No white flag for Arab Americans

After the shooting at Fort Hood this past November, my inbox was flooded with expressions of “regret,” “shock,” “horror,” and “grief.” These strong condemnations of Nidal Hasan’s act came from what some may deem an unlikely source: three Arab-American organizations—the Arab-American Family Support Center, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and the Arab American Institute. Indeed, in the wake of the shooting, the most vocal critics of Hasan—even among my peers—were Arabs. The logic behind this behavior is perhaps best illustrated by ADC’s press release. Immediately after labeling Hasan’s attack “absolutely deplorable,” ADC President Mary Rose Oakar called upon American authorities to make preparations for a “backlash” against the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian communities in the U.S. Fashioned in order to distance the Arab-American community from the behavior of a single individual, such public declarations were the clear product of this rational anxiety, coupled with what I assume to be a heartfelt disdain for violence. At the time, the fact that other civil rights groups, such as the NAACP and the ACLU, didn’t denounce Hasan’s act seemed perfectly natural.

However, my stance on these releases took a sharp turn when I received a similar statement from ADC following the unsuccessful Christmas terrorist attack, which was not an attempt by an Arab (this was before al-Qaida took credit). Let’s set aside the fact that this particular press release included an assertion of ADC’s willingness to assist the FBI in its investigation. Let’s similarly ignore the reality that this marked a blatant and unnecessary criminalization of ADC’s constituency. Such a statement didn’t protect the Arab-American community from hostile attitudes. Rather, the statement legitimized ethnic generalizations by giving Arabs the responsibility to “apologize” for a stereotypically “Arab” act. In reality, the link between that act and the Arab community was a racist fiction. Did the NAACP publicly convey its disapproval in 2008 when Demario Atwater, a black man, murdered a white coed at the University of North Carolina? No. I certainly didn’t see white people running around professing their patriotism after Timothy McVeigh bombed Oklahoma City. The actions of a given individual are clearly not indicative of the attitudes of the ethnic group to which he belongs. Moreover, I do not feel compelled, as an Arab, to cater to that stupidity. Just as no one would expect an African American to proclaim, upon introducing himself, his distaste for crack, it is not my responsibility to declare as publicly and frequently as possible that I am not a “jihadi.” If I were to do so, I would not dispel the assumption to which I am responding—I would validate it.

However, my greater objection is this: Any apology or statement specifically designed to pacify an irrational and potentially aggressive adversary—in this case, racist members of the American public—must imply one of two sentiments. Cowardice is one of them. A deep need for approval is the other. Let me be clear—caution is not cowardice. The move to increase security in mosques following the Fort Hood shooting was reasonable. This was an instance of caution. Preemptively waving a white flag in an attempt to secure the affection of a discriminatory group, on the other hand, is cowardly and mildly pathetic. Why any Arab would surrender his integrity for the sake of inclusion in a society that has systematically subjugated people of color throughout its history, a tradition that continues in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine, is beyond me. As Arab students attending an Ivy League school, a fact that signals our inclusion in American society, I believe it is particularly important for us to resist this need for acceptance. Pandering for approval inhibits self-development. I fear that it is conducive only to silence, or to a reluctance to challenge American power or express one’s identity. Either way, begging for forgiveness or approval should never be a part of protecting oneself against discrimination. It betrays a lack of self-respect. Only through self-respect can you compel another man to treat you humanely. If you apologize, you are guilty. If you bow, you are a servant. If you wave a white flag, then not only are you at war, but you have lost.

The author is a Columbia College sophomore. She is the vice president of Turath, the Arab students’ organization at Columbia.

Tags: Opinion, Yasmina Raiani, Arab Americans, Arab Students, campus religion, cultural clubs, Islam, national politics, racism, Turath