.. HI IHIIII III I HI
Adam jones Emerald
Tammam Adi speaks in a press conference Saturday morning after a meeting with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)(left), Rep. Peter Defazio (D
Springfield)(right), and Muslim citizens. The meeting was an opportunity for residents to discuss concerns and fears following Sept. 11.
Legislators, citizens meet to
discuss anti-Arab sentiment
■The meeting and press
conference allow people to
express their fears in the
aftermath of the attacks
By Brook Reinhard
Oregon Daily Emerald
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Eugene,
and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., met
with Arab-Americans in the com
munity Saturday to discuss their
concerns about discrimination re
sulting from the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Leaders of the Arab and Muslim
communities met with DeFazio and
Wyden in the Rogue room at the
EMU to condemn the attacks of
Sept. 11. The group spoke of the
events of the last several weeks,
shared personal stories and planned
ways to stop profiling and discrimi
nation from occurring.
A press conference was organ
ized by Wyden’s office and held in
the Umpqua room after the meeting.
The meeting, which drew nearly 30
participants, was closed to the
press, but some participants joined
DeFazio and Wyden to make state
ments after the conference.
“Many of these people are afraid
to go out at night, reluctant to even
wear a scarf,” Wyden said.
Arab business leaders and com
munity members — Muslim and
non-Muslim — shared their con
cerns and experiences of the past
few weeks. They joined together to
let their voices be heard and serve
as advocates for the fellow members
of their community, Wyden said.
“(Community members) are fear
ful of exercising the very freedoms
that make our democracy so suc
cessful,” he said.
DeFazio discussed current legis
lation that is designed to thwart ter
rorism while protecting the rights of
Arab-Americans.
“There is tremendous non-parti
san support (for the legislation) in
congress right now,” said DeFazio.
He also emphasized the importance
of uniting againsf terrorism and dis
crimination.
“If we allow ourselves to be divid
ed, they win,” he said.
Attendees were quick to differen
tiate themselves from the terrorists.
“These people who committed
these crimes are not Muslims, they
burn Muslim symbols like the KKK
burns the cross,” said Arab business
leader Tammam Adi. “There is no
basis in the Koran for anyone to kill
themselves or someone else... They
will go straight to hell. ”
Attendees represented a range of
political, ethnic and religious back
grounds.
“There have been great instances
of support in the community,” said
Munir Katul, a retired physician
and Arab-American who does not
identify with the Muslim religion.
“Our goal is to eliminate the profil
ing of all Arab-Americans and not
just Muslims. We will overcome the
acts of these terrorists.”
In fact, Claude Offenbacher, re
porter for radio station KLCC, said
community support has been over
whelming.
“There were more people protect
ing Muslims (at a mosque service
Friday) than there were Muslims,”
Offenbacher said.
Those who attended the meeting
agreed people of all religions and
nationalities have banded together
to stop the discrimination.
“I get up every morning and say
I’m an American. But I also get up
every morning and say I’m a Jew.
One of my core values is opposing
discrimination ... We must root out
discrimination,” Wyden said.
University students can help in ef
forts to end the discrimination, said
Sam Kamkar, bias crime detective for
the Eugene Police Department.
“We know that harassment oc
curs (both on and off-campus) — it
would help as an agency if people
contacted us and let us know what’s
going on,” Kamkar said.
“We are in opposition to this de
structive stereotyping of what this
religion is all about,” Adi said.
Brook Reinhard is a community reporter for
the Oregon Daily Emerald. He can be reached
atbrookreinhard@dailyemerald.com.
Student Football Tickets
Available For
Oregon vs. Stanford
Homecoming
October 20, 2001
Beginning At 9:00am
Monday, October 8
In the North Ticket Building
Along Centennial Blvd.
Go[HUia]®.com
0019471
343-4480
1X1
GO^
DUCKS!
344-7288
521 Market St., Eugene
Shiki*^Brains .com
GARDEN
_year-round
• HID lighting
• Hydroponic
supply
• Organic soil
• Territorial seeds
_
• Quality
merchandise
• Great prices
• Unbeatable
service
• Tropical house
plant seeds
012581
Aqua
Serene
2836 W. 11th St. 302-9073
11:00-6:00, 7 days/week
West Coast's
AQUA SERENE
your fish's dream
all fish pet shop
Salt Water liiarlcX
Red Bellied
NW Largest Reef Tank
20 Gal combo $65
50 Gat combo $99
75 Gat combo $245
135 Gat combo $345
f combo includes tank, tid & light)
"AQUA SERENE
2836 W. 11th St. 485-2171
I can’t forget to cut out
my Precision Cuts Duck
Buck coupon this term.
OfimSYON
Gel your Duck Buck coupon clipper
in the Oregon Daily Emerald
on Thursday, October I I. 2001.
# J
This paper can be
Recycled!