For some S. Florida Muslims, "United We Stand" means harrassment

Sun-Sentinel ^ | September 5, 2002 | Tanya Weinberg

[zapiks44]

For some S. Florida Muslims, 'United We Stand' means harassment By Tanya Weinberg Sun-Sentinel Posted September 5 2002

Along with “God Bless America” and “United We Stand,” the aftermath of Sept. 11 has popularized another, less universally distributed phrase: “Go back where you came from.” Muslim convert Sussan Salazar tried, but found things worse in her native Colombia.

When the teenager returned to the United States, she was jailed.

Businessman and U.S. citizen Nafez Sammour plans to send his family back to where he came from, a place he now feels will offer them a safer future than Coral Springs: the West Bank.

Attorney Z. Zareefa Khan asks her harassers: Back where, exactly, would they have her go? Brooklyn, where she was born?

Not everyone has been yelled at or cursed or spat upon or fired or threatened or refused service or jailed or followed in traffic or pulled off a plane or questioned for hours or physically attacked or otherwise bothered just because they are — or appear to be — Muslim or Arab.

But plenty have.

Since Sept. 11, harassment of Muslims and Arabs has contributed to an increase in reported hate crimes in Florida and spawned the addition of new categories for workplace discrimination. In the past year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has documented more than 1,700 anti-Muslim incidents, 82 of them in Florida.

For many members of the Muslim community, estimated to number several million nationwide and more than 70,000 in South Florida, the words “United We Stand” now ring with irony.

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[sheik yerbouty]

Cry me a river....

[HELLRAISER II]

"Nafez Sammour say's he's sending back his family to the West Bank" I say go ahead & leave, good riddance & don't let the door hit you in the @ss!

[nravoter]

Attorney Z. Zareefa Khan asks her harassers: Back where, exactly, would they have her go? Brooklyn, where she was born?

Ok, fine--to avoid the confusion, people can stop saying "Go back where you came from," and instead say "Enjoy your Hajj, just don't come back."

[cardinal4]

No collective condemnation of of 9/11 and terrorism in general is why no one trusts muslims. All we hear from them is how bad it has become for them. I wont care about their plight until I see an American flag on EVERY SINGLE mosque in the US.

[ppaul]

Here's why.....Click on pic to read online book,
Why I am Not a Muslim, by Ibn Warraq:

[SoDak]

Last year when I was in South Florida for a business trip, I was the minority, as far as I could tell. I was the only white guy at my worksite among 46 people. I had three different ethnic groups I worked with and members from each group would tell me racist things about the other two groups. The only time I heard English was when someone spoke directly to me. I felt like I was in a foreign country.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

These muslims are worthless. They sit back and rationalize terrorism while whining about their rights, then they wonder why people don't like them.

The next time you go to Mecca, make it a one-way ticket.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

The concept of collective guilt is nothing new and A-rabs and Mohamedans should not be afraid of it. The Germans, as a nation AND as an ethnic group, were more than happy to accept and assume guilt for everything inconveninent that happened before and during WW2. In fact, the only thing we heard from them was them begging us to throw even more guilt at them. I heard of no German bitching about the hundreds of movies and comedy gigs where they were depicted as blood-sucking monsters or inept, pervert murderers.

The Muslims should: accept collective guilt, go back to wherever they came from and convert themselves to Falun Gong or Scientology - this would not absolve them of guilt, of course.

[SarahW]

I couldn't believe it when my local rag devoted a whole page to the upsurge in "hate crimes" against Muslims...
especially when the most egregious offense was a complaint of folks (silently) getting up and moving away from a hajibbed muslim woman in a movie theater.

Mainly, the complaint was "people seem standoffish."

[Destructor]

Tough! We have Free Speech in America. That means Muslims can't censor expressions of Patriotism- just because they find it offensive.

Personally, I find White Supremists, Black Panthers, Homosexual Activists, Anti-war Demonstrators, and Muslims offensive, but I respect their Right to Free Speech!!

[zapiks44]

I just got done reading this article, and I have a few comments.

The main focus seems to be the Colombian convert to Islam, Sussan Salazar. She claims that she was fired from her job because she was a Muslim. Based on what I read, that didn't seem true. She was fired because she continually insisted to wear her veil. There are several jobs with strict apparel rules. At my job here on my campus, I can't wear shorts or sleeveless shirts or any type of headgear. This woman refused to follow the rules, and there are consequences for that. I'm sure that if a Jewish employee at such a job insisted on wearing his yarmulka, he'd also be fired.

I also feel that these Muslims are taking isolated incidents and taking them too seriosly. First of all, EVERY country has its share of nice people and @$$holes. These people she mentions are just making bland insults and acting like jerks. You can't be arrested just for being a jerk.

Racism will always be with us. Against whites, against blacks, against Latinos, against Jews, against Asians, and against Muslims. If you want REAL racism, take a look at Europe and the Jews.

[swarthyguy]

BooHooHoo!

This Salazar chick sounds like a total jerk.

Not removing your veil at an airport; lying about the muslim marriage. Of course she was married. To a muslim, the ceremony in the mosque is the most overriding one, especially a civil registration in a secular society in a Christian country.

The INS was right; it did violate the terms of her visa.

Now she doesn't want the veil.

And the Khan lady is blaming America. If no Attacks, no grief to her. Should have tried wearing a flag pin to work, a USA flag for a scarf and boldly condemned the jihadis instead of asking Americans not to 'judge' islam.

[fella]

"No collective condemnation of of 9/11 and terrorism in general is why no one trusts muslims. All we hear from them is how bad it has become for them. I wont care about their plight until I see an American flag on EVERY SINGLE mosque in the US."

Any muslim who does not condem 9/11 as a monstrous crime condones it and is glad that it happeed. They are a danger to our society and need to be removed as quickly as possible. Is the man sending his family back to West Bank puttig them out of harms way sothat he can something of equal value to his religion, and they can collect the rewards?

[Clemenza]

Heck, even this NON-Muslim would rather live in the West Bank than the ugly spoiled-brat, liberal town of Coral Springs. At least the West Bank is exciting.

Anyway, if I were a Muslim, I would avoid South Florida, as the two major groups are Jews (from New York and Canada) and Latinos (of various nationalities), both of whom can't stand Muslims, especially Arabs, for historical reasons.

[junta]

If you read today's Chicago Tribune their Humint propaganda for today was the "hate crime" against Muslims bit. They recycle these stories everyday, tommorrow will probably the one about the hapless immigrant and his quest for a job and government aid in the cruel white dominated USA.

[lavaroise]

I see, so any hint of concordance in America is harrassing. I mean, it's not like we are threatening anyone there. These fckers are trouble makers wishing discord and terrorist mayhem.

[cinFLA]

No collective condemnation of of 9/11 and terrorism in general is why no one trusts muslims.

No condemnation at all on the Arab-American website!