* An Essay on the Mood of Our Country

* Action You Can Take Now

Speak Up Now to Preserve Community, Prevent Genocide in the U.S.!

Is the preceding sentence alarmist? After all, isn't this the land of the free, with justice for all? How could people living side-by-side in peace turn to genocidal murder?

The horrors of the 20th century teach us that the small things count. A slur unchallenged, a racist joke ignored, scapegoating about the cause of economic hard times; these things set the mood. Later, there is outright intimidation, discrimination, and violence. Later, imprisonment and killings. Could genocide happen here?

When the slurs and slights became more common in the 1930's, some Jewish Germans started making plans to leave. Others said that was silly, this antagonism would pass. We all know the outcome. Is this an apt analogy for 2004 in the U.S.?

These days in the U.S., especially since the violent attacks of September 11, 2001, the slurs, stereotying, and acts of violence against Arabs, Muslims, and those perceived as foreigners are on the rise.

Hateful speech and hate crimes have been documented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( http://www.cair-net.org ), including graffiti, name calling, arson, vandalism, and assaults. CAIR also has documented slurs and threats to Muslims by radio talk show hosts.

Even without consideration of possible escalation of hatred and violence, the current atmosphere is hostile to many of us and our friends and neighbors. This is far from the beloved community described by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In addition to the individual acts of hostility, our government has been guilty of violating the rights of Muslim and Arab people in the U.S. In the days following 9-11, many people were detained without suspicion of crime and many were physically abused by their captors, besides being held without any due process. Even worse, boys and men have been held at Guantanomo for over 2 years without charges, without access to legal assistance, without any contact with their families. What ever happened to "certain inalienable rights endowed by their Creator" spoken in our Declaration of Independence?

It could happen here. It is up to us to prevent genocide and to reverse the current mood of hostility toward Arab and Islamic people.

Take Action!

Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation ( http://www.scn.org/wwfor ) urges all its members and friends to be proactive in creating an inclusive community, by taking the following actions.

We urge everyone to interrupt stereotypes and hurtful words whenever they come across them. "I'm sorry, I don't think jokes that belittle people are funny," is a start.

A particularly offensive radio skit is described at the CAIR web site, http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=163&page=AA. You can contact the radio station and network through that site, or directly to Greg Ashlock, KFI Regional Director, 610 S. Ardmore Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90005, Tel: 213-427-7912, Fax: 213-380-8364; John Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, Clear Channel Radio, 200 Basse Road, San Antonio, TX 78209, Tel: 210-822-2828, Fax: 210-822-2299. Tell them that slurs against Iraqis are not funny.

Check out the CAIR web site for more recent action recommendations.

We urge everyone to contact their Congressional Representatives and demand full human rights for the Guantanamo detainees. Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to leave a message for any Senator or Representative. Washington state Senator Maria Cantwell can be reached at 202-224-3441 or 206-220-6400, 888-648-7328 or via a Web Form cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html. Senator Patty Murray can be reached at 202-224-2621 or 206-553-5545, or via Web Form: murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm.

WWFOR can be reached at 206-789-5565 or wwfor@connectexpress.com.

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