Racism running rampant!

p0tempkin

Banned
Jun 5, 2001
702
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Taken straight from 09/14/2001 Oregonian:

Leaders of Arab American organizations said their phones were ringing off the hook with reports of harassment incidents.

"Jim, you towel-head, I'll slit your throat and kill your children," was one call recorded on voice mail at the office of James Zogby, president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute and one of the leaders at the Justice Department meeting.

Hassan Awdah, a Yemeni-born U.S. citizen who owns a Marathon gas station in Gary, Ind., survived behind 1-inch-thick protective glass when someone fired more than 21 shots at him with a high-powered rifle.

Unknown assailants fired six shots at the Islamic Center in Irving, Texas, piercing windows and shattering glass. No one was wounded.

Two bricks were thrown through the windows of an Islamic bookstore in Alexandria, Va. One contained a note saying: "Death to Arab murderers," according to the Washington Post.

In Ardsley, in New York's Westchester County suburbs, police arrested Stever Montemurro on accusations of assault after pepper spray was discharged in the face of an Arab American deli owner.


These are the people we've lived with everyday before the atrocities on 09/11/2001. Don't let the events of this week change your mindset about them.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
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amazing. One of my best friends in college was from Afghanistan. He fled the country with his parents during the war with the USSR. He used to describe to the the terrible instances he faced trying to get to the border in Pakistan. My grandparents went through the same thing in Nazi Germany some 63 years ago. My friend was a Muslim and he and I often talked about world politics and I knew without a doubt he loved the U.S.A., wanted to become a citizen and would die for our flag.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
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you have to expect it... It is human nature to fear those who are similar to the ones who attacked us. Intelligence is not the high point of most Americans, ya know? Its not right, but it will happen. Look at Asians during WW2, or arabs during the gulf war. Its a vicious cycle...
 

SpongeBob

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2001
2,825
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It just shows the lack of intelligence of Americans(not all, but a lot) in regards to different cultures. Anthropology/World History need to be focused on more at high school levels IMO.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
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the interesting thing is that they hate us for the same reason, for not being Muslim and arab. Most of us, anyways/
 

guyver01

Lifer
Sep 25, 2000
22,135
5
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Its amazing. One of my friends is of Arab decent. Damn nice guy. He stopped for gas the other day, and the gas station owner saw his name on his credit card, and said "whats your nationality? where were you on the 11th???" ... i was like.. WTF... beat the snot out of that racist prick, and call the cops and get his a$$ thrown in jail for a hate crime.

Just because someone is of arab descent.... does not mean they're a terrorist.


STOP THE HATRED!
 

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
25,074
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It pisses me off actually - they're blaming the wrong people damnit :|:|:|
 

cmdavid

Diamond Member
May 23, 2001
4,114
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Here are a few words of encouragement. I am a Christian Egyptian living here in Atlanta. Everybody that has encountered me has offered nothing but help, sorrow, and extended hands of soliditary. They make sure that I have not been discriminated against because of how I look. I have received phone calls numerous times everyday from people that I hardly know to make sure that everything's ok with me. I just wanted to say thanks.. and God Bless...
 

SpongeBob

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2001
2,825
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the interesting thing is that they hate us for the same reason, for not being Muslim and arab. Most of us, anyways

Well, they don't agree with our values, but I don't think that is the reason they hate us. I think they hate us because they think we meddle in their affairs, like the killing of Israelis.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81


<< the interesting thing is that they hate us for the same reason, for not being Muslim and arab. Most of us, anyways

Well, they don't agree with our values, but I don't think that is the reason they hate us. I think they hate us because they think we meddle in their affairs, like the killing of Israelis.
>>



i think it is a reason they hate us.
 

SpongeBob

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2001
2,825
0
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Well they think western values threaten the purity of the islamic religion. I'm not so sure I believe that that is reason enough for them to do what they "allegedly" did.
 

Zwingle

Golden Member
Jan 1, 2001
1,925
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Racism has been running rampant for thousands of years.....and will continue long after we are gone.
 

guyver01

Lifer
Sep 25, 2000
22,135
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<< guyver, asking someone their nationality is not a hate crime. >>




but asking for their nationality, and WHERE they were on a certain day associated with terror attacks, and NOT asking anyone else the same question, *is* a hate crime.
 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,270
103
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<<but asking for their nationality, and WHERE they were on a certain day associated with terror attacks, and NOT asking anyone else the same question, *is* a hate crime.>>

No you idiot, asking someone questions is NOT a crime, regardless of how offended you might be by the questions.
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
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the interesting thing is that they hate us for the same reason, for not being Muslim and arab. Most of us, anyways/

i have yet to meet one that hates us, i don't know where you're getting this from. true, the extremists hate americans, but they are an extremely small percentage of the muslim population.
 

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
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Sadly some idiots here in Tulsa attacked a Pakistani man the other day and put him in the hospital. Makes you sick that someone would do something like that.
 

AmbitV

Golden Member
Oct 20, 1999
1,197
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yea I don't think taking the precaution of just asking nationality and alibi and such is that bad....but the stories of the physical attacks and even getting shot at? oh man... some people can be really stupid
 

guyver01

Lifer
Sep 25, 2000
22,135
5
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Ok... maybe we need to review the definition of Hate Crime:


Hate Crimes Statistics Act (1990): "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation, arson, and destruction, damage or vandalism of property." ( Public Law 101-275)



Intimidation based on race *is* a hate crime.
 

guyver01

Lifer
Sep 25, 2000
22,135
5
61


<< <<but asking for their nationality, and WHERE they were on a certain day associated with terror attacks, and NOT asking anyone else the same question, *is* a hate crime.>>

No you idiot, asking someone questions is NOT a crime, regardless of how offended you might be by the questions.
>>




read the definition, moron. A intimidation based on race IS considered a hate crime.
 

isildur

Golden Member
Jan 3, 2001
1,509
0
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read the definition, moron. A intimidation based on race IS considered a hate crime.

re-read the statement, moron, the scenario presented did not include any specifics to indicate "intimidation," not to mention that "intimidation" is difficult to prove because it is not based on whether or not you felt intimidated, but whether or not the perp intended to be threatening.

Asking those questions might or might not be accompanied by the various verbal and physical clues that are nessitated for them to be threatening (since the plain text of the qestions include no explicit threats, the threats, if there are any, must therefore be implicit).
 

Capn

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2000
2,716
0
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Asking a question is not intimidation. Get over it. Did he threaten your friend? Unless you failed to mention it, he didn't.

The people that committed this atrocity lived in the U.S. for a while and acted very american. People are afraid, you can't really fault a man for being afraid.
 

trulfe

Senior member
May 17, 2000
778
0
0


<< It just shows the lack of intelligence of Americans(not all, but a lot) in regards to different cultures. Anthropology/World History need to be focused on more at high school levels IMO. >>




So you think this is due to Americans lack of intelligence. Can you name me one place in the world where this would not go on, if somebody of a different culture attacked the country, people who are of the same ethnicity would not be shown hatred. Are you naive to think that Americans living in japan wouldnt have gotten it much worse during WWII as well as those in Iraq during the persian gulf. I do think what is being done is completely wrong and cruel, however there are more Americans that will stand up to this kind of nonsense and defend Arabs rights than any other foreign country's citizens would do in return. This is a fact of life and war and doesnt have anything to do with Americans individually. There will always be criticism no matter what America does, this is because our country is free and allows people to talk about what is going on. No matter how much you criticize the US for being racist we are the most open to different cultures and religions in the world, and although there are some extremists, the majority of the country knows the difference between right and wrong.