Dear Editor,
The anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks has been marked by controversy and heightened tensions generated by the proposal to build a mosque and cultural centre near Ground Zero and the now unfulfilled threat of a Christian minister in Florida to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11.
With mid-term elections less than two months away in the United States the issue of Islam and its place in America will be the subject of intense discussion, debate and media attention. The rallies and counter rallies will continue and the suspicion of Muslims will be even greater. The impact of these events will not escape Guyanese Americans, especially since two Guyanese Muslims, one a naturalized US citizen and the other a former Member of Parliament in Guyana, have been convicted of plotting terror against the US.
In fact, having been informed of the heightened attention that Guyanese Americans, especially Muslims, were likely to receive following these convictions, I took the initiative to write to the US Secretary of Homeland Security asking that law enforcement agencies not unfairly target Guyanese because of these convictions. A copy of that letter, sent on August 5, 2010, is attached. My source had also informed me of the pending announcement, which came on August 6 via an Associated Press interview in Miami, that a citizen of Guyana had become chief of al Qaeda’s global operations.
It would be naive of anyone to assume that such developments would not occasion increased scrutiny of Guyana and Guyanese by law enforcement agencies and even by some of the radical right citizenry in the US. Hence, it is important that Guyanese and other Caribbean Americans, individually and collectively through our various community organizations let it be known that we condemn violence in all its forms, including terrorism. We have to be vigilant and guard against those who might want to unfairly and illegally profile us or seek to discriminate against us based on their ill-conceived perceptions.
The Government of Guyana and other Caribbean governments also have a critical role to play in generating confidence amongst the international community that they are committed to fighting terrorism and that the vast majority of their nationals are law abiding and peace-loving human beings. This should be an agenda item when Caricom member states hold bilateral meetings with the US, Canada, Great Britain and other countries on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
Yours faithfully,
Wesley Kirton
