Because I am an international student who doesn't know enough about the electoral system or the negative consequences of Bush's first term, I am not going to discuss the election. I am also not going to talk about how wonderful or horrible Bush is. Obviously, as a non-citizen on student visa, I am not allowed to vote in America. Even if I did, I probably wouldn't know what to do since I am very clearly against Bush (the understatement of the year) but I am also critical of some of Kerry's statements and policies. So it was a good thing after all that I didn't get to vote: I just wouldn't know what to do.
What I want to discuss here is a much more crucial issue, one that personally affects me and other internationals, especially those from "suspicious" countries in Asia and the Middle East.
What the reelection of Bush means to me is more fear and potentially more threats to my freedom as a foreigner in the United States today. At this point, I have to say that I have never faced anything of this sort during my life at Brown. I love being here, and I think that most, if not all, international students would agree with me that our campus is definitely not hostile to foreign students. If anything, I feel very welcome and at home here.
Unfortunately, these good feelings are limited to the Brown campus - they do not apply in the rest of the country. In fact, there have been many incidents of discrimination and harassment of international students - especially Middle Easterners, Muslims and anyone who looks like a potential terrorist - in cities throughout America, even on college campuses! How do I know? Apart from what I have read in the paper or watched in the news, which rarely mentions this, I have many friends all over America who are international students. I could write a whole book on their experiences, as well as some of my own, so don't get me started.
When I hear or read about Arab-Americans and American Muslims being deported or sent to jail for no obvious reason, or about police breaking into their houses to conduct "a search for suspicious material" and many more humiliating things like that, I start questioning how much freedom American citizens have in post-9/11 America.
Yusuf Islam - formerly known as Cat Stevens and famous for songs such as "Wild World"- is a British citizen who was sent back to England because his name appears on a list of suspicious people who might have contributed to Muslim charities that have ties with terrorists. A Swiss scholar and a leading international Islamic thinker named Tariq Ramadan, who spoke at Brown a few years ago, has had a similar experience. Named one of Time magazine's 100 Spiritual Innovators in 2000, Ramadan accepted a job at Notre Dame University and was to start work this semester. However, in late July his visa was revoked by the Department of Homeland Security. No explanation has yet been given.
I think all that has been mentioned above is a disgrace for America, and I feel most sorry for the American citizens (for everyone - not just the ones being discriminated against) who work hard to solve these problems and still have to deal with such issues every day.
I would talk more about my own experiences as a Muslim and a Turkish citizen, but let me just conclude with this: While walking on Thayer this afternoon, I saw a copy of the Providence Phoenix that was just distributed today. It has George Bush on the cover with the following words as the title: "Mourning in America." On the left lower corner of the same page, it reads "Be afraid. Be very afraid." I think the other half of America who didn't vote for him - and most of the world - already are. At least I know that I am.
Tamilla Mamedova '07 prays that the books she checks out at the Rock aren't monitored.
