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June 05, 2006
Dear London Free Press
Regarding your Sunday, June 4 cover story, "The face of terror?":
It's no wonder the Islamic community feels targeted; your article mentions the fact that the seventeen young men arrested all sport "traditional Muslim beards", but the five men pictured in the accompanying court artist's drawing could also be sporting the "traditional" hipster beard of the young urban Canadian male. A beard is not an indicator of criminality. In this same illustration, a hijab- and veil-wearing woman waving her hand in the foreground seems to be present for the sole purpose of confirming to readers that the accused are Muslim, presumably to identify them as "terrorists" rather than just ordinary criminals.
A neighbour of one of the arrested is quoted as saying that when he saw police cars he knew it must be "drugs or terrorism"; would he have immediately jumped to the conclusion of terrorism had his neighbour been white, or black, or First Nations? Of course not. And where do Canadians get this racist thinking from? Perhaps from reading the papers.
Sincerely,
Jodi Green
Posted by jodi at June 5, 2006 03:36 PM | categories: assholes
Comments
Well said m'dear! I loathe racism and it never ceases to sicken me when someone I thought I knew says some comment that makes you think you didn't know them at all...... sad, very sad. This is one planet lived on by one race, why the sub-dividing??
Hugs
Sal
Posted by: sally at June 5, 2006 04:32 PM
Very well said. I wish people would stop sticking their heads in their butts out of "fear". Get over it already.
Posted by: Christine at June 6, 2006 09:12 AM
hear hear! I live in Halifax, but my husband is in the Niagara region right now. Someone asked him yesterday if we have any of "them" living in Halifax. Disturbing.
Posted by: Megan at June 6, 2006 10:27 AM
Makes me wonder when the real terrorists will start getting lighter skinned folks in non-traditional garb working for them.
Posted by: Sherry W at June 6, 2006 03:15 PM
I hope you are actually sending these letters to the papers.
Posted by: Jen at June 7, 2006 12:45 PM