For the better half of a decade, friends have repeatedly said to me, "Arab" is the new "Black."
I'm not sure there is much value in equating such discrimination, but as an Arab-American, there is no denying that my name, heritage, and physical appearance -- especially when rocking some facial scruff -- has become a subject of discrimination and controversy, ridicule and racism.
On YouTube, if you type "Ahmed" into the search box, the first video that appears, and one of the most-viewed on YouTube, is "Ahmed The Terrorist."
But my name is Ahmed, and I'm not a terrorist. However, since 9/11, I have endured many terrorist jokes, countless racial slurs and even had a police officer in Boston enter my house without a warrant, arrest me and call me a "Sandnigger" as he cuffed me, for reasons that were never fully made clear to me, or the judge who presided over our arraignment. The charge of "Keeper of a Disorderly Home" was eventually dropped.
Since 9/11, terrorism and the fear it has conjured has weighed heavily on the American consciousness. Both the media and Bush administration's infamous "Us versus Them" construct heightened the hype and hysteria that swept the nation and eventually institutionalized the humiliation in the humor of this viral ventriloquist act.
Over the years, shameful experiences in airport lines, at the weddings of friends and even in the workplace, have given me a small taste of the bigotry that blacks have endured for decades upon decades.
One last anecdote: In 2006, an HR representative at one of America's leading media companies responded to my question of whether I could drop off my paperwork on her desk after my shift on day two of my new job by staring me straight in the face and saying in all seriousness, "How do I know you are not going to leave a bomb under my desk?", ruining my first week at the job and leaving such a bad taste in my mouth that within 6 months I left the company.
But this isn't about me, Arabs or her offensive question, it's about the need for us to ruminate on racism.
We may have elected Barack, our first black president, but racism and bigotry is still very much alive in America and the police are a big part of the problem.
In 2007, while I was working at PBS's Wide Angle, the New York Police Department released a report that described the process and characteristics of "candidates" that become "jihadi fighters."
My boss had put it on my desk with a note alluding to the ridiculous nature of the report.
It said that terrorist candidates "speak multiple languages, including three predominant Western languages: German, French and English" -- all of which I happen to speak -- oh, and Arabic.
They were anywhere from fifteen to thirty-five years old - Check.
At an age where they often are seeking to identify who they really are while trying to find the "meaning of life" - Check.
From a middle class family and students appear to provide the most fertile ground
for the seeds of radicalization - Check.
The report claimed its aim is "to assist policymakers and law enforcement officials by providing a thorough understanding of the kind of "threat" we face domestically."
Put together by senior analysts within the NYPD Intelligence Division, the 99-page report described "the candidate" as someone who is indoctrinated in cafes, cab driver hangouts, flop houses, prisons, student associations, NGOs, hookah bars, butcher shops and bookstores" -- yes, Barnes & Nobles.
The report doesn't commit to any statistical or specific conclusions, instead it explicitly claims the candidates "look, act, talk and walk like everyone around them."
In 2007, as an aspiring journalist, reading this report, it was clear to me this would only further isolate me and million of young Arabs or Muslim men living in America who fit this generalized "profile" of a threat.
But it is the same sort of perceived "threat" that George Zimmerman, half-latino himself, acted on to kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Reports on Twitter suggest anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 people joined the Million Hoodie March yesterday in Union Square to demand justice for the un-armed Travyon Martin
While the mainstream media put the number at "hundreds," having spent much of the evening there, the number is probably somewhere smack dab in the middle.
As I watched the NYPD offices prevent the marchers from spilling into the streets, I was reminded of the 2007 report and the feelings of frustration flooded through me.
I was standing just two feet away from Travyon's family as they were ushered down 14th Street to the black SUV waiting for them. Their body-language read as a mix of determination to fight for justice and dissapointment for a justice system that had failed them.
The mood quickly shifted from demands of dignity and justice for the Martin family to anti-police. At least one man was arrested.
Although the protest remained largely non-violent, I did witness several scuffles including a man being thrown to the street and one of the police officers who pushed a woman who then bumped into me got a little bit nasty (that I witnessed).
As I walked home, a question burned in my mind: "If Zimmerman were black and had killed a white kid, wouldn't he have been locked up in jail immediately?"
I've curated photos, videos and online commentary, capturing the #MillionHoodieMarch below.
Follow Ahmed Shihab-Eldin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ase
It's like MLK said, "injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere"
Can't say its unbelievable, because I heard the term myself a few years after moving near the Gulf Coast. Sad to relate in that fashion. Thanks for expressing it loud and clear.
"Hispanic" is not considered a race. A person can be considered both "Hispanic" and "white" or "Hispanic" and "black." I do not know what Zimmerman considers himself, but given this and the fact that that his father is "white," it is not beyond the bounds of reason for people to consider the killing as having been committed by a so-called white person. And there is also a feeling that the "white" police officers did not follow normal procedures, such as taking Zimmerman in for questioning, asking for a drug test, etc., because he was "white" and the killed person was "black."
>Is the United States a racist country because 40 some percent of the white population voted for a black president or because 98.9% of the black population voted for their own?
Of course not. I am not sure what point it is you are trying to make, however.
>I would bet that the black on black and black on white crime rates would dwarf the white on black crime rates. Does that mean that blacks are more racist or just more violent?
