Muslims are hopeful, despite oppression

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) recently asked peoples with visas from the Middle East and South Asia (Muslims and Arabs in general) to report in their offices for registration. Those responding were arrested upon arrival, before any attempt to verify their status. Thousands were apprehended, and were let go only after interview and fingerprinting. Others are still imprisoned on frivolous charges, or subjected to deportation proceedings.

Thus, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 the Arab Americans and American Muslims have been singled out in war on terrorism. This despite the fact, that among about 3,000 fatalities, there were 358 Muslims. And so their pain of loss of innocent lives is exacerbated by fear and suspicion, because of the heinous crime of some miscreants.

Immediately thereafter, over 5,000 American citizens were rounded up based on this collective suspicion and subjected, without any evidence, to criminal proceedings. Many were detained (some still are) and denied access to their lawyers, on secret evidence that no one could question or verify. Some citizens are arbitrarily classified as enemy combatants, without recourse to the due process of law. And, quite a few Islamic charities are shut down, their accounts frozen; therefore, they cannot serve the most needy and vulnerable.

Muslim and Arab Americans routinely suffer the humiliation of false arrest, de-boarding from airplanes, inappropriate property search and seizure: as well as employment discrimination, workplace and business setbacks and social hate.

Immigrants returning after their visit abroad are denied entry, based only on racial profiling. And many a decent person from Muslim countries hesitates to come, not because of any criminality, but because they are all targeted for registration and fingerprinting.

Also, thousands of U.S. colleges and universities must now submit information on foreign students in a new online tracking system, and the Arab and Muslim students are specifically subjected to new registration requirements. So much so, that recently the INS arrested students who were not signed up for enough credit hours.

The situation is reminiscent of the Japanese Americans during World War II. Various human rights organizations, including the ACLU, have protested against these violations of human and civil rights. Recently, the UN High Commission on Refugees has called on Bush administration to stop such detentions of men, especially where the families are left stranded.

Adding to their litany of woes, now the FBI has been issued a directive to count local mosques, to determine the goals of counter-terrorism profile investigations, and secret wiretapping. To subject mosques to any investigation is senseless, because they are a place for prayer, supplication, study and reflection, just as a church or synagogue is for a Christian or Jew. It is not a place for useless or ill talk of any kind. The rights of worshippers, in and outside of it, must be protected and its sanctity must likewise be guaranteed.

Muslims are highly incensed by this latest infraction of their rights. This has now gone on to an extent that Eric Erfan Vickers, Executive Director of the American Muslim Council was compelled to write a letter to the U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan asking for an inquiry into the "political repression of Muslim and Arab and Asian Americans by the United States government." He complained, "We are making this request because all our frequent calls on America's political leaders to cease the government's religious and ethnic profiling have fallen on deaf ears." And that, "thus regrettably, the American citizens victimized by this repression must look to the world outside for relief for these shameful and undemocratic practices by our government."

Much of the above has taken place, because American Muslims lack political clout. This despite their substantial numbers - over 7 million and growing at an annual rate of 6% (versus 0.9% for the rest of USA), higher education (one-third hold a Master's or higher degree) and a corresponding higher income level, according to a recent study by the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University. They are a young and vibrant community and the current sad infringements have jolted them from their reticence into activism. They are organized locally and nationally. And now are mobilizing their community, and reaching out to other faith groups in dialog and communication, forming grass roots coalitions, to offset the prevalent negative publicity against them, and for a better understanding of their faith and for their common causes.

Siraj Mufti, Ph.D., is a researcher and free-lance journalist.