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September 16,
2001
I Am
Tired:
A Journal of Hope
By Moji Agha
Salaam from
here and now
About 30 hours after the tragedy,
I am already tired although I got a few hours of nervous sleep
last night. I am starting this journal today, Sept. 12, 2001.
It is a few minutes after 2:00 PM here in Tucson, Arizona. I
am sitting before the computer in my home/office.
Why state the
obvious?
I don't want to begin by stating
the obvious. I am tired of having to state the obvious. Like
everyone else, of course I am extremely sad and horrified. I
resent that as a person of Middle Eastern origin, I am supposed
to declare that I am anguished and horrified. I am tired of the
fact that I am supposed to condemn what happened yesterday, not
just because I feel for the victims, like everyone else, but
in order not to be seen as a terrorist, in order not to be possibly
attacked, in order to protect my community from even more harm.
I want to write as a person,
not a professional or civic-minded person. I am tired. I am just
tired. I am tired of having to declare that I am a human being
with a heart. I am tired of having to declare and prove my humanity.
Hiding from
hatred
There are already reports of
hate crimes against people who APPEAR to be "Muslim/Middle
Eastern," and not only in the U.S. In Sweden, an Iranian
cab driver was beaten up by drunk Swedes today. They accused
him of being behind the attacks in the U.S. !
I want to write about what
happened yesterday in New York and Washington D.C. and how it
has impacted me so far, and I don't know exactly why. I suppose
I need to write. I have advised others and I have been advised
by well-meaning people to be cautious and keep a low profile.
A well-meaning "Victim
Advocacy Coordinator" has advised: "I urge all of you
to be cautious as to what you write on this link" [the disc.
list of Iranians for International cooperation]. She is afraid,
like the rest of us, not only for our own safety from terrorist
attacks, but also for harm that could come to us from racist
hatred.
I have been told to hide in
order to shield myself from such blind rage and hatred. Since
9:00 AM yesterday, I have not experienced any actual hate crimes
against myself personally (except for the stares), but I have
not gone out much either. I want to write as a way of going out.
Not all are
racist robots
Last night I was invited to
dinner at a "white" American friend's house in order
to see that "not all of us Americans are racist robots."
Although I was tired for having been glued to the T.V. since
6:00 AM, and I was more anxious than hungry, I went in order
to avail myself to his caring and to express my gratitude. The
food was good too, especially for an American meal!
Later on, I felt guilty for
not having gone to the house of an immigrant Iranian family (arrived
recently from Iran) to comfort them and explain the meaning of
the horrible images that they were seeing on TV but could not
fully understand due to not knowing much English. I was too tired
to go to their house, but I had talked to their 16-year-old son
earlier on the phone, when he came home from school around 4:00
PM. I made sure that he understood what had happened. I told
him to be careful in school or on the street and not argue with
other children. O, I am so so so tired of having to protect innocent
children from ignorance.
The birth of
a peace ambassador
Among other things that I did
yesterday was to phone and congratulate an Iranian friend whose
new son was born at 7:00 PM. I told him: "What a day to
to be born, what a day!" He said with his customary habit
of understating: "I have had a hectic day." My friend's
American wife (the baby's mother) and the Iranian-American newborn
are fine.
Having been born on September
11, 2001, perhaps tiny Armin will grow up to be an ambassador
of peace. What will our planet look like when he grows up? Will
he be on his 43rd birthday as tired as I was yesterday? Will
he have to prove that he is not evil? I am tired of worrying
about the state of our fragile planet.
Interfaith
quest for understanding
In about two hours I am going
to the University of Arizona (UA) to attend a gathering of people
who want to express their feelings about the horror on the East
Coast. The memorial is a service co-conducted by a Jewish and
an Islamic organization. Its announcement was e-mailed to me
from the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University
at 3:30 PM yesterday. Its first paragraph reads:
"The Islamic Center of
Tucson and the UA Hillel Foundation are jointly sponsoring a
memorial service on Wednesday, Sept. 12, from 5 to 5:30 PM on
the UA Mall. The service will be led by Imam Omar Shahin and
Rabbi Tom Louchheim. The entire campus and Tucson community
are invited to join us in front of the UA Mall stage."
