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NYT ON SHAHZAD: “HUMILATION OF MUSLIMS”

On May 15, 2010, the New York Times published a long report of Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American who was arrested two weeks ago, for planning to explode a car in Times Square in New York .

Here are excerpts  form the piece:

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Just after midnight on Feb. 25, 2006, Faisal Shahzad sent a lengthy e-mail message to a group of friends. The trials of his fellow Muslims weighed on him — the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , the plight of Palestinians, the publication in Denmark of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.

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Shahzad was wrestling with how to respond. He understood the notion that Islam forbids the killing of innocents, he wrote. But to those who insist only on “peaceful protest,” he posed a question: “Can you tell me a way to save the oppressed? And a way to fight back when rockets are fired at us and Muslim blood flows? … Everyone knows how the Muslim country bows down to pressure from west. Everyone knows the kind of humiliation we are faced with around the globe.”

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Shahzad seemed to be thriving in the West. He worked as a financial analyst at Elizabeth Arden, the global cosmetics firm. He had just received his green card, making him a legal resident in the United States . He owned a gleaming new house in Shelton , Conn. His Pakistani-American wife would soon become pregnant with their first child, whom they named Alisheba, or “beautiful sunshine.”

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As Shahzad became more religious, starting around 2006, he was also turning away from the Pakistan of his youth, friends recalled, distancing himself from the liberal, elite world of his father, Bahar ul-Haq, a retired vice marshal in the Pakistani Air Force.

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 His parents agreed on a suitable match: Huma Mian, an ebullient 23-year-old from Denver who had recently graduated with a degree in accounting, and whose Pakistani-American father was a prominent oil industry engineer and economist … Shahzad’s ancestral turf, celebrating with a rare touch of modernity: the women and men danced together.

“We all know these things, what the geopolitical problems are,” said Mr. Shahzad’s father-in-law, M. A. Mian, 55. “Every day we sit in our living rooms with our friends and we discuss these issues.” … “But to go to this extreme, this is unbelievable,” he said, adding: “He has lovely children. Two really lovely children. As a father I would not be able to afford to lose my children.”

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In April 2009, the same month Shahzad got his United States citizenship, he sent an e-mail message to friends that foreshadowed his militant destiny. He criticized the views of a moderate Pakistani politician, writing, “I bet when it comes to defending the lands, his opinion would be we should do dialogue.” The politician had “bought into the Western jargon” of calling the mujahedeen, or foreign fighters, “extremist.”  Shahzad, urged the recipients of the message to find “a proper Sheikh to understand the Quran.”

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Shahzad believed that Western countries had conspired to mistreat Muslims. “He would just go off,” said the friend, adding that he paid little heed to Shahzad’s eruptions, dismissing them as a product of his fierce Pashtun pride.

“He was always saying, ‘If these people come to my land, it’s not going to be good,’ ” the friend recalled.

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Two years later, Shahzad wrote the e-mail message telling friends that Muslims must defend themselves from “foreign infidel forces.”  He was very critical of American foreign policy. “He was always very upset about the fabrication of the W.M.D. stunt to attack Iraq and killing noncombatants such as the sons and grandson of Saddam Hussein,” said a close relative.

In 2003, Shahzad had been copied on a Google Groups e-mail message bearing photographs of Guantánamo Bay detainees, handcuffed and crouching, below the words “Shame on you, Bush. Shame on You.”

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His 2006 e-mail message echoed the same arguments found on militant Internet forums: that the West is at war with Islam, and Muslims are suffering humiliation because they have strayed from their religious duty to fight back …”The crusade has already started against Islam and Muslims with cartoons of our beloved Prophet,” wrote Shahzad, who went on to quote verses from the Koran as proof of what “Allah commands about fighting for Islam.”

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But he felt demeaned at work, complaining of a manager who used to “insult him,” a close relative recalled. He felt that American Muslims were treated differently after 9/11, said the classmate.

“He used to say that when they refer to us, they say ‘Americans of Pakistani origin’ — they don’t say ‘Americans with German origin,’ ” the relative recalled. “These kinds of things, they were all the time cooking in his head.”

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Last week, his landlord, Stanislaw Chomiak, walked through Mr. Shahzad’s apartment, pointing out the spot where he had been building a wooden replica of a mosque. He looked around, as if searching for clues. Mr. Shahzad had been nice, pleasant — a perfect kind of tenant. He had even lined the burners of the stove with aluminum so they would not get tarnished.

“Where are you going to find a guy like this?” the landlord said. “Nice guy and look what happens.”

