MauriceReeves.com

I personally do not feel that it is Indians (or Hindis, or Sikhs) that are the problem in the world anymore. People who are not intelligent enough to tell the difference between an Arab, a Pakistani, and a Hindu, well I really have nothing good to say about those people. Just because a person has dark skin and may work at 7-11, or drive a cab, doesn't mean he's a terrorist. The facts will show that it is overwhelmingly the Arabs that are creating the problems in the world today, although the most recent attempted attacks out of London were British-born Pakis. I have no problem telling jokes and poking good-natured fun at all ethnicities, including whites, as I can see the humor in almost any situation, dire or not. But folks really need to come to grips get over this xenophobia...Indians/Hindis should not be considered a threat to our security or our country, generally speaking. It is the Muslim radicals (including many, but not all Arabs and Pakis) that are out there, trying to attain their 72 virgins and a place by their Allah's side in Paradise. Forgive me for being cynical about their religious views, but killing hundreds or thousands of people just for that, well that just comes across to this white boy as fucked up, I can't think of a word that better emphasizes my view on these imbeciles.

And certainly I'm not opposed to joking. George Carlin and Lenny Bruce and others are very funny, and I agree with Carlin that's it's not the words we need to worry about, because they're just words...it's the racist asshole using the words that we should worry about.

Fantastic post.

Of all the groups that are discriminated against in the United States I think that Indians have it the easiest. Sure there are occasional attacks by stupid politicians, miscreants, and the like, but for the most part the community enjoys a great deal of protection. It stems from the fact that they are the most affluent minority group--with a larger than normal population of highly educated and skilled doctors, programmers engineers and journalists. As you may be aware, there is a very strong contingent of South Asian journalists in the media (check out http://www.saja.org) and they make a point to publicise ever instance of discrimination and hate crimes against their community. I think one reason you hear so much about these events in the media--and not, say the million attacks on african americans--is because of high ranking journalists are Indian.

Jeff,

Unfortunately in your rant about people being not intelligent to tell people apart you showed your own ignorance. First saying Hindis the "is" makes you sound like a KKK member from down south. No one is a Hindi. There are people who speak Hindi or Hindustani as a language. There are people who have the Hindu religion all around the world... a majority of which are South Asian.

You go on to talk about how you have nothing to say to people who (People who are not intelligent enough to tell the difference between an Arab, a Pakistani, and a Hindu, well I really have nothing good to say about those people.) Jeff it seems you are a little confused yourself. There are Hindus in Pakistan as well as Sikhs and Muslims just as there are in India. There are Muslims that are not Pakistani and not Arab. The highest concentration of Muslims is in Indonesia. Most of these people are NOT Arab or Pakistani.

On to your misunderstanding of a religion. Have you ever read the books of the religions (Sikh, Hindu, and Islam ) ? If you read Islamic literature and talked with an imam at a mosque near you...you may realize that there is no line in any Islamic text that talks about 72 virgins. Actually the line you have been lied to about talks about how all those that go to heaven will be together with the perfect partner. You might say "soul mate."

I understand that you felt you were trying to clarify and narrow your uninformed opinions about people by showing your love for all the other brown people...but you were completely confused on the people and you were completely WRONG about the "72 virgins."

( (((jeffs comments below)))

I personally do not feel that it is Indians (or Hindis, or Sikhs) that are the problem in the world anymore. People who are not intelligent enough to tell the difference between an Arab, a Pakistani, and a Hindu, well I really have nothing good to say about those people. Just because a person has dark skin and may work at 7-11, or drive a cab, doesn't mean he's a terrorist. The facts will show that it is overwhelmingly the Arabs that are creating the problems in the world today, although the most recent attempted attacks out of London were British-born Pakis. I have no problem telling jokes and poking good-natured fun at all ethnicities, including whites, as I can see the humor in almost any situation, dire or not. But folks really need to come to grips get over this xenophobia...Indians/Hindis should not be considered a threat to our security or our country, generally speaking. It is the Muslim radicals (including many, but not all Arabs and Pakis) that are out there, trying to attain their 72 virgins and a place by their Allah's side in Paradise. Forgive me for being cynical about their religious views, but killing hundreds or thousands of people just for that, well that just comes across to this white boy as fucked up, I can't think of a word that better emphasizes my view on these imbeciles.

Posted by Jeff | September 1, 2006 9:51 AM

JEFF,

You start off by saying that:
((((personally do not feel that it is Indians (or Hindis, or Sikhs) that are the problem in the world anymore.))))

You need to read more about India. India has the second largest population of Muslims. There are Jews, Christians, Zorastrians (called Parsis in India), Buddhists, Jains, Hindus, Sikhs, as well as pretty much every other religion (those were just the major ones) If you wanted to count down, It would be Hindus, Muslims, and on by percentages of Indians.

the part that I talked about there being Hindus in Pakistan was to point out how you said Arabs, Pakistanis, and Hindus. You mixed there separate categories together

Arabs (a culture Arabs include Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, some Zorastrians, and many other lesser known religions)

Pakistanis ( a nationality. Pakistan is a country, not a religion or ethnicity. Most Pakistanis identify there ethnicity as shared with Indians and Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans more than Arabs which they are not.)

Hindus ( A religion and way of life. Originated in India and in all parts of globe including South America and Australia. Mostly practiced by people of South Asian ethnicity ,but also practiced by other ethnicities)

JEFF,

(((Indians/Hindis should not be considered a threat to our security or our country, generally speaking.)))

"Hindis," no its not an optional term for Indians, I think Indians would rather be called brownies than be called "Hindis!"

Its not even a word man ... come on ?!

Your ignorance ( unknown to you ) about people of the world and about your fellow U.S. Citizens
is the reason people discriminate. Most of us U.S. citizens don't even know the capital of our own country let alone Canada's. So this IS the reason all those "HINDIS" are getting the crap for some over zealous militant people.

Raj,
Alright, lighten up on Jeff please. I know his personally, and he is a good man. He knows a lot about India (I'd say more about the average American) and he's definitely the kind of person to call someone out when they're being discriminatory. His using the word "Hindi" when he meant "Hindu" was a typo.

Scott,
My point was not that South Asians have it worse off than other minority groups in the US, though I'm not going to claim to know one way or the other, but that in the US, with South Asians, the racism seems more acceptable than for other groups.

I truly doubt that a politician would ever make a comment like they did about another ethnic group and just think that all of America would be okay with it. And maybe that does in part stem from the relative affluence and middle-class status of Desi in the US. Maybe politicians at this point think that they're treating them like equals, but I have to be honest, it doesn't feel that way to me. I feels baser.

Maurice,

My point went farther than the "typo" Hind(is).

What about the often misquoted 72 virgins line.

Or about the assumption that Indians are only Hind(is) and Sikhs along with all the other confusion that came from his mind.

The point wasn't personally assault your friend...for that I would have to meet him in person. So please don't take offense Jeff.

well I'll tell ya. I never liked those hindoos, the hindees or the A-rabs anyway. Far as I concerned they pretty much like the negros we had on my gran' pappy's farm. Now I'm gonna go grab me some moonshine and russle me up some of my favorite 70 virgin farm animals (though that is one thing I gotta hand it to the injins for, they sure do love them cows).

LOL, Scott, you're crazy...

falling into character:
well them there brown people...donchoo kno that the pigment ah-fext their brains? They them there folk don know how to think without goin crazy...