America is prison for Middle Eastern men

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The Japanese Internment was one of the most shameful episodes in
American history ““ sadly, the same thing is currently taking
place, and no one seems to care.

More than 1,100 people ““ mostly Middle Eastern and Muslim
men in their 20s and 30s ““ are being detained nationwide as a
result of the hysteria-driven manhunt for terrorists. The reasons
for many of the arrests and detentions are unknown. Law enforcement
officials refuse to even identify the lawyers representing the
people who have been detained, saying they are prohibited from
disclosing any information because of privacy laws and
judges’ orders.

The government claims conducting the terrorist investigation is
like completing a puzzle, in which all pieces regardless of how
insignificant they seem, are necessary. But in exercising every
legal loophole possible to complete this puzzle, the government has
opted to give up its constitutionally-protected civil liberties and
detain Middle Easterners who share no direct relationship with the
terrorists, for unsubstantiated and coincidental reasons.

Case in point. Ramez Noaman, a Yemeni student at California
Polytechnic University at Pomona, was held as a material witness in
Manhattan for 12 days, then released after testifying before the
New York grand jury. He had apparently rented a room in a two-story
San Diego house where two hijackers had previously lived.

In a more bizarre story, Hady Omar Jr., an Egyptian and antiques
dealer in Fort Smith, Ark., is being detained on immigration
charges after he made a plane reservation from the same computer at
a Kinko’s store as one of the hijackers ““ an incident
his wife claims is completely coincidental.

Even a man who tried to help investigators ended up in custody.
Mustafa Abu Jdai dialed the FBI’s 1-800 number two days after
the Sept. 11 attacks, claiming he had answered a job ad and met
with several Arabic-speaking men who offered to pay him to take
flight lessons. He positively identified a photograph of one of the
men who is believed to have piloted one of the planes that crashed
into the World Trade Center. The FBI showed their gratitude by
placing him in a Dallas jail.

Where should the line be drawn? It’s sad that the United
States, blinded by fear and hatred, is acting unjustly. It’s
even sadder that our response to the terrorist attacks is to throw
people’s civil liberties out the window by using racial
profiling to ensure “justice” is done for the Sept. 11
attacks.

Americans of Middle Eastern descent are now being forced into
patriotism in order to avoid any suspicion ““ not to mention
the possibility of being incarcerated unjustly. Instead of saluting
the flag for the symbol of freedom it’s supposed to stand
for, Middle Eastern Americans are now forced to use it as a shield
to protect themselves from civil liberty infractions not brought on
other Americans.

More than 50 years ago the civil liberties of Japanese Americans
were overlooked. Now, it’s Middle Eastern Americans. When
will it be your turn?