Letter To The Editor: R. Qader Speaks Her Truth About Living In America As A Palestinian and Arab
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Editor’s Note: R. Qader spoke at the City Council Meeting on February 20, 2024 during Public Comment (video of that is at the end of this article). In total, 51 people came out to speak about if Beacon City Council should pass a ceasefire resolution (which you can view at @alittlebeacon IG which inspired many people to come out who had never attended a City Council Meeting before), as dozens of other municipalities have done in New York and across the nation. During R. Qader’s speech then, she said her family were refugees during the first Nakba in 1948. She says she was in 8th grade during 9/11, and was harassed after that.
She says that she used to wear the hijab 🧕🏽 headscarf, because as a Muslim, the hijab is a form of protection. However, she stopped wearing it because she was targeted and it was no longer protecting her.
She was pushed down the stairs, and had her hijab ripped off her head.
She was called “terrorist” every day.
She was called “Osama mama”
She was told by her teachers that all Palestinians were born suicide bombers.
She had stink bombs thrown at her by her peers.
Every time something went wrong in a classroom, multiple students would yell “the Muslim did it!,” “the Arab did it!,” “the Palestinian did it!”
She’s had teachers maliciously butcher her name daily in passive protest to her identity.
She said there were no consequences for the way she was treated in school. Nothing ever happened to her harassers, who were other young kids and teachers. She was not protected. She wore a tshirt that said “No blood for oil” and kids said “blood for oil” in response.
She said that nothing was done to protect her. She said that Muslims and Arabs do not submit claims of harassment and abuse and threats because they are not protected.
R. Qader covers 3 points in her Letter To The Editor below:
“People may look at this differently than local hate crimes because it is an international matter, but I would argue this is an amplification of the anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian attacks that have been taking place long before October 7th. It has been well documented that Muslims are less likely to report hate crimes because they do not feel safe with their community leaders or law enforcement. Many in the Muslim community do not feel protected by the people or the institutions in place, people and institutions like this.”
Without this [ceasefire resolution from Beacon, NY]…we are not safe. Think of this statement as a blanket that puts a child to bed at night. A blanket is supposed to be comforting, safe and warm; yet, with this statement, we lay cold and exposed. Without the call for a ceasefire, it implies that our cities, the places we call home, have not only accepted, but condoned the murder of our people. Without the call for a ceasefire, Zionism retains the power, and we have seen and we have felt, for more than 70 years, what that power is capable of in their hands. Without the call for a ceasefire, I’m scared to walk down local streets because if they’re cool with harassing my people in Palestine, they’re certainly cool with harassing us here.
We’ve seen examples of this even at the most prestigious of institutions. At Columbia University, in America, IDF soldiers threw skunk liquid on students and violently attacked young men for wearing keffiyehs. One of those young men is now paralyzed. Yet still, this is not the most violent of attacks Palestinian Americans and supporters of Palestine face. In the supposed safety of his own home, a six year old child was murdered by his neighbor in Chicago. Without the call for a ceasefire, without the support of our local government to ensure our safety, what do we tell our children? You are neither safe on the streets, nor in your home. You are not safe anywhere.
“The violence we face is not hypothetical, and it is not new. I’ve dealt with this personally at a public Ulster county school following the September 11th attacks. I was pushed down the stairs; I had the hijab ripped off my head; I was called “Osama mama”; I was told “all Palestinians are raised to be suicide bombers.”
The violence we face is not hypothetical, and it is not new. I’ve dealt with this personally at a public Ulster county school following the September 11th attacks. I was pushed down the stairs; I had the hijab ripped off my head; I was called “Osama mama”; I was told “all Palestinians are raised to be suicide bombers”; I was told to go back to where I came from; I had stink bombs thrown at me.
Every time something went wrong in a classroom, multiple students would yell “the Muslim did it!,” “the Arab did it!,” “the Palestinian did it!” I have had teachers maliciously butcher my name daily in passive protest to my identity.
“All this was accepted and was condoned by both teachers and staff. All this happened at a place where I should have felt safe. These events have directly influenced my decision not to send my children to public schools. These events leave me wary of activities for my children where I cannot be present to ensure their safety.”
All this was accepted and was condoned by both teachers and staff. All this happened at a place where I should have felt safe. These events have directly influenced my decision not to send my children to public schools. These events leave me wary of activities for my children where I cannot be present to ensure their safety. Although my family are not residents in Beacon, we are active in Beacon. My husband works with local grocery shops and marts there, and my children and I attended classes and activities regularly in Beacon. I love Beacon as many people do. I have watched the city grow, expand and change for over three decades. However, I cannot overlook three very important issues that will affect my family and I’s decision to continue working with the community.