To family in
Iran: We are safe
Yesterday morning, as soon
as I saw the news on TV, even before the collapse of the World
Trade Center towers, I began to worry. But first I called the
houses of my brothers in California to talk to them to make sure
that they and their families are fine. Then I called the house
of my other brother in Tehran. At 7:00 PM Tehran time (7:30 AM
Tucson time), they had not yet heard about the news.
My 14-year-old nephew turned
their TV on and saw the first news bulletin about the tragic
events in "Amrica." My brother was still at work.
I told my sister-in-law that we are all far far from the East
Coast and we are fine. She thanked me for calling them, because
otherwise they would have started to worry about us upon seeing
the news. She said that she would call the rest of the family
to let them know that we are SAFE. As I was talking to my sister-in-law,
I overheard my nephew telling his 12-year-old younger sister
that they could boast to their friends that they were the first
ones to know "directly" about the news. I smiled.
The many faces
of fanaticism
After I got off the phone,
I went to check my e-mails. I tried to maintain a sense of normality
and answered a couple of them. Then I went to the website of
the Iranian.com magazine and read Setareh Sabety's "Fanaticism"
essay about the tragedy [Blond or Bearded]. I shook my head.
Then I began reading the initial
e-mails on the e-mail discussion lists of the Iranians for International
Cooperation (iic.org) and of the Persian Watch Cat (antidiscrimination.org).
I felt the need to contribute to the discussion. I thought for
a while as to what would be useful to say, while I also kept
an eye on T.V. At 9:00 AM I sent the following e-mail to the
disc lists:
"As a result of this horrible
tragedy, I am very worried about a new Middle Eastern witch hunt.
There are indications that this is probably Osama Bin Ladin's
work, in which case the Taliban is finished--so some good may
come out of this afterall. But prejudice against "Middle
Eastern-looking people" (FBI's term after the Oklahoma City
Bombing) is deep. I am deeply worried about another witch hunt
against people who appear to be Middle Easterners in civilized
countries. I think PWC in coordination with CAIR [Council on
American Islamic Relations], should urge FBI not to repeat their
previous behavior and not whip up anti-Middle Eastern hysteria.
At present, people who look Middle Eastern should exercise extreme
caution. I pray for the lives of all the people who have been
and will be negatively affected." Prayerfully, Moji Agha
Coping with
a double burden
Throughout the day I kept watching
the developing news and checked my many many e-mails. Most of
these messages expressed sadness, fear and concern about the
tragedy, but also shared ideas as to how we could shield our
community from more hate crimes, the ways we could prove our
humanity--that we are not responsible for this immense crime.
I also checked various news sources to see the Iranian government's
reaction. I was hoping that the Iranian leaders would condemn
the committed atrocities, and soon. Later on Khatami did just
that to my immense relief.
Being held
in the Light
I also kept talking to several
people on the phone. Among the people that I called to thank
was a wonderful person named Barbara. I gave her the phone number
of the Associated Press office in Arizona and suggested that
she could call them to say that regular Americans are concerned.
I suggested that maybe she could form a group to get more visibility
for her humane efforts. I was calling her because at 9:30 AM
she had sent the following e-mail to the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies, entitled: "Holding you in the Light" :
"I just finished teaching
my 8:00 AM class on Community Conflict Resolution, and as a class,
we agreed to reach out to the Middle Eastern community here at
the U of A. We know that the scapegoating that is common in this
country will make people of Middle Eastern heritage feel unsafe.
As Quakers say, we will hold you in the Light. Please know that
there are many of us who wish you no harm and will protect you,
if needed. Let us know if we can be of assistance during these
next troubled hours and days." Barbara and the Conflict
Resolution class.
Being blind
to one's own shadow
At 5:00 PM, I saw the e-mail
of an Iranian friend with whom I have been having an exchange
of ideas about the nature and the evils of ideology--namely,
that ideology keeps one from seeing the reality AS IS. As part
of my e-mail to her I said:
"I wonder if you read
Setareh Sabety's piece today about the East Coast tragedy. In
it she lashes out at those "fanatics" --another kind
of "them" as opposed to "us" freedom loving
people! And she was soooooooooooo blind to the fact that her
mentality (in a different form of us vs. them ) is partially
responsible for the tragedy. But, nooooo she is blameless--quite
holy!" Peace, Moji Agha
In the website of the Iranian.com
magazine I read Jahanshah Javid's Editorial [Holy Smoke]. I was
very very disappointed. As a journalist, he should not have rushed
to judgment. Furthermore, in prematurely blaming "Islamic
fanaticism," he has inappropriately focused blind rage onto
innocent Iranians here, if not onto his country of origin. I
asked myself: Does he really care about Iran?
