by Mandy Stevens
Daily Lobo
Professor Jennifer Moore said in 2002, the estimated number of Arabs and Muslims who were arrested and detained following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was 5,000.
By 2003, there was an estimated 12,000 people detained, she said, and not one of them was convicted of a terrorism-related crime.
"The fact is, people were arrested because of the way they looked," she said.
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The exact number of people arrested and detained is not known because the names of detainees have not been publicized, Moore said.
About eight to 10 people gathered at Guild Cinema on Monday to participate in a discussion led by Moore, a human rights lawyer and associate dean of Academic Affairs. The focus of the discussion was on the treatment of Arab-Americans following Sept. 11. The discussion and viewing of the film "Persons of Interest" is part of the 2005 New Mexico Middle East Film Festival.
"This is a kind of event that brings people out and puts them in an intimate setting," Moore said. "It really brings the issues home so we can focus on how to take action."
The film was an intimate look at 12 detainees who shared stories about their experience in jail. They were all arrested and detained because of expired visas and were not told why they were detained or how long they would be there.
Moore said the majority of people were re-arrested because of immigration problems - such as an expired visa - and then deported.
"It makes you feel like we're losing a lot of good, important people," said Eleanor Stewart, a participant in the discussion. "We are a country of immigrants, with those who have the sacred word of citizenship attached to their name, but don't have half of the spirit."
Many of the Muslim and Arab immigrants who were detained were not angry with the United States, Moore said.
"A lot of individuals who had been detained spoke of liberty and gratitude toward this country and a desire to stay, despite being put in solitary confinement for sometimes a year," Moore said.
Moore said when tragedies such as the Sept. 11 attacks happen, the United States should not retaliate with the same hatred and injustice.
"When people are afraid, it is very easy for people to generalize and stereotype," she said. "And when that view isn't changed it can be taken in an extreme direction. I think people now are afraid because this is not the kind of country that we want to be."
Moore said there are ways to change this sort of misconception.
"The first thing is to not act on fear and the only way to do that is to talk about the issues and analyze what's going on," Moore said. "We also need to put a lot of pressure on our government and let them know that we don't believe that people being detained is legal or smart or will have any good, practical outcome."
Charles Hall, a member of the audience, said he was cynical after watching the movie because it seems the people who uphold the law are also violating it.
"I just want to say forget it, and go to the mountains and get drunk," Hall said.
