With war brewing in Afghanistan, and emotions still running at fever pitch after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans should vigilantly avoid the domestic shortcomings of ethnocentrism and mistrust. This will require an understanding of cultures that are vastly complex. Just ask Communications Studies major, Hazem Ibrahim.

A native Syrian, Ibrahim came here to study and understand the American media and its portrayal of the Islamic world, which he said causes resentment in the Middle East. He received a Fulbright scholarship, which was perfectly tailored to his goal of understanding the West, from an Eastern perspective.

“The main goal is to acquaint people with America, and acquaint America with other people. It has a sort of an ambassador?s perspective,” Ibrahim said of the program. That is, until the Sept. 11 tragedies in New York City and Washington.

“All of a sudden those events came and shifted the world,” Ibrahim said. Since then, he has been struggling to make sense of the events, and how they correlate with his studies in communication. This has been difficult. However, he explained the disaster from his perspective.

As a Middle Easterner, Ibrahim has spent much of his life close to the conditions of poverty and political frustration that create groups such as Osama bin Laden?s. In the context of Islam, however, such groups are a contradiction. “The idea behind Islam is peace,” Ibrahim said.

As Americans, we cannot accept draconian anti-immigration, though some changes in our laws will obviously be made. According to a New York Times editorial, “Congress and officials charged with homeland security will have to explore ways of enhancing the screening of visa applicants, border vigilance and the screening of and the monitoring of foreigners already in the United States. But to go further and suggest that the attack calls for a drastic reduction in the number of immigrants and foreign visitors would be irrational and counterproductive.” Though all of these ideas could be productive, they cannot be effective without understanding the complexity of foreign cultures, especially Islam. I suggest that we as Americans educate ourselves?

?Those of you who thought the University was immune to the backlash against Arab Americans need only visit the dorms. One resident said the majority of Arabs are terrorists. “It?s their way,” he said. His point of reference was the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Not wanting to spring open that can of worms, I attempted to change the subject.

“How ?bout them Raiders?” I said lamely.

Puzzled, the stranger continued, telling me his conclusions were drawn from an Arab history class. Let?s hope it wasn?t at Sacramento State.

Several nearby residents agreed. I am at a loss to make sense of such ethnocentrism among seemingly intelligent university students?

?On a lighter note, nearby Rivercrest Village Apartments did not discriminate when towing its own residents? cars last week. Judging by the number of cars being moved to make way for re-paving, residents were not given sufficient warning, in spite of what management claims.

“We didn?t actually tow any cars,” said Resident Manager Beth Matteo. “We just had them moved to another part of the property.” Ironic, considering a tow truck was seen dropping cars into an abandoned tennis court. Workers actually broke into residents? vehicles to straighten their steering wheels for towing.

“I?m not the guy to mess with,” one construction worker told me upon further investigation. Management was equally terse. Next time, they said, cars will be impounded.

Would such brazen treatment of tenants occur at a complex that wasn?t full of students? Probably not.

This melee is part of a disturbing trend in vital low-cost housing near Sac State. Earlier this year, there was an attempt by Fairlake apartments near Howe Ave. to disallow co-signers. That position was quickly reversed after pressure from local newspapers and citizens, including Associated Students, Inc. President Artemio Pimentel. Perhaps local apartments need another wake up call.

Joshua K. Leon is opinion editor of The State Hornet. He can be reached at [email protected].