Where can my
humanity go?
As I mentioned before, at 6:30
PM or so, I went to my friend's house for dinner and for supportive
companionship. I came back home around 10:00 PM. I found the
following chilling letter in the letters section of the Iranian.com--apparently
to all Iranians:
* Get out Get out of my country.
It will never be the same with you here. Erik
I was too tired to be able
to respond. I watched the news some more. The only thing that
gave me some comfort was President Khatami's strong condemnation
of the terrorist attack and his expression of profound sympathy
for the "American nation." I finally went to bed around
midnight, but could not sleep well. What a surprise!
I woke up at 5:30 AM today
(Sept. 12) and watched the news to see the latest developments.
The tone of the news and professional commentators has become
more strident, but fortunately they are focusing more on Osama
Bin Laden and to some extent on Iraq. Iran's name is mentioned
much less frequently. This gives me some comfort.
At 6:00 AM I sent the following
response to the writer of the letter above:
"This is in response to
your letter to the Iranian: "Get out." I can't get
out, I am an American "immigrant" of the Middle Eastern
origin, the same way you are--although your later ancestors were
probably "Europeans" (after they moved West from the
Middle East). So, you are a Middle Eastern immigrant citizen
of this country too, if you go back to only 4000 years ago. But,
I will not call you a terrorist and will not ask you to get out
of "my country" just because Tim McVeigh (Oklahoma
City Bomber) and Ted Kezinski (the Unibomber) were "white"
as probably you are. Please remember you are a human being who
abhors victimizing innocent people. Right?" Peace, Moji
Agha
Uniting against
ignorance
It is 6:30 PM now. I have just
come back from the memorial session at the University of arizona.
Seeing Jewish and Islamic clergymen next to one another was really
really good. It reminded me of Hafiz:
Maghsood-e man az ka'bevo botkhaneh
toyee tow
maghsood toyee ka'bevo botkhaneh bahaaneh
Who I intend by the Ka'beh
(Islamic holy shrine) or the house of idols is Thou [the Beloved]
Thou are the intended one, Ka'beh or the house of idols are just
excuses [means].
It was really good to see a
Jewish rabbi and an Islamic imam next to one another, hand in
hand, both calling for understanding. The imam said: "If
you want to be understood, understand others." The rabbi
nodded his head vigorously.
On the way there I felt the
gazes (like the days after the Oklahoma City)--and I look not
as "Middle Eastern" as some other men.
Who is misguided?
As I was standing in the back
of the crowd at the memorial I saw a perhaps 20-year-old boy
(and I am assuming he was a "Christian" fundamentalist)
who shouted at the crowd--thinking they are Muslims and Jews--saying
that we were all "misguided." Or was he one of those
who are calling for "nuking" the "ragheads and
the sand-niggers" and believe that holding a memorial is
"misguided?"
I wanted to go and talk to
him, but I was afraid of calling attention to myself and to the
scuffle that he would probably start, and it would be undoubtedly
reported as a violent incident involving a "Middle Easterner"
by the local media who were heavily present, and almost all of
them like sensationalism in order to sell ads, so they usually
speak to the lowest instincts of their audience.
Cruelty takes
humanity's breath away
My mind went to the tragic
scene of the Palestinian women and children rejoicing--the scene
that was shown on TV over and over. I wonder about the kind of
hell they have been through, under the boots of the so-called
"defenders of Jews," to become so incredibly "cruel."
I am worried about what the Israelis will do to them now, away
from any cameras. Indeed abuse begets abuse. Why don't the Israelis
understand that?
Later on, I read an e-mailed
letter from an Iranian woman somewhere in the U.S. She said:
"I have not been able
to take a breath comfortably since yesterday. My whole face is
in pain just trying to control my emotions. I wish I could cry.
