An Editorial:

Stone-Throwing Govts in Glass Houses
Thursday, 20 September 2001
By Shamsul Akmar
WHAT was feared is now happening.

Prejudices, racism and extremism, buoyed by the lack of knowledge and fear of the unknown, have led to incidences of attacks on Arabs and Muslims in predominantly “White” nations.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York last Tuesday, there were numerous attacks on Arabs and Muslims, and they were not confined to the US alone.

In Los Angeles, Egyptian-born grocer Adel Karas was murdered. In Hamilton, Ontario, in neighbouring Canada, it was reported that a mosque was vandalised.

Last week, some 48 hours after the attacks on the US, in Brisbane, Australia, two molotov cocktails were thrown at a mosque. On the same day, a busload of school-going Muslim children were stoned in Melbourne.

It was also reported that excrement was thrown at another mosque in Western Australia, while the tudung (head covering) of a Muslim woman was pulled off.

There were numerous other reports, substantiated or otherwise, especially on the Internet, of such harassment of Arabs and Muslims by predominantly White communities.

Such reactions are emotional spillovers arising from the horrendous attacks on the US innocents, but they show how deep-seated the prejudices of some people in the West, or Whites, have towards Islam and Muslims.

Sadly, these anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments are on the rise despite most Muslim leaders’ condemnations of the terrorists acts.

In fact, numerous Arab/Muslim nations, leaders and ordinary citizens have thronged US embassies to extend their condolences, sharing the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

But yet, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments keep being fanned and there are many who are prepared to act on their prejudices. The suspicions directed against Arabs/Muslims grow.
(More: e-media News Source)

There is a line above that should have been written:
“There were numerous other reports, substantiated or otherwise, especially on the Internet, of such harassment of Arabs and Muslims, predominantly by white communities.”

I had no idea that Arabs and Muslims were being attacked only in white communities, nor that the word “white” was now a proper noun.

Anyway, Shamsul Akmar presents us with a somewhat biased opinion, but one with some very valid points. The assaults attributed are unquestionably wrong, doing far more bad to the nation than good, but when you raise your kids to be your buddy and friend, rather than as your child, you lose something in the home training. Eventually it will all settle back down, but not before a lot of damage is done -- and that pendulum will continue to swing.

Dan