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Shaima Alawadi
Police have yet to determine if the murder of Shaima Alwadi, a 32-year-old Iraqi American mother of five who was beaten to death last week, is indeed a hate crime. Alawadi died last Saturday of head injuries after enduring a brutal beating a few days earlier in her El Cajon, Calif. home, which appeared broken into; a note that family members found next to her read something along the lines of “go back to your country, you terrorist,” as her daughter told media.
Her family said it was the second note of this kind they had found in a week. Alawadi’s death is being investigated as a possible hate crime, but police haven’t drawn any conclusions. Meanwhile, El Cajon’s large Iraqi immigrant community is shaken, and the murder has resonated internationally.
Coming a month after the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed black boy shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida, Alawadi’s murder has drawn comparisons to that killing. There has been other violence against Muslims in the U.S. over the last decade, even against people perceived to be Muslim, like Indian Sikhs. But for a number of reasons, Alawadi’s murder carries special weight for Muslims and Arab Americans. In this Q&A, Salam Al-Marayti of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles provides his take on why.
M-A: Shaima Alawadi’s murder seems to be resonating in a way that other violence against Muslims (and some non-Muslims, like Sikhs) has not. What can you tell us about the public reaction, and the weight this particular act of violence carries?
Al-Marayati: Number one, the brutality of the incident, in terms of murdering a young woman who is a refugee from somewhere else, from persecution in a place where violence was seen every day. She left Iraq in 1993, so she probably witnessed attacks by Sadaam’s forces. I can recount the stories of people trying to make sense of something so senseless, as was happening in Iraq. And now the same senselessness has happened here. People cannot make sense of the brutal murder of a young woman who is leaving behind five children.
And because of what has been happening politically in terms of the attitudes against Islam and Muslims, this incident was really a spark that has triggered so many concerns. Leaving the note that the culprit left definitely reeked of a hate crime, and that is the perception at this point, though we don’t know what transpired in that living room and we have to await the final report from law enforcement.
M-A: This happened against a backdrop of growing concern from Muslims, as anti-Muslim hate crimes have ticked up in recent years; last fall, the FBI reported an increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents between 2009 and 2010, from 107 to 160. And while these make up only a fraction of overall hate crimes, there’s a sense of unease. What kind of incidents are typically being seen?
Al-Marayati: Generally what we’re seeing is, number one, vandalism against mosques, places where Muslims would be congregating. And harassment against someone that is perceived to be Muslim, though they may not be Muslim themselves, like a Sikh or a Latino or African American.
There is definitely this rise in bullying against young kids, elementary school kids, and that has definitely spiked in the last couple of years. I can’t pinpoint what incidents took place to trigger that, but it is happening. Many parents, mothers and fathers, are very concerned about the identity formation of their children now. Teachers, superintendents of schools and parent-teacher associations need to be made aware of this.
M-A: Where does political discourse fit into the current climate? There have been the Muslim hearings held by Rep. Peter King, for example, among other things. And why is this happening now?
Al-Marayati: Animosity against Muslims in the United States is increasing, and you can see it in two ways. Number one, when someone questions the allegiance of Muslims in a candidates’ debate (as Herman Cain did last year), they use Muslims as a punching bag. Several presidential candidates have said they would not appoint a Muslim to their cabinet, and there has been silence to that. The silence in and of itself is very troubling. (When someone referred to President Obama as a Muslim in front of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich), Gingrich didn’t say anything.
Then in 2008 John McCain said that he’s not, he’s a good guy. The whole national discourse on Islam has been reduced to such ridiculous levels.
