Local Muslims decry attacks; some endure remarks

Blood drive The Coastal Bend India Association is organizing a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 20 and is planning to raise funds for the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. For information, call 855-8236.

"YOU are Americans first. You may always have a soft spot for the homeland of your heritage, but always be completely dedicated to serving your country. And that is the United States."
   That is what Satyajit Verma, who came to this country 27 years ago from India, reminded his three children in the days that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
   Following the attacks, harassment and intimidation, even hate crimes, have been reported elsewhere around the country against American Muslims, South Asians and Arab Americans.
   Like other Coastal Bend residents who have agreed to speak about their experiences since the terrorist strikes, Verma, who is Hindu, not a Muslim, said neither he nor his family have experienced any form of backlash. Rather, what he has seen is a compassion that has once again allowed him to see what is at the heart of this nation, he said.
   "I've always been amazed at the charity, the generous heart of this country and its people," said Verma, a senior chemical engineer for Bishop's Celanese Corp. "I've never seen anything like it in any other part of the world. It is just remarkable to see the mobilization that takes place whenever there is some natural disaster or people in some sort of crisis. Americans just jump in from everywhere and help."
   Yousri Elkassabgi, a mechanical engineering professor at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a U.S. citizen originally from Egypt, said he too has been met with kindness, from colleagues to residents living around the mosque he attends, all of whom have been nothing but supportive.
   However, Elkassabgi did say that two local families confided in him that their children had been taunted the day following the attacks. One girl told her parents she was pushed and scorned for "what your people did," while another girl reported someone at school partially pulled down her hijab, or scarf, which is part of her traditional dress.
   Elkassabgi admits that his wife, who is vacationing in Egypt, made a flurry of calls home after hearing of the attacks, wanting to make sure that their three children were safe and worried that because they are of the Islamic faith, that they may face some degree of harassment. But Elkassabgi quickly reassured her fears were unfounded.
   Another Muslim, who has lived here the past 13 years since coming to the United States from Pakistan, reported no intimidation or violence after the attacks. However, harassment remains a real concern, which is why he would speak only on condition of anonymity.
   "I look Hispanic and so I blend in," he said, adding that his son also looks Hispanic, while his daughter looks European. While his family has been spared any retaliation, he said that in recent days his two sisters, who live on the East Coast, have seen women there who wear the traditional dress of India or Pakistan subjected to snide comments and catcalls.
   But most troubling, he said, are remarks made on the radio.
   "These guys are inciting the public and misleading rather than educating the people about the real issues," he said. "This misinformation leads people to act in strange ways, to take out their anger on anyone who looks like they are from that part of the world.
   "What people need to understand is that we deplore what took place and we too suffer because of this evil act. What is evil is not the Islamic faith or Muslims, but the individual and organizations that have committed the terrorism."
   Another local Muslim, a U.S. citizen from Pakistan, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said radio talk show hosts insult Muslims with ignorant statements that paint Muslims and terrorists as one and the same or equate Islam with terrorism.
   "These are not the type of comments they should be broadcasting," said the 58-year-old. "I am as grieved as much as (radio talk show hosts) are. What happened in New York and Washington is beyond imagination. No religion, no faith, no social system would ever justify these actions. Islam does not allow the killing of innocent people."
   Verma said that Americans are grappling with a complex issue, yet "our government does not understand fully the intricacies of how things work in that part of the world."
   However, Verma said he is confident in President Bush's ability to meet this challenge head on.
   "The speech given by our president Thursday was one of the best speeches I remember ever hearing," he said. "I was thoroughly impressed with the way he rallied the people to this cause. It takes a lot of courage and vision to communicate such a message, and he was very precise and very focused in doing so."
   The only advice Verma would give Bush "is to avoid turning it into a Muslim versus non-Muslim confrontation.
   "That is the challenge we have in front of us," Verma said. "In no way should this come across as a war against Muslim countries. If we come through, we shall see the whole world support us. This is where diplomacy, the intelligence and its execution will be of paramount importance."