Aliens in Our Midst and Hope for the New Year
By Ras H. Siddiqui
CA
The year 2010 will be remembered both fondly and with reservations by people of various faiths here in America. To pick just a few news items, the San Francisco Giants finally won the World Series of baseball and we in northern California heartily congratulate them. Also during the November elections, California stayed pretty much true to its Democratic Party leanings while voters in other states rebelled and gave the Republicans a majority in Congress. And for those who went to college during the 1960’s and 1970’s or have not visited a street corner in downtown San Francisco recently, caution has prevailed as California voters convincingly rejected Proposition 19.
Unfortunately 2010 will also be remembered for continued war, terrorism, intolerance and aliens in our midst. Another year of living dangerously while interfaith groups and neighbors continued to strive to maintain what has made America the most desirable destination for millions from around the globe. But our lives remain troubled.
The issue of Park51/Cordoba House/Ground Zero Mosque in New York certainly did not help. The Founding Fathers of this country made a decision to keep religion and government separate for a very good reason. In this case the media created an issue that did not warrant such attention. The proposed Mosque was not located within “ Ground Zero”. This scribe is all for incorporating the sentiments of New Yorkers and the nation into not building this center. But how far away from Ground Zero should one move it?
And the controversy did not just stop there. On the one hand we had the threatened burning of the Qur’an in Florida which drew a wide debate and universal Muslim community condemnation (thankfully backed by many in mainstream America). But in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan were not mosques blown up with both people and Qur’an in them? We do not want holy books of any religion burnt, but when the attack comes from within, where is the condemnation? Are there double standards being applied?
Terrorist attacks had been planned or attempted on American soil in 2010. The Times Square incident was the most prominent. But when people of color (i.e. brown in this case) get singled out for “special treatment” due to the acts of a few bad apples, what do we do? An aircraft is stopped and a Pakistani couple is quickly detained. Is there automatic profiling or reasonable suspicion at work here? And are we getting just too carried away? What does a turbaned Sikh have to do with Osama Bin Laden? Answer: Except for a head covering, nothing!
Xenophobia cannot govern America. This country has overcome its past German, Japanese and Russian community fears. Muslim fear and suspicion too will be overcome (Inshallah or God-willing) someday. But as this year has highlighted once again, we are far from a resolution to this problem. The dilemma continues for both Muslims in this country and for America itself.
There is a reason for both the continued expansion of America’s internal security apparatus and the anti-immigration wave reflected in the State of Arizona’s passage of its own illegal immigrant law in 2010. Both are a response to the threat of violence (either political or drug-related) and perceived to involve people of a particular religion or color. One can only hope that the year 2011 will bring at least some resolution to our alien dilemma. Al Qaeda or the Mexican drug cartels cannot rule our lives forever.
