It was ten minutes before 8:00 as Lori pulled into the parking lot of her favorite pizza place in downtown Minneapolis where she was supposed to meet Jennifer, Jennifer’s boyfriend Michael, and their friend Josh for dinner. As she pulled into what looked like the last open spot in the third row, she heard angry shouts coming from the direction of the restaurant entrance. She turned down the radio so she could listen more closely. “Move it, move it,” a man shouted. “Go back to your own country, Osama!” Unnerved by the violent tone of the male voice, Lori locked her car door and picked up her cell phone. Just as she was about to dial the number of the police she looked into her rearview mirror and saw Jennifer and Michael in a small group of six people, all Caucasian, who were following and shouting at a dark skinned family walking through the parking lot in the direction of her car. The man, appearing to be the father of the family, held a little girl tightly in his arms, her face pressed against his shoulder. His wife walked quickly at his side, clutching the hand of a visibly shaken young boy who looked no older than ten years old. The boy wore a Twins jersey, while the young girl wore a Lynx T-shirt. The parents were dressed casually, wearing jeans and shirts. The only distinguishing feature they shared was their darker complexion and the traditional turbans usually worn by Sikh men. Lori felt unsure of what to do. Although she felt frightened, she didn’t really know what was going on or what had happened before she pulled into the parking lot. Perhaps the man with the turban had done something to provoke her friends and the small group of people. But that didn’t make sense – he was with his family and he wasn’t even responding to the shouts and jeers. But surely, Jennifer and Michael wouldn’t be involved in provoking a fight. What should she do? Lori looked into the mirror again. The family was getting closer and there were more voices shouting now. She had to make a decision.
Is this a true story?
The scenario presented in the case is fictional, yet based on true experiences of Sikh Minnesotans. In fact, the idea for this scenario was the result of an actual bias incident that occurred in Minneapolis on September 22, 2001 and was reported to and confirmed by the Sikh Coalition. In the actual incident, as a Sikh family left a restaurant after dinner they were verbally assaulted by several white boys and girls who were in the parking lot, yelling “Move it, move it! Get out of here!” After the family got into the car and closed the doors, a maroon Dodge Durango with two white boys of approximately 20 years of age pulled up next to them and followed them all the way back to the parking lot of their hotel. After arriving at the hotel parking lot, the young men yelled, “Go back to your own country!” and drove off. All other examples in the case are true stories that have been documented by the police, FBI, human rights organizations, and/or national non-governmental organizations.
Hate Crimes in the United States Following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks
On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes in the United States. Two of the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. A third airplane crashed into the Pentagon, just outside Washington, D.C. in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth airplane never reached its target, crashing into a field in Western Pennsylvania. In total nearly 3,000 innocent civilians from more than 80 countries were killed in the attacks. All of the accused perpetrators were Muslim members of the terrorist organization al Queda, and followers of Osama Bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian billionaire who is the financial backer and leader of terrorists and terrorist organizations, including al Queda.
Within days of the terrorist attacks, hate crimes directed at Arabs, Muslims, South Asians and other persons mistaken as Arab or Muslim swept across the country. These crimes ranged from verbal abuse and discrimination to murder. Concerned about the violence being directed toward Arabs, Muslim, South Asians, and other members of religious and ethnic groups bearing some physical 3resemblance to the terrorists, President Bush issued pleas for tolerance and asked the American people to recognize the goodness of their fellow Americans. President Bush visited mosques and met with religious and community leaders in an effort to teach Americans about Islam, and to prevent stereotyping and group blame. On September 17, President Bush visited the Islamic Cultural Center in Washington, DC. He made the following statement,
“I’ve been told that some fear to leave; some don’t want to go shopping for their families; some don’t want to go about their ordinary daily routines because, by wearing cover, they’re afraid they’ll be intimidated. That should not and will not stand in America.”
Leaders of the affected communities congratulated President Bush for his actions and credit him with stemming the tide of most violent crimes. Yet at the same time, other influential celebrities and political and religious leaders propagated hate through the media. Numerous Americans engaged in group blame and decided to take retribution into their own hands. In the words of one accused killer, “I stand for America all the way! I am an American. Go ahead. Arrest me and let those terrorists run wild.” The man he is accused of murdering was a 49 year-old father of three children who was working at his gas station in Mesa, Arizona. The victim’s name was Balbir Singh Sodhihe. He was a Sikh. He wore a turban and he was an American.
