Posted on 09/17/2001 6:27:26 PM PDT by RCW2001
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The United States Commission on Civil Rights has received complaints from Arab and Muslim Americans who are being targeted in the wake of Tuesday's attacks. In order to address these troubling incidents, the Commission voted at its meeting today to direct its National Complaint Line (1-800-552-6843) and its State Advisory Committees to solicit and catalogue discrimination complaints from Arab and Muslim Americans. It is further directing its State Advisory Committees to organize forums on the issue of tolerance in light of the terrorist attacks.
"Many of our nation's leaders have already risen to the occasion by urging Americans to resist the temptation to hold entire communities responsible for the acts of individuals. President George W. Bush, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Attorney General John Ashcroft, and the United States Senate, among others, have condemned the isolation and targeting of Arab and Muslim Americans within our communities," noted Commission Chairperson Mary Frances Berry. "Arab and Muslim persons are important and valuable members of American society. Just as we celebrate the diversity of so many of our people, we should also embrace the contribution their differences make to our rich national fabric."
Dr. Berry stressed, "Our nation is slowly emerging from beneath the pall of hatred cast over our country by the tragic terrorist attacks. But as the search for those merciless individuals who perpetrated the horrendous acts continues, we must be mindful that we as a nation do not unfairly single out any religious or ethnic communities. All Americans, regardless of race, creed, or culture, were deeply affected by the unprecedented atrocities inflicted on that which our nation holds most dear."
The Commission noted that America's founding principles were freedom, liberty, and tolerance. Few occasions in our nation's history will test our continuing embrace of those values more than this week's attack on America. However, we must view this time as an opportunity to show the world that even in periods of great turmoil, America holds to its fundamental principles as strongly as ever. We will not allow the terrorists' actions to force us to curtail the freedoms of any Americans. If we allow the terrorists to make us intolerant, they have won.
"As our nation pursues the criminals who committed these acts, we must not allow our desire to find those responsible lead us to irresponsible and un-American behavior. We must not compromise any person's civil rights or civil liberties. No one should be a target simply because they are, or appear to be, a member of a particular ethnic or religious community," Chairperson Berry stressed.
Obviously, there is no more important goal than finding and bringing to justice those responsible for the horrific terrorists acts. But we must be cognizant that in this, we maintain the just and reasonable freedoms that make American life exceptional and exemplary.
Page #tragcmpl September 17, 2001
Might get several tens of thousands of calls.
No?
Figures.
Dan
Wouldnt be a bit surprised to find out that the offender is from right here in our own midst, the way this site has turned so "kill the arabs" all of a sudden :-(
That way, when someone calls up to complain that someone rudely called them a 'towelhead' the complaint taker will be in a position to apply a bit of context and perspective to the complaints.
Of course, there would be some irony in this...
Given that history has shown us that there was probably precious little need to intern the Japanese.
I'm sick of the bulls**t bigotted posts I'm seeing here and I'm no longer gonna sit back and do nothing. And innocent Indian Sikh was murdered yesterday and every FBI agent assigned to investigate such vicious acts translates into one less agent able to seek out real terrorists.
I urge other truly patriotic Freepers to stand up to this nonsense.
"Innocent Arab people both at home and abroad and immigrants across the U.S. face a danger of racist and xenophobic attacks. We call on the Bush Administration, and all state and local authorities to take measures to guarantee everyone's safety. The danger is that the cycle of violence will spiral out of control with more death and destruction."
Communist Party USA press release
September 12, 2001
The Communist Party is really in the vanguard. They knew one day after the attack that the real problem was not those who did this but everyday Americans who would and are, running amok killing other Americans. Our former first lady saw this problem too:
"We must hold on now and not start pointing fingers at Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans"--Hillary Clinton 9/16/01
So nice these liberal Democrats can see thru the fog, see through the thousands murdered, the billions of dollars lost, the thousands out of a job, the pensions of millions of Americans evaporated in just days, so wonderful Liberal Democrats see the real problem: Mobs of enraged Americans turning on other Americans.
Reading FR in the last few days, I think there might have been as many as 4 cases. Chilling isn't it? Nearly 290 million people in this country right now and there have been half a dozen or so cases of anti-Arab, anti-Islam attacks. This cannot stand. American racism and Islamophobia must be defeated!
I'm sick of the bulls**t bigotted posts I'm seeing here and I'm no longer gonna sit back and do nothing. And innocent Indian Sikh was murdered yesterday and every FBI agent assigned to investigate such vicious acts translates into one less agent able to seek out real terrorists.
So, you want to contribute to the FBI's distraction from finding the "real terrorists"? Makes sense to me.
FReegards,
I am sure that is just what the FBI needs, blowhard. That will take an agent off of a real investigation, like the sick bastard you mentioned who killed a fellow American. Instead of reporting people blowing off steam how about reporting real crimes? Go back to the Democrat Underground with the rest of your thought crime buddies
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