I wish I could turn the clock back and all this was not true."
Ignorance is so crude, so selfish
I later read the following
among the letters of the Iranian.com, in response to Jahanshah
Javid's editorial:
"I agree with the majority
of your article ["Holy smoke"], particularly the part
about how good you and your Muslim brothers and sisters have
it in the United States. But even hinting that there are reasons
to dislike or hate America somehow justifies these fucking animals'
actions. Your problem in general is trying to convince other
Americans why you even live here. All we hear from Muslim groups
are complaints about how our country acts in the Middle East.
Well, if you don't like it; GET OUT!!! ALL OF YOU!!! "
Did Jahanshah Javid understand
the consequences of his premature ranting against "Islamic
fanatics" so that he could presumably feel safe in not being
seen as a "fanatic?" Did he write this editorial
just to generate excitement and ad revenues? Did he think about
the hate crimes that he UNINTENTIONALLY would legitimize, to
be perpetrated by the enraged "real" Americans who
want to just "kick some mother fucking ass and flatten a
few sand niggers?" Did he turn his tongue in his mouth
before he spoke? Are all of us, is the humanity engaged in a
game to just feel good NOW--the hell with what happens to others?
I kept on reading in the letters
section. A "Persian Girl" has written a few heart-felt
words in response to the guy who told all Iranians to "get
out" of "his" country. She reminds him, in a
tone almost as harsh as his, that he is not a native of this
continent either. She has continued:
"Do you wanna know why
we left our country and emigrated to "YOUR" country?
Because the U.S. screwed up our country by allowing [causing?]
the revolution to happen, by buying our oil at the cheapest price
possible, by making war between Iran and Iraq to be able to sell
weapons, and by interfering in every single thing happening there.
So if we're living here and you don't like it, blame it on your
government!"
We need enemies
I saw on CBS the extensive
interview that Dan Rather had with the Democrat Senator, Joseph
Biden, the chairman of the U.S. Senate's Armed Services (or Foreign
Relations?) Committee. He said in no uncertain terms that "evidence"
is mounting which points to Osama Bin Laden, and the Taliban
in Afghanistan. He essentially threatened the Pakistani government
to join the "civilized coalition" to fight terrorism,
or else. He said for the first time that the Taliban were brought
to power by Pakistan--not mentioning that this was with direct
involvement by Saudi Arabia, and with the U.S. support, for the
purpose of encircling or "containing" Iran.
Now, the Taliban has turned
against the U.S. much the same way that Saddam Hossein did after
he served his obedient role in "containing" Iran. Remember
how all kinds of economies got a big boost as a result of arms
sales to both Iraq and Iran, to feed the cruel beast that was
an 8-year-long imposed war?
Senator Biden said that our
"friends" in the Arab world must choose between good
and evil. He reminded Saudi Arabian rulers that Osama is a former
"disgraced" citizen of their country. This sounded
like asking these oil rich rulers to essentially pony up a large
portion of the costs of this war against terrorism, or else.
He said that the Egyptian President and the King of Jordan have
already promised "full cooperation" in being part of
this coalition. Do they have any choice?
Dan Rather asked him if the
U.S. was going to try to bring Iran into this coalition. Biden
was visibly uncomfortable answering this question. He said that
this coalition is against all terrorists and states that aid,
train, or encourage terrorists. He essentially said that the
U.S. government would not invite Iran into the coalition but
would expect Iran to "stand down" --remain neutral.
I wonder why is it that despite
Iran's common interest with the U.S. with regard to terrorism,
the Taliban and the flow of drugs, they don't want Iran's joining
their "holy" coalition against "the evil of terrorism?"
Could it be because they NEED Iran as an enemy? If the hostile
rhetoric of all Israeli leaders these days are any indication,
the answer is Yes. Are they keeping open the option of destroying
Iran's not-yet-operational nuclear power plant in Bushehr, under
the pretext of fighting the "state infrastructure of nuclear
terrorism?"
Searching for
hope on
the football field - part 1
I checked the website of iransportspress.com
and the persianfootball.com to see the latest news about the
Iran-Bahrain World Cup qualifying game on Friday. FIFA has allowed
the games to resume on Friday (Sept.14) in Asia. I thought that
if Iranian players, people, or leaders showed some gesture of
sympathy toward the American nation's tragedy, it would be a
wonderful way of counteracting the dehumanization of "Middle
Easterners" in the "civilized" world. As to what
specific thing I would like them to do, I did not have any thought
at that point.