Bias Incidents in Post-September 11 Minnesota
On September 12, 2001, after having breakfast with leaders of Minnesota’s Muslim community, Governor Jesse Ventura issued the statement “Minnesota Muslims are good Muslims.” Other Minnesota political and religious leaders spoke out in support of Minnesota’s Muslim, Arab and refugee and immigrant communities in order to dissuade Minnesotans from stereotyping their neighbors. Nonetheless, Minnesota also experienced an increase of hate crimes and bias incidents following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Most bias incidents were directed at Arabs and Muslims or others perceived to be Arab or Muslim, like Sikhs and some East African immigrants. Bias incidents against Minnesotans took many forms such as verbal harassment, including the use of obscenities, racist jokes, name-calling and inappropriate references to religion, dress, or national origin, as well as obscene gestures, stares in public places and “road rage.” For example, only days after September 11, a Minneapolis Caucasian Muslim woman wearing a hajib, or head scarf, was nearly run off the road by a reckless driver who rolled down his car window and yelled, “Go back to your own country, (expletive).” At a local McDonald’s restaurant, a customer dumped hot coffee on a Richfield woman who is Muslim and wears the hajib. At the Normandale Community College campus, a man driving his car deliberately hit a Muslim pedestrian who was wearing a headscarf.
Some hate crimes perpetrated in Minnesota were extremely violent. On September 16, 2001, a Sikh woman, wearing a turban, left a grocery store in Eagan followed by three teenage boys. One boy pushed her against her car and a second punched her in the stomach and elbowed her in the back. As they walked away they shouted, “This is what you people deserve.” On October 15, 2001, a 66 year-old Somali man died from his injuries after being punched several times in the head while standing at a bus stop in Minneapolis.
Refugees and immigrants received threatening telephone calls and e-mails or had property vandalized. A Muslim owner of a Middle Eastern deli and bakery in Minneapolis answered a telephone call on September 11 in which the caller threatened, “You f****** Muslim people. You’re all going to die today. Why don’t you go back to your own country?”
Members of Sikh, Muslim, and Arab communities also have reported violations of their dignity and civil rights as a result of racial or national origin profiling by the airline industry and police. For example, on October 25, 2001, Minneapolis/St. Paul airport officials asked a Sikh doctor to remove his turban before boarding an airplane. On another occasion, three Muslim women wearing headscarves were prevented from boarding an airplane after they were heard praying by an airport security guard. In other incidents, several Arab American men were removed from Minneapolis flights by flight attendants who thought they looked suspicious. A Minneapolis police officer pulled over a student who attends the University of Minnesota and questioned him about bombs after he told them he was Palestinian. A Somali family is suing a Minneapolis police officer for allegedly throwing their teenage daughter against his car and breaking her arm after police were called to break up a fight between Muslim and non-Muslim students. The girl, who wore a headscarf, was reportedly told by the officer, “Why don’t you go back to your own country?”
Bias Case Study Epilogue
What are local organizations and community members doing in response to bias incidents against Arabs, Muslims, and South Asians or individuals targeted because they are perceived to be Arab or Muslim?
Many community organizations and leaders are working to help refugees and immigrants in the United States claim their rightful place within American society and are engaging in public education efforts in the hope of creating positive change in the larger society. These outreach efforts include presentations at schools, places of worship, businesses, and other organizations that educate the Minnesota public about immigrants’ religions and cultures. Ethnic organizations have shifted their focus from traditional cultural issues to increased involvement in politics and socio-political issu0es that impact their communities. Community leaders also report that citizenship applications and voter registrations have increased dramatically as a result of recent changes to immigration laws. Many of those who were hesitant to apply for citizenship in the past are seeking the protection of U.S. citizenship, while new citizens are seeking to participate more fully in the political process so that it may better serve their needs. Many local refugee and immigrant leaders hope that the present period in Minnesota, despite bias incidents and the fear and uncertainty of their community members, will also be recognized as one of increasing self-consciousness, inter-faith dialogue, and cross-cultural alliances. These community leaders have come to believe strongly in the importance of the rule of law.
In addition to these changes, local political organizations are focusing more intensely on civil rights, social services, economic development, and engagement and cooperation with government agencies. Local human rights organizations like The Advocates for Human Rights have increased services to refugees and immigrants to include preparation for and representation during FBI interviews, training lawyers on immigration law changes and their impact, educating policy makers and the broader public about emergent threats to human rights in U.S. government policy and actions, documenting human rights abuses directed against refugees and immigrants, speaking out on behalf of disaffected communities, convening cross-community discussion sessions, and educating youth about human rights issues.