[lit-ideas] Re: The Terrorist next door
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:58:16 -0700
I take your point, Judy (at least I think I do). I have tended to believe
those who have asserted that Muslim immigrants more readily integrate into
US society because they are wealthier and better educated to start with.
They have no reason to congregate in enclaves. They buy the best houses
they can afford in the best neighborhoods. I knew a number of Arab engineers
and had no reason to think of them any differently than any other engineers.
I recall one engineer, a manager who was being touted as having a brilliant
future. He came by my desk one day and said he needed to ask me a personal
question. He was concerned about being able to tolerate the bureaucratic
nonsense of a large corporation long enough to reach retirement. A great
number of things made him unhappy. I was just a couple of years away from
retirement and he wanted to know how I had managed. It is inconceivable to
me that he would have any interest at all in Jihadism.
I remember another Arab engineer who was doing something like selling real
estate on the side. He wanted my help in getting a better job. He was
always joking. Everything seemed funny to him.
I went with my wife to see the Liver-Transplant specialist at Loma Linda.
He had a very difficult-to-pronounce Arab name. Susan asked him where he
was from. He said Fresno. She said, "I mean, where were you born." He
got an exasperated look on his face and said "I was born in Fresno." All
the while I'm thinking, "Don't make him mad, Susan. He may replace your
liver one day." But he had a sunny disposition and obviously didn't take
too much offense at her question. He had probably been asked it before.
My nephew, someone Susan and I helped raise when his mother ran off with
another man, is engaged to and living with a Cambodian Muslim girl. She and
my nephew have pooled their incomes to buy cars and are considering buying a
house. She is a very sweet girl and has the vague unstudied idea that
Christian principles are pretty much the same as Muslim principles.
I don't know how many Muslims I have known, but I have never met one I
suspected of being hostile toward the United States or uninterested in being
an American. Perhaps the experiences of American Social Scientists and
Historians have been similar. They believe and convincingly argue that
Muslims integrate more readily into American Society than they do into
European Society, but the subject article reminds us that we can't know for
sure. The Muslims we know may not be overtly hostile, but we don't really,
most of us, have enough information to be able to make absolute statements
about them.
On the other hand people are people. If someone sounds like an American,
has an American job and American ambitions he is probably not a Jihadist.
He may be, we can't know for sure, but he is probably not. But the article
implies that a number of American Muslims are supporting the "'mujahideen'
groups." It would be interesting to learn more about what this support
consists of. Perhaps the protestors were thinking more along the lines of
sending money rather than actively engaging in the sort of support Mr.
Chandia is going to prison for.
Lawrence
_____
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Judith Evans
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 10:05 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The Terrorist next door
LH>I don't know. How did you get into the country?
Google tells me Mr Chandia, who is a permanent legal
resident, emigrated from Pakistan in 1994. So he's
one of your well-integrated US Muslims turned violent
jihadist paintballer.
But don't be scared. He and his friends were -- it is alleged --
going to fight US troops abroad.
Judy Evans, Cardiff, UK
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