Dreaming for
power at any cost
I was finally hungry. I had
something to eat. Then I went back to my computer and read a
recently arrived e-mail about what the Shah's son, Reza Pahlavi
had said. Appearing on a Spanish-speaking cable channel Mr.
Pahlavi had "shamelessly put the blame on the doorsteps
of the Iranian government." He apparently had said that
the Islamic regime supports these terrorists morally, financially,
etc. and that "all [terrorism] roads end in Tehran."
The author of the e-mail said
that "Mr. Pahlavi either does not understand the impact
of his words or is so irresponsible and selfish to be ready to
potentially sacrifice the country and great many Iranians for
his goals."
The author of this e-mail had
continued:
"[He] should know that
the American public and the government are justifiably angry
and are going to retaliate very harshly...He must have heard
the President saying that he is not going to distinguish between
the perpetrators of these inhumane acts with the country that
harbors them... How do you know Mr. Pahlavi [who was responsible,
without investigation]? Shame on you."
An American contributor to
the disc list of the Iranians for International Cooperation had
said:
"The U.S. reportedly dropped
more bomb tonnage on Iraq during the Persian Gulf War than all
the ordnance expended during the Second World War. The ability
to retaliate is immense. Indeed Mr. Pahlavi has no concept of
what he is inviting."
I called and talked about this
to a couple of my American friends. One said: "What Reza
Pahlavi has said, given the gravity of the situation, is pure
treason against his country." Another American friend from
New York said: "This is the era of PR my friend...The military
industrial complex needs for its puppets to be more than ruthless
and power hungry these days...Stupid puppets need not apply."
I finally went to bed before
midnight on Wednesday Sept. 12. My sleep was a bit less agitated
than the previous night. I was so tired, so tired of people who
say they love their country, love humanity, but all they love
is their own selfish interests.
Nostradamus
was right?
On Thursday Sept. 13, I woke
up at 6:00 AM. I found the following e-mail on the discussion
list of the Persian Watch Cat (antidiscrimination.org):
"Someone just forwarded
this to me; I'm not a believer in this sort of thing--but found
it interesting, if nothing else..
Nostradamus 1654
In the City of God there will
be a great thunder,
Two Brothers [WTC?] torn apart by Chaos,
while the fortress [pentagon?] endures,
the great leader will succumb.
The third big war will begin when the big city is burning.
In the year of the new century
and nine months,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror...
The sky will burn at forty-five degrees.
Fire approaches the great new city....
I found the specificity of
this particular Nostradamus "prediction" particularly
suspect, especially its second part. I wondered if it was a hoax.
I know of some "Christian" fundamentalist groups in
the US who insist that we are close to the second coming of Christ.
They insist that Nostradamus' predictions are accurate. I wondered
if this group was behind the hoax, just to capitalize on the
opportunity to get some attention.
Later in the afternoon, I found
through an e-mail on the same discussion list that indeed this
so-called prediction was a hoax. I guess it was too precise to
be true. I did not have time to check into which groups or individuals
were behind the lie. However, later on I felt a bit guilty about
judging these possibly fanatical "Christian" fundamentalist
groups without any evidence. I did not have time, however, to
linger too much on my own imperfection. It sure is easier to
find fault with others. Who wants to look inside nowadays?!
Searching for
hope
on the football field - part 2
Before noon, I finally had
an idea on what peace gesture could be expressed in the Iran-Bahrain
game. I composed the following e-mail and throughout the afternoon
hours I sent it to as many sources as I could think of:
"Please pass this on to
all who would ACT ON IT QUICKLY! Tomorrow is Iran-Bahrain Game
at the Azadi stadium in Tehran. It is the first world cup sports
event after the U.S. East Coast tragedy. I wanted to suggest
that something symbolic be done before the game to show Iranian
sympathy with the American people.
Perhaps, President Khatami
(if he would go to the game) could release a white pigeon (kabootar)
in the air --or maybe the players could each fly a white bird
in order to show love for peace--or some similar gesture. If
they decide to do it, this should be communicated via a press
release to the wires/press (AP, AFP, BBC, etc...) to get coverage.
