by B. R. GOWANI
PHOTO/New York City Police Aviation Unit/Los Angeles Times
Racism has been part of the United States pre- and post-founding history and has been around in overt, covert, subtle, or hostile manner since the first Europeans landed in Florida in 1513. The experience bank of ordinary people, and sometimes extraordinary people, from the minority communities never lack racist encounters. But racism against Barack Obama has multiplied since he took office.
Whether it is that Obama is a Muslim who took his oath on the Koran instead of the Bible, or that he is not a US national, there are all sorts of lies circulating for a long time now.
This February, a rap group Wolverines posted a video of their song “O.T.P” or “One Term President.” Some of the lines from the song are:
“Whats the holdup? I’m still duckin rounds in the sand, man.
I’m sick of smellin like a mosque after Ramadan.”
“Hard core birther here, let me make it clear for you/B. Hussein, he isn’t even president, we ain’t seen a b.c. he [tore up?] all the evidence.”
The abbreviations b.c. are for birth certificate. The verses stink of racism, communalism, and white superiority. The song does not give any kind of evidence of what (black) Obama has done different than the previous 43 (white) presidents did—that is, work for the affluent class, and wage wars on small countries.
You get a good sense of the prevailing anti-Obama sentiments when you listen to people in the Southern states (also known as the Bible Belt.)
When they are talking among themselves, unaware of your presence, their vocabulary is charged and rough. However, when they realize you are there, many of them try to be as articulate as they can in presenting their dislike of Obama.
One incident that conveyed the most anti-Obama hatred I have come across happened when I was passing through an affluent town in Georgia and stopped by a countryside grocery store with a small restaurant on the side, all owned by a white old lady. There were few framed pictures hanging behind the counter, a couple of them had the store owner pictured with George Bush Jr. I inquired about how she was doing, and how her business was. She seemed content (there was not much competition around) but was not happy with Obama.
She said: “The day Obama became President, that day was our second 9/11. We and many other people didn’t turn on the TV that day.”
It was January 20, 2009. She queried my origins and religion. I told her originally I am from Pakistan and was born in a Muslim family but am an atheist. For many people in states which form the Bible belt, more shocking* than your former Pakistani nationality is your lack of belief in Supreme Being. She was shocked and said she would pray for my soul and would like me to get on the religious path. I granted her the permission to pray for my soul and took her leave.
(I had encountered a similar kind of experience in another state. This time it was a police person who assumed I was a Hindu. In a way, he was somewhat correct. My ancestors were Hindu indeed.)
The only time the US mainland has been attacked from outside was on September 11, 2001, in which more than 3000 people died. It was carried out by Al-Qaeda. To compare that ghastly event with a black person assuming the presidency is not only outrageous but stands at the height of racism. But then racism is not even distantly related to reason so such behavior is to be expected.
Political fanaticism is no different than religious or capitalistic or any other ideological extremism; and it is the breeding ground for hate, violence, and greed.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com