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In
the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Last weekend, a dear
friend of mine was harassed and threatened by a couple o
skinheads. She was
minding her own business, in a popular store parking lot with her
children and a young
Somali sister. First the men started in with verbal insults,
sarcastically
yelling "Allahu Akbar"
("God is Great" in Arabic), and telling her to go back to her
country
(this sister happens to
be an American, but never mind). Then they started in with the
camel
jockey and towel-head
jokes. Finally, one made a non-verbal death threat - looking at her
straight in the eye
while he motioned with his finger across his throat.
This all happened
outside a local store one block from my home. It used to be a place
I
enjoyed walking to with
my children on a nice sunny day.
As Muslims become more
numerous and more spread out around the world, we more often
become the target of
hate-mongers who fear anything and anyone different from them.
They have added us to
the list of those they hate - Africans, Jews, Asians... They vow
to
make their local area
(North America, Europe, wherever) a white-only refuge from the rest
of the world.
Who are these racists
and where do they come from? How can you protect yourself against
verbal and physical
assault? What does the law say? What should you do if someone
harasses or assaults
you? These questions have been in the forefront of my mind all
week.
The links below will
help you learn about your rights, the law, and personal safety.
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