to follow up on potential threats
to our safety. I am thankful that they released the men after
finding no evidence against them. Many Muslims have expressed anger
at Ms. Stone's action. This is only natural as every American Muslim
can see this happening to them (and you wonder why Muslims are wary
of Operation TIPS).
Surprisingly,
the three students are not angry with Ms. Stone, and we should
follow their lead. Anger is the wrong response; education is the
answer. I strongly doubt Ms. Stone ever met a Muslim American before
this incident. I would be delighted to see the Muslim community
reach out to Ms. Stone, teach her about Islam, and show her the
humanity of her American Muslim neighbors. Such a gesture will make
our country a better place for everyone. Without education and
outreach, I fear incidents such as these becoming more commonplace,
tearing at the very fabric of our unity as a people. This is what
the terrorists who attacked us wanted to happen, and we cannot let
them win.
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physician and columnist for Beliefnet.com
and the Independent Writers Syndicate. He is also contributing author to the
forthcoming book Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim Their Faith,
due to be released by Rodale in November 2002.
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