Please pass this suggestion ASAP to whoever you think would act
on it quickly. It is a unique opportunity. Thanks." Moji
Agha
In the evening, I saw in the
news segment of the persianfootbal.com (PFDC)--to which I had
sent my e-mail above several hours earlier, the following:
A Request to IFF
Thursday, September 13, 2001
"PFDC has sent a letter to the Iranian Football Federation
(IFF) in regards to the tragedy of the World Trade Center which
left the whole world in state of shock. With this letter, PFDC
and its members have requested that the Iranian players wear
a black ribbon in their Friday's game against Bahrain as a sign
of solidarity and compassion with the people of the United States.
Below you can find this letter in Farsi which was sent to IFF
today."
In the Persian Football Community
Forum (message board) of the same website I found the following
post by the "Iranman" :
"AFTER FIFA APPROVED THE
GAMES TO GO AHEAD IN ASIA, IFF ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING THAT THERE
WOULD BE A ONE MINUTE SILENCE BEFORE THE FRIDAY'S MATCH BETWEEN
IRAN AND BAHRAIN IN THE AZADI STADIUM."
I called the Arizona office
of the Associated Press (AP) and gave them the news. The man
who answered said he would pass it on to their international
and sports wires and would notify AP people in Tehran.
It is about 11:30 PM now. I
am planning to shave, take a shower and try to get some sleep.
In a few hours, I am to go to the house of my friend, the father
of Armin (the baby who came to this strange world on Tuesday
Sept. 11, 2001), to visit the family for the first time after
the baby's birth, and to watch the Iran-Bahrain game live on
their satellite TV at 6:00 AM Tucson time.
My intent needs
no gift wrap
I have not had time to go out
and buy a gift for the newborn. I have decided to take as a gift,
a ceramic vase that my older uncle (dayee jaan) brought for me
from Iran several years ago. I don't have the time or the talent
to properly gift wrap the little cobalt blue vase, in some box
covered with some nice gift wrapping paper. I am taking it in
a grocery bag. I know it is not graceful, but I figure they recognize
my intent and forgive me for being a regular male. Afterall,
my friend is a male football player and the baby is a boy. His
mother will have to understand.
Good night for now.
Armin was wondering
It is now 9:00 AM friday Sept.
14 and I am back from my friend's place where I saw with disappointment
Iran's 0-0 draw with Bahrain. Before the game started, I actually
watched what has been reported in the following report, which
I found in my first e-mail this morning:
"Tehran, Sept. 14, IRNA
-- Iranian and Bahraini soccer players on Friday observed a minute
of silence before starting their match in Tehran's Azadi Stadium,
to honor the victims of the terror attacks in the United States.
It came after around 200 young Tehranis held a silent, candle-lit
gathering in Tehran on Thursday evening, many wearing black in
a sign of mourning."
This was heartening. I hope
it gets reported by the Western media widely. One funny comment
brought needed laughter to the room when an Iranian commentator
of the game was complaining about the poor quality of refereeing
in the game. Most of the bad calls were against Iran, as usual.
The commentator said: "The right side referee (linesman)
calls every tackle as a foul, while the main referee will not
call a foul unless you bring him a doctor's note." We laughed.
It was also amazing how "fragile" the Bahrainy players
appeared to be. They would fall on the ground as if they were
leaves in a fall windstorm. I am sure wasting time in order
to force a draw in Tehran was not on their minds at all!
As for the baby, although I
insisted per Iranian custom, I did not get to see the little
Armin, who was in sound sleep in the back bedroom. In the 15-minute
break in between the two periods of the football game, as we
were eating breakfast, Armin's proud papa showed us his very
first picture. With his large, open and alert eyes he was "reflectively"
looking to the side, his little right fist underneath his chin.
I said: "Wow, look at those eyes, he will become a philosopher."
His footballist father said: "He is asking, should I shoot
or pass the ball?" As we were laughing, I silently wondered
if he was reflecting on the meaning being born, as an Iranian-American,
on Tuesday September 11, 2001.
An unlikely
beneficiary of terror?