There is a rise in hate crimes pertaining to THIS specific issue.
People may look at this differently than local hate crimes because it is an international matter, but I would argue this is an amplification of the anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian attacks that have been taking place long before October 7th. It has been well documented that Muslims are less likely to report hate crimes because they do not feel safe with their community leaders or law enforcement.
“Many in the Muslim community do not feel protected by the people or the institutions in place, people and institutions like this. Our government, our media, and our leaders have continuously painted a picture of Palestinians as terrorists; we can see this throughout decades of film and television where Israel and Palestine is used as the butt of a joke or an allegory to an eternal struggle that will never end.”
Many in the Muslim community do not feel protected by the people or the institutions in place, people and institutions like this. Our government, our media, and our leaders have continuously painted a picture of Palestinians as terrorists; we can see this throughout decades of film and television where Israel and Palestine is used as the butt of a joke or an allegory to an eternal struggle that will never end. Even with what is happening now, even with the live footage, the images, the accounts from Palestinians posted freely online for all to see and share, the LIFE within the Gaza and West Bank borders is rarely acknowledged. We do not hear about the doctors, nurses, teachers, sanitation workers, or students of Gaza; no, instead, we hear “Hamas”.
“The call for a ceasefire does not mean you now stand with Israel or you now stand with Hamas. The call for a ceasefire means the recognition of Palestinians as humans, humans worthy of safety, food, shelter, and life.”
Hamas is in the hospitals,
Hamas controls the schools,
Hamas is in the tunnels;
Palestine is Hamas and Hamas is Palestine.
Let me state this clearly and loudly, I am NOT HAMAS. PALESTINIANS ARE NOT HAMAS. If my Jewish friends and colleagues in this community retain the right and the freedom to not be associated with Israel, then I and my fellow Palestinians retain that same right to declare we are not Hamas.
The call for a ceasefire does not mean you now stand with Israel or you now stand with Hamas. The call for a ceasefire means the recognition of Palestinians as humans, humans worthy of safety, food, shelter, and life. The call for a ceasefire means that Beacon stands for justice and safety of all citizens within its borders and beyond. As you talk about Cyprus, think of Palestine and her people. Our freedom will not be selfish, our freedom will not halt at the borders, our freedom can be your freedom too.
Liberation of Palestine has never and will never be exclusive. “Liberation for Palestine stands for liberation everywhere” has been heard throughout the world.
Firstly, dialogue is not going to help put pressure on our Congressman Pat Ryan, who receive funding from AIPAC to support a genocide. We have talked to him, too. We have had several meetings with him, and he sits, nods his head, sips his water when asked direct questions, and provides professional, political, placating responses. Although he listens, our words are not heard. He thanks us for sharing our stories and concerns, then accuses us of things that are simply not true, like “storming his office”. He thinks by taking meetings with us, we will simply overlook the fact that he is shaking hands with the small minority of people, who are trying to justify the killing and occupation of my people. To which I say, we will not look away, we will not stop speaking the truth, and we will not forget who you stood with when genocide was occurring.
“Do not let these people distract you from finding the truth for yourself. This is not a “conflict”; this is not “complicated”. This is an occupation, this is apartheid, and this is genocide.”
Do not let these people distract you from finding the truth for yourself. This is not a “conflict”; this is not “complicated”. This is an occupation, this is apartheid, and this is genocide. The ICJ, the ICC, and Amnesty International have said this is plain language. That being said, let me be clear, no one is asking you to choose a side; that is not why we elected you to your position. We are not asking you to draw the plans for free Palestine yourself. We are not asking to be superheroes and save the world. What we are asking is for you to fulfill your role as an elected official by representing the people in your constituency and amplifying our voices. Your community is here to tell you that we demand you to call for a ceasefire and push the resolution.
“We are not asking to be superheroes and save the world. What we are asking is for you to fulfill your role as an elected official by representing the people in your constituency and amplifying our voices. ”
The resolution put forth will make a difference. It will make Palestinians in our community and those who stand with Palestine feel safe and heard by our leaders. This resolution amplifies our voices to our district and state officials. This resolution will require them to hear us. We have tried talking with them directly, and despite maintaining their stance that they speak for the majority of their constituents, they have continuously voted in support of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF, same as IDF) and for the continuation of violence. We need you to help amplify our voices and make it known, these votes do not represent the people.
