Sophomore Abdul-Wahab Kayyali can't escape the aftermath of last Tuesday's terrorist attacks. He didn't lose any family members, nor did he witness the event firsthand. But the native of Jordan does have to cope with the tragedy's ramifications on Arabs and Muslims in the United States.
On the McGraph highway in Cambridge, Kayyali and a friend saw anti-Islamic rhetoric, including the phrase "Nuke them all!", displayed on the back of a pickup truck. As the nation focuses its investigation on Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden, and reports of hate incidents abound, Arab Americans across the country are concerned about their safety.
"My daily routine is affected greatly," Kayyali said. "I can't help to think of what could happen
"We've suffered with everyone in this tragedy, and now we're suffering for being blamed for this tragedy."
At Tufts, no formal reports of hate crimes have been filed. But Dean of Students Bruce Reitman says incidents may have occurred.
"I haven't heard of anything concrete," he said. "I have heard stories; I don't have actual reports. I know it is going on in the Boston area and throughout the country, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was happening here, although I hope the students are above that."
In an e-mail yesterday to the Tufts community, President Larry Bacow addressed the issue. "I have heard reports that some of our Muslim, Arab, and international students have been subject to unkind remarks or worse. We cannot tolerate this behavior. I hope if you witness it, you will speak up and express your disapproval. We must reach out to everyone, and not allow anyone to be isolated during a time when each of us feels fragile and vulnerable," Bacow stated.
Kayyali witnessed one such incident at the campus center last week. She said a female Arab student watching television was interrupted by a phone call from Saudi Arabia and left the room speaking Arabic; she later returned to hear another student ask her, "how dare you watch TV with us?"
Over the last week, Tufts has made known its concern over the safety of Arab students. Police patrolled the area surrounding the Islamic Center during last Friday's prayer service, and the University held a forum called "Blaming Others: Demonizing/Dehumanizing" on Thursday. Arab students were also given the opportunity to vocalize their concerns at last Wednesday's candlelight vigil.
But while students understand the emphasis on safety, some believe that it has detracted from those who are mourning. Sophomore Colin Stewart, for one, spoke about the importance of supporting those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.
"I think the concern [for Arab and Muslim students] is warranted, but my main concern is that Arab student safety is overshadowing what has happened. There were three straight speeches about Arab student safety at the vigil. I think people should reflect on the tragedy instead of just being concerned for things that haven't happened yet," Stewart said. "On the flip side, we can't do anything about the tragedy at the World Trade Center, but we can prevent future unwarranted acts of hatred against anyone."
While the University has not had to deal with widespread intolerance, there has been a multitude of reported hate crimes towards Arabs and Muslims across America. According to CNN, there were more than 300 reports to the Council on American-Islamic Relations of harassment and abuse from last Tuesday through Thursday night, nearly half the total number it received last year.
Despite the discomfort that has set in - and the fact that his parents call him from Jordan everyday to make sure he's safe - Kayyali feels secure at Tufts. "I give credit to students and security," he said.
President and vice-president of the Arab Students Association, Sarah Yamani and Seif Shieshakly, have expressed their fears to Kristine Dillon, dean of academic services and student affairs.
"Many people [in the association] were concerned the first week, just afraid, having heard incidents all around America, of people getting threatening phone calls, racial slurs, vandalism," said Yamani, who spoke at the candlelight vigil last Wednesday. "The university has done what it can and we all appreciate that," Shieshakly said. "But you can't control what people may think."
He noted that the Arab freshmen in the group feel particularly vulnerable at this time. "For some of them, this is their first time in America, their first month here... they're really scared, they're in the dorms away from their families," Sheishakly said.
The emotions of Arab and Muslim students have been effected by events that extend beyond the Tufts campus.
"Muslims and Arabs are being discriminated against throughout the country," Kayyali said. He stressed that bin Laden is an extremist with his own views and that he doesn't have Arab and Muslim support.
"He doesn't represent Islamic views in any way," Kayyali said.
Other Boston-area schools are also making an effort to ensure Arab and Muslim student safety.
At Harvard University, members of the Islamic Society received an e-mail that blamed all Muslims for the terrorist attacks. The society immediately reported the incident to both the Harvard Police and the FBI. The author of the message subsequently wrote an e-mail apologizing to the group.
Yamani attended a discussion at Boston University that addressed discrimination. BU also heightened security for its Arab and Muslim students.
Some Arab students have opted to leave school for the time being. Yamani knows Arab students at Boston College, BU, and Georgetown who are returning home to Saudi Arabia out of fear of war and discrimination in the US.
Yamani feels that Tufts is a safer campus than most. "I can't speak for everyone on campus, I can only speak for the safety of Arab students on this campus, but the University has made us feel safe. I think they've done a good job," she said.
"I am proud to be at Tufts right now," she added. "At Tufts, people are exposed to different political issues and different people from different backgrounds and there are so many international students here, you are more open and exposed to more ideas. On the streets, the Arabs need to be aware. We are warned 'don't go out in public alone,' because that is where the incidents happen."
Yamani hasn't felt as safe off campus. "When I'm speaking in Arabic, I notice people from far away watching, normally they wouldn't even notice. I feel like we're more watched now," she said.
Muzzamil Mustufa, president of the Muslim Student Association, has his own concerns. "I think that we're trying to be careful. Our main concern, especially for Arab or Muslim students, is that they feel that they have someone to talk to. We're trying to make people feel safe. We want everyone to be careful," Mustufa said.
Mustufa emphasized that the attacks do not represent the people of Islam, nor do they represent the Arabs.
"It is unnerving that something like this, something you can't control, causes some people to look at you differently and be suspicious of what you think," Mustufa said. "Personally, I want this to go through this as peacefully as anyone else."