In another e-mail, I found
about a report by the New York Times which "was apparently
taken off their active list of articles" (on their website)
but it "may be still available on-line." In this report,
a former right wing Israeli Prime Minister has been interviewed.
Part of the report says:
"Asked tonight [last night]
what the attack meant for relations between the United States
and Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, replied,
"It's very good." Then he edited himself: "Well,
not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy."
The current Israeli Prime Minister
has been reported as saying that this attack on the U.S. was
the worst thing that could have happened to Arafat. It has been
reported that in the past 72 hours the Israelis have killed at
least 14 Palestinians.
The latest
events
I watched the game this morning
with my 16-year-old Iranian friend--the younger son of the family
that I talked about above. He said that in his high school he
has not been attacked but feels the stares of the other children.
On my way back to my home/office, as I was dropping him off at
his school after the game, I noted the long and suspicious gaze
of a man, who could be the father of another child at the school.
It brought back all the memories of the Oklahoma City Bombing.
O, how I wish that the perpetrators of this atrocity the other
day would turn out to be "regular" Americans! But the
reports are to the contrary.
As it has been reported widely,
there have been numerous incidents of hate crime, harassment,
beatings, vandalizing and intimidation against "Middle Eastern/Muslim-looking"
persons, families, businesses, buildings, and organizations around
the U.S. if not around the world.
There has also been many many
reports of such targeted people, including Iranians, showing
their horror at the events, but also taking courageous individual
and collective steps to express sympathy with the many victims
of this tragedy, with their families, and with the American nation.
I really feel resentful that we should be victimized twice. Not
only we feel the weight of the tragedy, but also we have to shield
ourselves. Because of this, I feel even angrier at the terrorists,
but I know if I show my anger, I would be seen as dangerous.
So, I feel as if I am taken hostage by ignorance.
It has been reported that the
number of people killed in this incident is over 5000, over 200
of which died at the Pentagon. The number of casualties is estimated
to be at least twice that number. Of the number of the dead,
I fear that at least a couple dozen have been persons of Iranian
origin. All the planes who were crashed were headed for California,
where over a million Iranians live. It is truly horrible.
As I am writing these words,
the National Public Radio is reporting that the FBI has released
the name of 19 "suspects" (all apparently dead) as
the actual terrorists who committed these suicidal acts of horror.
It is reported that 7 of them have been pilots, at least one
trained in a flight training school in Florida. All their names
sound Arabic. The reports say that these are all member of the
terrorist organization headed by Osama Bin Laden. They say that
his organization has been technologically quite sophisticated.
As a result of this, I wonder if our community is set to experience
even more barriers to its technological advancement, just because
we may be dangerous.
A few minutes ago (it is now
around 1:00 PM, Sept. 14) I saw the interview on ABC with the
U.S. Secretary of State (Foreign Minister), General Colin Powel.
He talked about how much progress they have made in building
the coalition to fight the "war" against terrorism.
What disturbs me is that he said that this is a new kind of war,
because the "enemy also lives among us." Is our community
moving toward being interred like the Japanese after the Pearl
harbor attack? It has been said that the number of the victims
of this terrorist attack is far higher than the number of people
who died on that "day of infamy" over 50 years ago.
Finally: Absolutely
positive proof
that it wasn't us
I am tired of all this, but
I cannot give in to fear. I cannot to give in to helplessness,
hopelessness. Rather, I am going to insist to keep hope alive.
I am going to try my hardest to be a human being. I am even going
to laugh.
To this end, I hereby present
a bitterly funny observation of these tragic events by one of
the most prominent political satirists of contemporary Iran:
Mr. Ibrahim Nabavi. I found this satiric gem in one of my latest
e-mails this afternoon. He says:
"Tuesday's operation was
[reportedly] the result of punctual team work of a group of
50 terrorists. Since Iranians are always late for all events
and usually don't get involved in any [serious] team work, positively
they could not be responsible for these attacks. If a group of
50 Iranians [ever mange] to make a plan for a [terrorist] project,
before they can materialize it they would split into a few separate
groups and destroy each other, before they get a chance to inflict
any harm on anyone else." CP
Moji Agha is a visiting scholar at the Center
For Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
He recently founded a non-profit center for inter-cultural and
interfaith dialogue.
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