It could mean that "blacks" are more racist, it could mean that they are more violent, or it could also mean neither of these, as I am sure you realize. Again, I am not sure what point you are trying to make.
With former Police Chief Bill Lee running his version of keystone cops..absolutely. Absolutely would they have arrested George Zimmerman if he was Black and Norton Bonaparte would demanded it.
The police wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter.
The State Attorney's office said "no chance of conviction."
'Offensive' is putting it mildly. There are no words, really. I cringed when I read that and can't even begin to imagine how you felt when she said that to you.
Arabs have had an especially hard time in the USA since 9/11. But the proven fact is that documented anti~Semitism has also risen in the same period. And try being a Jewish looking American in other parts of the world and see what happens.
Onto the real subject of this article. It appears from the cursory data that Tray Martin's shooter, Zimmerman, was hunting for human. As such, and I say this informally, not having sat through any trial, he is a criminal and should be prosecuted.
The Florida law that is now at the center of this controversy is also to blame. It creates relatively easy to comply with conditions in order to lawfully hunt human. This law, which will probably now be modified (good) does not make it easier to hunt African~Americans then any other race or religion.
In the mean time, we have a Black president and Black celebrities and pop culture permeates our society. While anti~Black bias still exists, its having a harder time competing with black people also being increasingly viewed as trendy.
1) I contest the assertion that the United States has the most ethnically diverse population in the world. For decades, the US has attracted immigrants from all over the world seeking better opportunities, so it may be more accurate to say that the US population has some degree of representation from almost everywhere on earth. However, the better measure of diversity would be the extent to which the percentages of the population by ethnic group approach some degree of parity, in which case the reality is that the majority of the US population is still overwhelmingly Caucasian. The United Kingdom could easily surpass the US in terms of ethnic diversity.
2) Diversity of population does not equate to a society being less racist. The assertion that 'country A is more diverse than B, therefore country A is less racist' is faulty logic. Racism is a complex social condition for which population diversity is only one factor. The US has a history steeped in slavery and violence that other countries do not necessarily share. The racism being experienced in the US is hundreds of years in the making. Is the US less racist than Switzerland? Difficult to measure, because racism is both an economic and a cultural phenomenon that is diffcult to quantify and index.
quoting you with a slight change: "And lots of these are folks who would consider themselves good G*d-fearing honest hard-working people...they just happen not to like lighter complexions."
it still reads correctly...
as long as we continue the mindset of racism and bigotry and ignorance is a one way street: we will never move the conversation forward...
False equivalency is a crutch that will predictably make you fall down as you attempt to get up.
The book definition of racism as I recall is about the feelings of superiority of race one over another.
Superiority is not generally how African Americans feel concerning their white counterparts. More importantly feelings of superiority by themselves are one issue. The real damage is when one race has Power, whether absolute in terms of slavery or simply numerical and political power to control or deny the other.
In terms of, controlling and denying, African Americans have always been on the short end of the stick in this country. So the effects of racism will not be truly realized by the majority race in any practical sense until some future date. However for African Americans this experience has been a life long existence here in these United States.
If the perp Zimmerman is not prosecuted for murder in this case, then that opens up an interesting situation.
By the SAME ARGUMENT THAT GETS HIM OFF, then every single black man in America is fully justified in (a) carrying a deadly weapon for self-defense, and (b) using it to kill, whenever approached by anyone who looks 'white' and even faintly belligerent: "I thought my life was endangered!"
And guess what, they SHOULD think that, shouldn't they? This case certainly provides evidence of that danger!
Think about that.
If what that guy did is justifiied, then casual murder in the streets is fully justified, no questions asked.
Wild West on steroids, for sure.
black - white - hispanic - asian - etc etc ....
this case does nothing to impact the right to bears arm or the Stand your ground law....
"The education system, the police, gun laws.."
1) yes, A govt'-run institution.
2) yes, A govt'-run institution.
3) no, protection FROM the gov't (the purpose behind the 2nd Amendment)
so let me guess. your solution would be to take away #3 and make the gov't bigger and stronger, right?
The MSM needs to get into investigating corruption and cut out all the nonsense gossip.
A civil society might teach people how to act in non-violent ways.
Another state, along with Alabama, I plan to assiduously avoid. (...can't drive across Alabama, because I refuse to carry a passport to drive through my own damned country)
I have lived with this my entire life, and seen it everywhere I have lived in the South.
Not saying that the state doesn't have a history of racial animosities (yeah, they had some doozies) but the comparison is a little unfair. Most of the state history was consumed with conflict with the Native Americans, not blacks.
http://www.flheritage.com/facts/history/summary/
And how is taht not as equally racist ?
The criteria is so simple. If the victim is innocent, the perpetrator (hate criminal) should be put away, ideally for life. NO MORE BS.
Parsing this kind of thing HAS NO PLACE IN METING OUT JUSTICE.
"the number of cases in which "stand your ground" has been invoked has climbed dramatically in the past year and a half. The analysis shows that police and prosecutors continue to apply the law unevenly."
"the law has also been used to excuse killings in bar brawls, gang shoot-outs and road-rage incidents."
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/22/2708767/number-of-stand-your-ground-cases.html#storylink=cpy