Someone wrote the word “die” over Afghanistan on a map in the Office of International Programs in Oregon Hall on Sept. 13, according to Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Jan Power. The map was immediately taken down, and the perpetrator remains unknown.
This is just one example of the backlash Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent have experienced on campus following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Since the event, instances of bias toward Muslims on campus have increased, according to Assistant Dean of Diversity Programs Mark Tracy.
Some students on campus have directly experienced bias while others have not. But many people agree that ignorance about Islam has contributed to the backlash against Muslim students.
“There’s a difference between radical religious groups and those who practice peacefully,” Tracy said. “People need to recognize that there’s a difference.”
Recent University graduate Sarah Khalid Samman has personally experienced bias in the past week. Her parents, who are visiting from Saudi Arabia, were walking down Coburg Road when a man yelled, “Kill the Arabs, kill all the Arabs,” from his truck as he drove by.
Samman said she does not doubt that Osama bin Laden is behind the attacks. But she added that there are misconceptions about Islam’s teachings, contributing to some of the hostility toward Muslims on campus.
She said there is a sharp contrast between the teachings of the Quran and the “distorted” version of Muslim religion practiced by the Taliban, the Islamic militia that rules most of Afghanistan.
“According to Islam, suicide is a sin,” she said. “The hijackers won’t even go through judgment. They’ll go straight to hell. Islam specifically means peace. How can you be peaceful if you are killing people?”
Because some students are facing discrimination, director of the Eugene Islamic Cultural Center Tammam Adi said he plans to meet with University President Dave Frohnmayer in support of Muslim students.
Other Muslim students, however, have noticed few instances of hostility.
“I’ve gotten looks when I’m walking on campus, but I don’t know that there are more looks than usual,” said Muslim student Alina Tureeva from Uzbekistan.
She said she suspects most people look at her out of curiosity. Others have said, “God bless you,” as they’ve walked by her.
Pakistani sophomore Gibran Azamali said he has heard about some instances of bias, but he has not experienced any directed toward him.
Shruti Shah, co-director of the International Student Association, said it is ignorant to direct anger and blame at a specific group.
“Just because a terrorist is from a certain country doesn’t mean that everyone else from that country is the same way,” she said.