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As much as I feel like I have become a defender of the “Great White Civilization,” in the form of this Celebrity “Constellation” cruise ship, the “Big White Ship,” that sailed form Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, and visited five Third Word countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, I, at the same time, feel that I have become more proud of myself than never before.

Why?

Most probably, because I am proud of my Sudanese background; of what I call “The Great Sudanese Civilization.” Of course, this is no comparison to the “Great White Civilization,” but it has two of its major characteristics: faith in God and diversity of culture.

Most of the Muslim and Arab Northern Sudanese, like me, tend to look at themselves as more civilized than the Southerners who are pure Africans and belief in Christianity or pagan religions. We are more educated and more developed, and, therefore, we control most of the powers, whether economic or political.

We look down to the people of the South because we: (1) don’t walk in the streets naked or half-naked, (2) don’t worship trees and ancestors and (3) don’t live in jungles.

In a sense, we are the “Whites” of Sudan.

Some of our ancestors engaged in slave trade, and some of us, until this day, clearly and openly, discriminate against Southerners.

My grandfather used to own slaves from the South, but he freed them right before he died. The last time I visited our village, my father and I visited their decedents and treated them with all respect. But, like some White American might say, I feel that I am not responsible for the mistakes of my grandfather.

So, I say to the Southern Sudanese:

(1) Stop holding the Muslim and Arab Northerners responsible for their ancestors’ mistakes, stop complaining about the past and, please, open a new page. (2) Learn from the experience of the Whites and Blacks in the USA where both sides are trying to forget past mistakes and open a new page. (3) Acknowledge the achievements of the “Great Sudanese Civilization,” which is far more advanced than yours.

If I, an African and Muslim, have been able to acknowledge the achievements of the “Great White Christian Civilization,” and its current dominance over other civilizations, I believe many other Third World people can do the same, though reluctantly.

So, I have benefited very much from my experience as a “’White” Sudanese to deal with the Whites of America.

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Our ship didn’t visit a port in Brazil, but while watching CNN in our room, there was Brazil’s President saying that the global economic crisis was caused by “white people with blue eyes.” He said that while standing next to visiting British Prime Minister.

Here we go again.

Here is another confrontation, or probably another subtle confrontation, between Whites, on one side, and Blacks and Browns on the other.

But, this time, it is not a tour guide in a Costa Rica banana plantation complaining about White corporations’ exploitations or a tour guide on the edge of Panama Canal repeating that the best day in the history of Panama was when the USA returned Panama Canal, but the President of Brazil.

Not to dispute the fact that Brazilians were of mixed White, Indian and Black races, the President pointedly used the term “blue eyes” to specify the Whites of North America and Western Europe, probably excluding the Italians, Spanish, Greeks and East Europeans.

On CNN, he said poor countries should not have to suffer because of the mistakes of the rich. Then, suddenly, pointed his finger at the British Prime Minister and said, “This is a crisis that was caused by white people with blue eyes. And before the crisis, they looked as if they knew everything about economics.”

Not to be out-smarted, the “Great (Blue Eyed) White Civilization” shot back:

First, the CNN reporter said it was an “uncomfortable” moment for the British Prime Minister. Second, Downing Street, the British Prime Minister’s residence in London, issued a statement that said the Brazilian President’s comments were for “domestic consumption.” Third, a White commentator said: “People in Brazil are very frustrated and angry at what they feel is the injustice of the situation: a crisis that has essentially come from the banking sectors in places like the United States and the U.K., but is affecting their country.” Fourth, later, the British Prime Minister said: “I’m going to ask the G20 summit next week to support a global expansion of trade finance of at least $100 billion to help revive trade in all parts of the world … (and) South America is a key to achieving an agreement.”

What does this say about the “Great White Civilization”?

(a) Yes, we made mistakes that caused most of this World economic crisis, but, we acknowledge the mistakes and are working to correct them. (b) We are still the “Great (Free) White Civilization” i.e. your “civilizations” cannot compete with ours. (c) Don’t try to out-smart us and to out-moral us. (d) When you insult us, we forgive, because we are “decent” i.e. Christian, or more Christian than you are.

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Earlier, I mentioned how Mercedes, our tour guide in Cartagena, in Columbia, became defensive and criticized “the media” for presenting a negative picture of her country. I added that one of the reasons was her nationalistic feelings, which I, another Third Worlder, understand very well.

In Panama, Rafael, our tour guide, defended his country not only against “gringo” stereotypes, but also, against neighboring Columbia. It seemed that Columbia’s past occupation, and exploitation, of Panama will never be forgotten by the Panamanians. When I jokingly asked Rafael whether Panamanian coffee was better that the famous Columbian one, he, without hesitance, answered with a no.

