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March 20, 2003
Those from Middle East frightened by this war
By IVONA LERMAN | News-Journal Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH — A mixture of fear, acceptance and disbelief swept over the people of Middle Eastern heritage here as they watched news of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Some cheered the possibility of a world without Saddam Hussein, hoping it could bring long-term peace to the region. Others worried about the safety of their families at home, reliving memories of the 1991 Gulf War.
Many shook their heads in disbelief, wondering what really prompted President George W. Bush to attack Iraq now.
“Other countries pose a threat,” said Jamil Khader, a Palestinian Arab from Israel, who teaches English at Stetson University in DeLand. “Why Iraq? There´s no connection between Iraq and al-Qaida.”
Khader and other Muslims said the war against Iraq makes it seem like the United States has a bias against the Islamic world.
“It makes one wonder, with the threat in North Korea, why are we focusing on the Arab world?” said Idris Muhammad, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Daytona Beach. “I´m concerned about the fact that maybe the American government is seeing itself self-righteously – that the only lawful and just life has to be the American model. That kind of frightens me.”
Residents from other Middle Eastern countries expressed similar concerns: Most acknowledged that Saddam Hussein is an evil man but said war seemed premature.
“As much as I don´t like the Iraqi government, I believe war is not the answer,” said Sara, a Daytona Beach Community College student from Iran who´s been living in the United States for eight years.
Sara, who requested her surname not be used, said she was four years old during the Iran-Iraq war and still remembers air-raid sirens going off in the middle of the night.
“It´s a bad experience for a child to go through,” she said. “Going to war should be the last thing to do. This war is not going to solve much. They are just killing innocent people who are against Saddam.”
Rabya Batterjee, another Daytona Beach Community College student and from Saudi Arabia, also remembered the first Gulf War and the interruption it brought to her life. She said she fears the war could spread beyond Iraqi boundaries again, affecting her friends and family.
“I´m frightened,” she said. “I´m worried about the people in the Middle East and what´s going to happen.”