August 15, 2004

 Re: letter by Abe Krieger, Muslims must make a choice to stay in U.S.

Castigating the entire Arab and Muslims communities in the US is as abhorrent an act as those acts committed by the few terrorists who hide behind our noble religion. Mr. Krieger’s anger is assuredly self-annihilating and it behooves him to seek both medical and spiritual advice. What is always overlooked when relating to the 9-11 disaster is, first, the terrorists who committed the heinous act were not American citizens; they were specifically imported into the United States to attack our symbols of freedom and economic supremacy. Second, close to three hundreds of the victims who vanished in the ruble of the World trade Center were Arabs and Muslims who were also American citizens. Third, of the thousands of FBI interviews, searches and arrests, not a single Muslim cleric has been found guilty of any ties to a terrorist activity or terrorist cells. 

All we hear about is time-released and politically motivated  witch hunt  of alleged charges about  Muslim this and Muslim that , who are being charged or, in some cases, indefinitely held in detention for secret evidence or some other nonsensical charge- the case of Muslim army captain John Yee is but one example. Mr. Krieger, like many bigots who lack the decency to know the facts, has not only denied our community the right to mourn its victims but also held our entire community hostage to a regime of unconstitutional laws that affect all Americans.

 As a result we have now become suspect:  our patriotism questioned; our loyalty doubted. Mr. Krieger, the almost 10 million Arabs and Muslims in the United States are American citizens who deserve to be accorded the same right to innocence until proven guilty and not to be found guilty by association, ethnic or religious affiliations. Where were you, Mr. Krieger, when Timothy McVeigh blew up the Oklahoma Federal building in 1994? Did you demand that all Catholics reassert their patriotism? Did you demand that all Catholics be questioned for possible links to terrorism?

As we attempt to the counter the scourge of terrorism, we must remain vigilant not to compromise the precious liberty of our citizens; the jewel that the terrorists want us denied.

 Respectfully,

 Aref Assaf, President

State Chapter of American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

www.adcnj.us

 ADC New Jersey is a grassroots civil rights organization which welcomes people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities as members. We are a  chapter of ADC, a registered not-for- profit civil rights organization based in Washington, DC.