Although he seemed to be proud of using American verses and expressions, he was always defending his country. Many times, he repeated: “On the 31 of the month of December in the year of 1999, Panama Canal became our canal.”

In Costa Rica, Francis, our tour guide, was not less nationalistic. The World’s best water, best banana and best coffee were those from Costa Rica. He didn’t forget to snipe at Whites and disclosed a “secret” that major American banana corporations, like Chiquita and Dole, shared the plantation we visited, but “put different stickers” on the produce.

Also, he wanted to tell us that he, a Black whose parents emigrated from Jamaica, was more civilized than other Panamanian because he spoke English in addition to Spanish. Also, there was the implication that, among Blacks in Panama, those of Jamaican origin were “better” than the natives.

Is all this pride expected – and natural?

Yes. If, forty years ago, I was a tourist guide in Port Sudan and was assigned to tell the passengers of “Constellation” cruise ship about Sudan, I probably would have told them that the water of the Nile River was the best in the World. Also that we, Muslim Arab Northerners, were “better” than the Dinka or the Nuer tribes in the South.

It is the same story again and again:

The “White Civilization” ship arrives, and Third Worlders, though fascinated and envious, want to defend their countries against Whites’ negative stereotypes, correct or false.

Is this “Inferiority Complex”?

I believe it depends on how the person defines his/her identity. If faith, any faith, is the core of the identity, other factors, like wealth, skin-color and power, become secondary. I believe ‘faithful” people tend to recognize and understand differences in matters like wealth, skin-color and power, but, most importantly, tend to strengthen their faith and to excel in their lives.

I believe Third World’s people need, first, to recognize, acknowledge (and respect) this White Civilization, and, second, to strengthen faith in themselves.

So, when the “Big White Ship” arrives at a Black or Brown port, it is a challenge for both sides: who has a higher – and stronger — faith?

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Israelis have been doing it for many years against the Palestinians, and now the Americans started doing it against the Iraqis: targeting a civilian, or a group of civilians, by rockets from the air.

Never in the history of wars did this happen.

But, again, never in the history of wars did a major country declared subtle war against a religion group: the Muslims, or so called Jihadist, extremist, violent, whatever, Muslims.

And they ask: Why do they hate us?

This is what happened:

Iraqi officials said a U.S. airstrike killed four members of a family north of Baghdad.

The U.S. military said that soldiers carried out the airstrike after ground troops were shot at during an operation targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni insurgent group. An armed man was seen walking toward a “group of buildings,” the military said. They cordoned off the area and asked him to come out, the statement said. When he “refused to comply,” the military said, soldiers “perceived hostile intent from the armed man and called for supporting aircraft to engage the building.” The man, whom the military described as a member of al-Qaeda in Iraq, was killed, the military said. The statement did not address the reported deaths of the woman and children but said four women inside the damaged building “sustained minor injuries.

Iraqi officials identified the dead man as Afar Ahmed Zeidan. The police official said Zeidan’s wife, Khawlah Talab, and two of their children, Noor Afar Ahmed, 8, and Alaa Afar Ahmed, 6, were also killed. Another child in the house was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

While the seasonal influx to Washington of international lifeguards from Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republicis familiar, this year’s crop includes students from even more distant European reaches. The fall of the dollar against the euro has pushed pool management companies to recruit ever eastward, including in such non-E.U. countries as Russia , Kazakhstan, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan.

The culture shocks they faced reminded me of my own, more than thirty years ago.

One said, “I was surprised to get credit card so quickly. I don’t know anyone in Moldova who has one.” Another: “I got sick of McDonald’s, so tried your Chinese food, but this too was very heavy. I think about my mom’s borscht and plov.”

But they found the Americans friendly: “I went to the post office to get a driver’s license and a kind customer drove me to the nearest vehicle agency.” And: “I helped a woman change her tire and she gave me a ride to Washington .” I remember, in 1972, on my second day in Washington , and in America , a woman’s car stalled at the traffic light and smoke came out. I hurried and offered help.

Fiery Cushman, a psychologist at Harvard University, wrote that sometimes people’s moral intuitions clashed with their reasoning. He was commenting on an overwhelming international help for the victims of a cyclone in Burma . He said that watching the suffering on TV made people more emotional, and that “even though people value reason and rationality, (they) are biologically programmed to react emotionally to visceral moral challenges.” On the other hand there are utilitarianists who tend to rationalize emotions, and to be selective. Like deciding that saving a child from drowning is “more close to home” than supporting a campaign against malaria in Africa. I believe, in an ideal society, people should “support right and correct wrong” anywhere. And, to do that, should sacrifice, first, with their time, then with their money then with their family, then with their lives – the highest sacrifice.