Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi On the night of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, a group of Americans carrying candles surrounded the Islamic Center of Eugene, Oregon, where I spent my higher-study years. They explained to the Center's managers that their presence is a show of support for the Muslim community in the city. They also decided to stay vigilant, around the clock, in coordination with the police, to protect the Muslim house of worship from any attack and to ensure our freedom of assembly and prayer. The following Friday, the City Mayor and his administration came to witness the prayer in a show of sympathy and solidarity. The University of Oregon, for its part, met with Saudi, Arab and Muslim students to comfort and provide them with legal help and security advices. The university also worked to raise the level of awareness among American students and staff, emphasizing that what was committed by a group of terrorists, who happened to be Saudis, Arabs and Muslims, does not mean that each Saudi, Arab and Muslim is a potential terrorist, or that the Islamic faith, Saudi Arabia or the Arab nation are responsible for their crimes. When the US government asked its Federal police (FBI) to do random investigations of and interviews with our students, the Oregon State objected, and the Governor gave them the right to refuse interrogation without judicial justification. He also provided lawyers at the expense of his state to defend them if necessary. I said to one of my American colleagues, at the time, that you are applying a sacred Islamic rule, and translated to him two Qur'an verses (Do not let your hatred of any person or people prevent you from giving them due justice) and (no one should be held responsible for the sins of another). My friend loved what he heard, and pronounced that our religion is a religion of justice and fairness. I remember those Oregonian noble stands and values, as I follow the debate today between those calling for the deportation of all Ethiopian guest workers and those demanding justice for them, whereby only the wrongdoers and residence-rules violators are punished or deported, while the innocent and law abiders are protected and their human rights respected. I recall the conversation with my American colleague who was impressed by our Islamic justice, and fear that he would follow this controversy, hear about some of the vicious voices calling for collective punishment, watch some of the “Youtube” clips that showed the worst of us, and wonder how come we don't apply the rules of the Qur'an in the Land of Islam. He may not know that these actions and calls are not authorized or endorsed by any religious or government authority, and they do not represent our Islamic and Arabic values. All he may wonder about is how come we never carried the candles to protect the innocents and haven't raised our voices loud enough to defend their human rights. Then, what if he calls me? What if he emails his questions? What I got to say about our collective silence? Where is our intellectual conscience and voice? How many writers and preachers fought this Ethiopian, African and foreigner's mania? Where there enough of us to face the thousand voices spreading this phobia on Twitter, electronic media and social gatherings? Counting the number of comments agreeing on collective punishment and deportation, at some popular Internet sites, should get us worried that wise heads are way fewer, quieter, and weaker in the middle of a vicious, hysterical hurricane. I thank my dear colleague, Abdulaziz Qasim, the writer and TV host, for advocating this issue. His articles and TV show on 4 Shabab Channel, did a lot and showed how much one man can make a difference. His article in Al-Watan daily about a recent visit to Ethiopia, the land that gave refuge and shelter to the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the harsh conditions in which Ethiopians live and work, gave us some understanding of why they had to come here. He also showed how much our agricultural investments and charity projects there are helping to provide jobs and improving lives. I pray and hope that we will continue to do good and invest in the Arab and Muslim countries around us, so their people won't have to flee to our land of opportunity in order to escape hunger, poverty and disease. I also must thank and appreciate the courageous stands of the show guests, Dr. Fahad Al-Harthy and Sheikh Jamil Farsi, in the face of this psycho storm, that if it wasn't for the wisdom of our rulers and security services, could have led us to a “fetna” only Allah knows its consequences. – Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi can be reached at [email protected] and followed at Twitter: @kbatarfi
