THE tragic events of September 11 have dramatically altered the meaning of normality for everyone around the world. But more so for the people who have been living in the United States. These people not only include the permanent expatriates, but also students and people working on H1 visas. As a student who has spent more than a year in the US prior to 9/11 and numerous visits before that, I have a firsthand experience of how the paradigm has shifted in the relationships between Americans and immigrants, especially emigrants from the Middle East and South Asia.
Although people and the media in both America and Pakistan have focused mainly on the geo-political fallout ensuing 9/11, the relationships between the people of these two countries have been as explosive as the “War against terrorism”. Some people would not concur with the observation I am making, but I believe that is only due to their lack of substantial interaction with a diverse group of Americans pre- and post-September 11.
There have been many stories, many of them fictitious and disturbing, and some real but equally alarming ones that have circulated through the ‘Desi’ circles in North America and Pakistan. These stories, although sometimes elaborated, do hold some element of reality. And even if a fraction of these is true, then it is time that we sit back and reevaluate our perception of life as an expatriate in America. The glorified version of expatriated life in America with a green card has been around for a very long time. And people have given up everything they had in Pakistan for the sole purpose of getting a green card.
People have the false notion that after getting a green card and securing some sort of employment or business prospect, they would have the merry life that they have come to believe is true of American families through sitcoms aired on satellite channels. Like in all places, among the 250 million Americans, there are more number of those who are more concerned with paying their bills on time than those who are only concerned with pursuing a carefree and prosperous life one sees in movies.
Soon after 9/11, the concept of civil rights for immigrants and those American citizens who originated from the Middle East or South Asia, were suspended by the formulation of unwritten laws and a very biased stance taken by the government towards this minority. The most blatant disregard of American liberty came in the form of rights given to law enforcement agencies to search and arrest anyone who they “felt” was involved in terrorist activities. To do so, the previously mandatory requirement of obtaining a warrant was waived. This sudden and enormous step was not met with a lot of protests, as everyone knew that mostly “Sand Niggers” would be the final targets.
As a result of the establishment of this law and the criticism hurled at the FBI, INS and CIA for not doing enough to prevent the disasters of 9/11, all these agencies went on a rampage, and under their feet the hopes and dreams of thousands of immigrants were stomped. A famous incident of this treatment was the raid on an Arab doctor’s home, late at night when he and his family were sleeping. After the arrest-cum-kidnapping, his whereabouts were not disclosed, which added to the anguish of his young wife and kids. When he was released with no proven charges against him, the best explanation they could give for this arrest was the similarity in surname of this doctor and one of the hijackers. This similarly did not warrant the kind of operation that was carried out, however, few people realize that it sent a message to all emigrants and foreign nationals in the US to either leave, or be extra vigilant of their day-to-day activities, so they do not raise suspicion.
This Arab doctor was lucky, but the same cannot be said for many others. A case that stands out and which was also reported by Time magazine in their mid December edition, is the plight of a Pakistani student who was returning to New York after attending a wedding in Houston. He was studying at a New York university and had used the bus to get to and from Houston. Following September 11, the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) started random document checking at all places. And on this fateful day, they boarded the Grey Hound bus headed for New York. Even though he presented valid travel documents, they took him in for questioning. Before questioning, he was placed in a cell that also housed convicted felons and multiple offenders, a practice not allowed by the US justice system.
On seeing this person, they started making abusive comments towards him and Islam. After they could not force an abusive reply from this hapless creature, they demanded that he take his clothes off. When he refused, the men in the cell threateningly moved towards him. He managed to get to the emergency phone inside the cell and pleaded with the police operator for help, and she assured him that help was on its way. But the promised help, surprisingly inside a police station, came 20 minutes too late, as by that time this young man had been beaten senseless and stripped naked by the inmates. He suffered both physically and mentally from this incident.
In this time of global turmoil,l it has become really difficult to carry on with what once was considered normal. And this condition is not limited only to Muslims living in America. A majority of violent Americans are ignorant about different culture and that has led to the hate-motivated deaths of non-Muslims as well. Although the victims pleaded with their assailants and explained that they were Hindu or Sikh, it made no difference. One of the attackers, in one case, shrugged and said something on the lines of “You all look alike.” Recently, one of the murderers was handed a death sentence by a Texas court for murdering a Hindu gas station clerk.
All things said, it needs to be mentioned that there have been many rumours circulating in the media, particularly our media. Many stories of the troubles faced in the US by immigrants from the subcontinent have caused great anguish for their relatives back home. The reports regarding attacks on mosques and houses of Muslims were ambiguous in many aspects. It is true that mosques and some houses were attacked, but the media, in an effort to sensationalize the stories, left out vital pieces of information. The most critical one was the timings of attacks on mosques. All the attacks on mosques (which do not number more than five) happened either late night or at a time of the day when no one was present. This is crucial in understanding the motivation of the attackers.
As for the case where houses of Muslims were attacked, many of the culprits were caught and they had had some dispute with a member of the household. Being the opportunists they are, they wanted to take advantage of the anti-Muslim sentiment and also settle their score. But considering that there are more than 250 million people in the States, with over six million Muslims, the US government must be lauded for the job they did in keeping the Muslims safe. The help that many Americans provided to the Muslims during these trying times also requires recognition. It shows that not everyone there is a fiend and thinks that if your skin is brown-toned and you are a Muslim, you might have links to a terrorist organization.
But 9/11 has made everyone, particularly in America, realize that the world can turn topsy-turvy in an instant. It also showed how the act of another person can shatter the fragile figurine which most of us call freedom.
THE tragic events of September 11 have dramatically altered the meaning of normality for everyone around the world. But more so for the people who have been living in the United States. These people not only include the permanent expatriates, but also students and people working on H1 visas. As a student who has spent more than a year in the US prior to 9/11 and numerous visits before that, I have a firsthand experience of how the paradigm has shifted in the relationships between Americans and immigrants, especially emigrants from the Middle East and South Asia.
