mehreenkasana:

Brown people on 9/11 really know what anxiety, fear and humiliation means. It’s being held incorrectly responsible - consciously or not - for an act you had nothing to do with in any shape or form. For the past seven years, my father and my friends in America and even other Western countries have experienced racism and bigotry by people who assume all Muslims are evil, all Muslims want death and destruction. It doesn’t occur to them that the actions of a few do not speak for the entire community consisting of millions and millions and millions of people. It’s common sense but common sense is a rare thing these days.

My father has been called a “dirty paki” and “terrorist” among other extremely offensive slurs by people who never knew him. Just an old brown man with a beard on the street taking a walk by himself. My father has been stripped at an airport for “security maintenance” - I have never seen him look so tired, so insulted, so violated. Dehumanized. 

Sikhs get thrown in this bunch of “threatening brown people” by bigots as well. Hindus have been mistaken for being “Moslems.” Pakistanis have been mistaken for looking like Arabs, Afghans end up being mistaken for other nationalities. Anyone who is brown is seen as threat in our post-9/11 era.

And we know that. People think brown people don’t notice. But we do. We know you want brown people to “go back to your own fucking country” while your war is being waged in our lands. We know you want us out of your sight. But this 9/11, just for a change, try bridging that gap between communities. Try understanding each other. This 9/11 try working on compassion and harmony instead of xenophobia and jingoism. Hatred never helps.

Something very important to keep in mind today, and every day.

Notes

  1. ambuene reblogged this from mehreenkasana
  2. countdowntoreality reblogged this from mehreenkasana
  3. swsmh reblogged this from aloofshahbanou
  4. melodramaticbitch reblogged this from tarush
  5. tarush reblogged this from deetss
  6. droidmobil reblogged this from mehreenkasana
  7. dembeatles reblogged this from mehreenkasana
  8. barrabascametousbysea reblogged this from vicevirtueandviceversa
  9. liliumaureum reblogged this from warmregardscara
  10. halalham reblogged this from berzooka
  11. derpetology reblogged this from adriennerenae
  12. stuckinthefuturepresentandpast reblogged this from vicevirtueandviceversa
  13. farawaymooncall reblogged this from mindovermatterzine
  14. whiteseducatingwhites reblogged this from mehreenkasana
  15. vicevirtueandviceversa reblogged this from gershwinning
  16. adriennerenae reblogged this from warmregardscara
  17. insanity-latte-is-people reblogged this from crowleyonmyshoulder
  18. goatdadatsea reblogged this from warmregardscara
  19. palestinesmoon reblogged this from berzooka
  20. berzooka reblogged this from musaafer and added:
    Brown people on 9/11 really know what anxiety, fear and humiliation means. It’s being held incorrectly responsible -...
  21. sophia-cheerios reblogged this from warmregardscara
  22. howlongtilyoufindyourfeet reblogged this from warmregardscara
  23. corduroy-phdr reblogged this from likeelectricthroughtheground
  24. bunnnnnies reblogged this from zanjir
  25. chii-square reblogged this from mehreenkasana
  26. taiasylum reblogged this from ketchuptree