“The resolution put forth will make a difference. It will make Palestinians in our community and those who stand with Palestine feel safe and heard by our leaders. This resolution amplifies our voices to our district and state officials. ”
Calling for a ceasefire will unite us with national cities and communities that have already made the call. Beacon would not be the first, but it will not be last. Some may argue that calling for a ceasefire or passing this resolution is a “waste of time”, but standing for humanity has never been and will never be a waste of time. Showing our children that we do not accept genocide will never be a waste of time.
Telling the nation that we do not accept the murder of over ten thousand children is not a waste of time. Standing alongside our Palestinian Christian, Muslim and Jewish community to call for unity and safety will never be a waste of time. There is time for dialogue and there is time for action. Right now, we need action. As we debate calling for a ceasefire, Palestinians continue to die, starve, and succumb to preventable illness. WE as Palestinians do not want to be refugees, again. We as Palestinians want to remain on the land of their grandparents and their grandparents before them. We as Palestinians want to be able to stay, live, raise our children and prosper on our land.
Just recently, we have watched as our U.S. government approved billions of dollars to go to Israel and stopped funding to a UN organization that works exclusively with those Palestinians refugees you spoke of today, the UNWRA. Our government has been vocal in support of the Palestinian people, but has actively working against the Palestinian people. We need you, more than ever, to represent us and amplify our voices.
And again, I’d like to highlight that this pain doesn’t come from this community directly, it comes from what this community is a part of, the bigger picture. This pain comes from the state and the nation that is steadfast in funding and supplying the weaponry that has been murdering my people and occupying my people. Blood is on the hands of our nation’s leaders. We cannot be silent.
I call on your action. Not your words. Your action. And I call on you to act towards a permanent ceasefire, now.
“And again, I’d like to highlight that this pain doesn’t come from this community directly, it comes from what this community is a part of, the bigger picture. This pain comes from the state and the nation that is steadfast in funding and supplying the weaponry that has been murdering my people and occupying my people.”
I was taken aback when some council members stated they feel a call for a ceasefire would disrupt the peace in the community and that remaining silent is the better course. Certainly, I would think the opposite as true. Calling for the end of a violent, disproportionate attack would welcome conversation, peace and dialogue more than remaining silent on the issue. Silence implies acceptance, implies compliance, and implies support. For myself, I would be much more open to sit at the table with someone who is openly vocal against the murder and occupation of my people. I will certainly not shake hands with someone who has been silent about the ongoing genocide in Palestine, further with someone who does not stand for the end of occupation or genocide in any nation around the world. You cannot expect me to trust someone who lacks basic humanity, to sit with a person who cannot see the ills and crimes being committed. We, as Palestinians, have tried this in the past, and it has never ended in our favor. We have learned from experience to fear those who cannot see us as people and to fear those who remain silent.
I have to reiterate this is not a complicated decision. You do not need a degree to stand against violence. It is that simple. This is not an issue that does not affect us in the community; this is not an issue “over there”. This is a community issue. When Black Lives Matter protests were happening here, the people of Palestine stood up with us. George Floyd was painted on the walls of Gaza; they were able to recognize and connect the injustices against American people as directly connected to the injustices they face. How can we not do the same? How can we not see that the violence, hatred, and anger is directly affecting our community? That it is dividing us?
“One council member stated that she would love and welcome Palestinian refugees to Beacon, which is a beautiful sentiment in theory. However, it is simply that - a sentiment. The Palestinians do not want to be refugees, and would certainly not want to be forced to move to a city that refused to acknowledge the bloodshed of the families, friends, and community members. ”
One council member stated that she would love and welcome Palestinian refugees to Beacon, which is a beautiful sentiment in theory. However, it is simply that - a sentiment. The Palestinians do not want to be refugees, and would certainly not want to be forced to move to a city that refused to acknowledge the bloodshed of the families, friends, and community members. Furthermore, if this council is not acting to protect its Palestinian-American constituents from hate crimes and bigotry now, how could we promise refugees safety?
Every moment we spend debating whether the call to end violence is “appropriate”, Palestinians are dying, Palestinians are being bombed, Palestinians are being shot, beaten, and starved. The time to act is now. The time to show the world that the people of Beacon stand for peace, humanity and liberty is now.
