[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 19019-19020]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     AMERICA MUST OPPOSE HATE CRIME

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Madam President, one of the guiding principles upon 
which the United States of America was founded is that of religious 
freedom. Indeed, it is guaranteed in the Constitution, and it is a 
right that we as Americans hold dear.
  Our forefathers came to these shores from nations all over the world 
searching for the ability to worship as they pleased, and even now, 
men, women and children still come to the United States to do so. 
Today, virtually every branch of religion known to man is represented 
here in the United States. That fact should not only be expected in a 
Nation of immigrants, but our diversity of cultures and religions 
should be celebrated.
  However, in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, events 
have occurred across this Nation that fly in the face of our 
Constitutional guarantees. Acts of hatred have been perpetrated against 
Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans as if they had carried out or even 
condoned the killing of thousands of innocents.
  I am disturbed by the stories I have heard in the last few weeks; a 
Sikh gas station owner in Mesa, AZ, who was shot and killed in the 
weekend following the attack simply because he was wearing a turban; a 
Pakistani Muslim grocer in Texas, as well as an Egyptian Christian in 
California, both killed in crimes of hate as a result of the attacks; 
two girls in Palos Hills,

[[Page 19020]]

IL, beaten because they were Muslim; a mosque in Evansville, IN, 
damaged by a man who rammed his car through a wall. We have had 
incidences of intolerance in my own home state of Ohio, I'm sad to say, 
where large ball bearings have been tossed through the windows of Arab-
American owned businesses in Hamilton, and an Islamic Center in 
Cincinnati continues to receive harassing and threatening phone calls.
  These stories, which have resonated across the country, do not 
constitute the views of the majority of Americans. Indeed, most 
Americans are peaceful and tolerant. The individuals perpetrating these 
crimes may think these acts represent patriotism, but they are far from 
it. Instead, they are perpetuating a hatred similar to that which drove 
19 terrorists to take so many lives on that fateful Tuesday, and it 
must stop.
  There are 6.5 million Muslims living in the United States today. By 
September 27, the FBI was investigating over 90 hate crimes committed 
against Muslims, individuals of Middle Eastern descent, or in some 
cases, individuals who appear Muslim or Middle Eastern. While these 
cases are under investigation, the Council on American-Islamic 
Relations has received reports of more than 625 attacks against Arab-
Americans. This type of bigotry cannot go on.
  On September 11, the terrorists did not single out their victims 
based on what they looked like or how they worshiped. They killed 
American citizens and foreign nationals of dozens of other nations 
indiscriminately. They murdered men, women and children of different 
ethnic backgrounds and religions, many of whom were themselves Muslims.
  Some of our citizens have lost loved ones and friends, yet the vast 
majority of us have lost only our innocence. Our Nation is hurting 
right now, and we will all grieve in our own fashion, but we must not 
redirect our anger and frustration against one another.
  Even in the face of such hatred in our own Nation, the rays of hope 
and compassion still shine. The same Islamic Center in Cincinnati that 
has been the target of hate has raised $6,000 for the American Red 
Cross, and will hold a blood drive soon to help in rescue efforts. 
Muslims from the tri-state area, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, have also 
helped in the relief efforts, calling on their community to donate 
blood, give money, and pray for the victims and their families.
  As President George W. Bush stated in his September 20 speech to the 
Nation, ``[Islam's] teachings are good and peaceful, and those who 
commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.'' We must 
not only remember these words in the weeks to come, but we need to 
assure men and women of all backgrounds that the American people 
understand that the terrorists who attacked the United States do not 
represent all Muslims, just like those who commit hate crimes against 
Americans of Muslim or Middle Eastern origin do not represent all 
Americans. The more that we understand one another, the greater the 
chance for peace.

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