May 05 , 2006

Xenophobia

Xenophobia has become one of the hallmarks of the 21st century. It is now globalized.
Sometimes, it appears that the world may be losing its moral sense along with its common sense. It is now routine to hear news of internecine bloodshed as well as transnational turmoil. Language has become progressively intemperate and so have actions.
Hate-speech, which was hitherto seen as the province of the lunatic fringe, has now become an acceptable discourse in the mainstream – particularly so in the assailing of religious beliefs. Hostility is based not on personal knowledge, interaction, or experience, but stems from second-hand knowledge derived from media imagery and coverage.
Frustration and fear over the failures of policies toward the Middle East foster xenophobia. Writing in the New York Times of April 17, columnist Bob Herbert had this to say:
“From the very beginning, the so-called war on terror was viewed by the Bush crowd as a smokescreen that could be endlessly manipulated to justify all kinds of policies and behavior … the administration’s unscrupulous exploitation of fear and patriotism has opened the door to such gruesome and morally indefensible activities as torture, warrantless spying on Americans, and the wholesale incarceration of foreigners – perhaps for life.”
Within America itself, the atmosphere has been roiled over clashing perceptions of new immigration legislation being considered by the US Congress which, in effect, has awoken the 40 million strong Latino community from a subservient mindset into a visible and vocal force. The proposed legislation, The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act, as passed by the House of Representatives in December 2005, would make as felonies both the unlawful entry as well as the mere presence in the US of anyone without proper documents. The bill, thus, would treat 12 million people (a figure including not only workers but also the elderly and stay-at-home housewives) as felons, in effect, putting them on a co-equal legal footing with rapists, robbers, and child-abusers. Likewise, employers giving jobs to the estimated seven million workers lacking formal documents would find themselves subject to civil and criminal penalties, including up to five years imprisonment. Massive demonstrations against the immigration bills are likely to result in some of the more egregious provisions being dropped by the time the legislation is finalized. A desi-style business boycott Hartal has been called for May 1.
A movie, A Day Without a Mexican, graphically illustrates what would happen if, for example, California found itself suddenly bereft of its Mexican workforce. American life would grind to a halt.
Nevertheless, a nation of immigrants may end up criminalizing those with aspirations similar to those of the forebears of their modern-day persecutors.
Defenders of the seven million or so undocumented workers evoke and reinforce stereotypes when arguing that Americans should allow Mexican workers if only for the reason that they do lowly jobs that no Americans will touch. This is an argument for creating a permanent under-class.
There is also a subtext to the proposed law – as its title implies -- which may impact Muslim immigrants. In 2004, Pakistan was the top Muslim country (ranking 19th among all countries) in terms of the number of legal immigrants to the US. While the bill, if enacted, would increase legal immigration, it would also continue a trend toward increased scrutiny of those coming to America.
Influential forces in America may be creating a climate of paranoia. The leading conservative think-tank in Washington, Heritage Foundation, which has considerable influence in the Bush Administration, highlights books like The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam, which supposedly warns the West about “disturbing facts about Islam and its murderous hostility to the West”. It also maintains that the West cannot prevail without “pride in the superiority of Western Christian civilization”. It presents Islam as “the mortal enemy” of the West. It also equates today’s tensions with the medieval Crusades. Another book, A Devil’s Triangle, warns about “the growth of radical Islamic terrorism and their thirst for nuclear weapons”. Books with alarmist titles like How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within, by Bruce Bawer, are being reviewed by leading publications like the Washington Post. Indeed, Muslims may be well-justified in inquiring “Why do they hate us?’
Elsewhere, anti-Muslim xenophobia has led to unpredictable side-effects and a backlash in unlikely places like officially pro-West Turkey, where there has been an upsurge of intense anti-West Turkish nationalism. It has been manifested through a hit Turkish movie, “Valley of the Wolves”, which depicts Turks battling American troops in Iraq, and a best-selling novel, Metal Storm, which is a fictional tale of Turks fighting invading American troops in Turkey, and yet another novel called Third World War in which Turkish troops fight against the European Union. All this in a country which is a NATO ally and held up by the West as a secular role-model state for other Muslim nations to emulate.
In Europe, too, things are not getting better. An article in the April 3 issue of the leading magazine, The New Yorker, discusses the rise of anti-Muslim xenophobia in Holland and quotes: “If you are a Muslim and want to be a star, say terrible things about other Muslims.” The article also states that, in Holland, decency in debate and in discourse has eroded and people have forgotten how to communicate with civility.
If this pattern continues, there will be little space left for those who seek genuine dialogue.
Such an ambience dissuades many Muslims from organizing themselves into a coherent force and speaking out. They suspect that their activities are being monitored, not just to curb the alleged potential for violence, but also to target and suppress the lawful voicing of legitimate points of view. In addition, a lack of Muslim scholarship has given space for anti-Muslim disinformation to flourish. Predators tend to prey on the powerless.
The incapacity of Muslims – for whatever reason – to effectively counter-balance the rising negativity may be inadvertently empowering those who wish to target Muslims as convenient pin-cushions into which they may continually stick needles.
Those who feel safe to hide out may eventually find it safer to speak out.