woman warrior response 3/1

Minh’s question:

Do you think that we live in a changing world where women are given opportunities to do so? Do you think that we as a society still make it harder for women to "rise"?

I feel in America, for women there are only a few limitations. In fact Hilary Clinton may have a chance winning the 2008 presidency. There are already several female prime ministers, monarchs, and chancellors. Currently, women in many developing countries are also gaining new opportunities. For example, ironically with the development of sweatshops, women in many south Asian countries are enjoying rights they never had before. The sweatshops provide many women with the opportunity to escape their duty as simple child bearers and earn a living. With this new freedom, women are now able to make choices as an economic force in the family. Although there are many strides in many countries, many restrictions still exist including in America. For example in America there is still the “glass ceiling,” disallowing women to climb to their full potential. In other countries, there is still a preference for males such as in China due to its one child policy. Much of the disparity in gender that exist in developing countries is due to its lack of cultural change.

Woman Warrior memoir 2/20

My Great Uncle- A Communist Hero.
A no-name person in my ancestry is my great uncle (brother of my grandmother). The story I heard from my grandmother is one of indifference to his actions. He was a communist columnist and an activist in South Korea during the Korean War. During the war, the South Korean government persecuted communists in the country, arresting and murdering them. Additional information I know about my great uncle is that he was the aire to my great grandfather’s wealth. However, by the war’s end the Kwon family’s wealth was nonexistent. Although in current times, Democracy may seem to be the greatest form of government, to many in Korea during a time of a disparate divide between social classes, Marxist philosophy seemed to be the preferable choice. Although my grandmother’s family was wealthy at that time, my great uncle still preferred communism. I imagine him to be a hero and champion for the poor rather than a villain. I imagine him to be a sympathetic man and an activist striving to decrease inequalities and disparities within the country. As for the question- what happened to the Kwon family’s wealth? I like to think that he used his assets to bribe police officers from arresting fellow communists, giving up money and land to aid the needy. He was as Paul Farmer is to the Haitians but to the Korean communists. To me, this no name great uncle is a hero.

Memoir 2/13

As an illustration of the hysteria and fear that resulted from the September 11 attacks, a friend of mine from high school faced much discrimination and racial profiling due to his appearance. This experience is similar to that of Muhammad Rafiq Butt and many other people detained due to anonymous tips from neighbors whom had feared those men.

My friend is not Muslim but a Sikh. In Sikhism, males must follow the practice of kes or leaving their hair uncut. As a result, they wear turbans, a practice often confused with the use of turbans in Muslim communities. Due to this association, much violence and contempt had been directed against Sikhs in America. Another practice of Sikhs that was questionable to American standards was their practice of carrying a kirpan or a ceremonial small sword.

As a personal anecdote, my friend told me how many times there were racist comments such as “Osama” or “diaper head” as a way to demoralize him. He told me that there were many such incidents in school and that the school’s administration neglected his pleas for having this issue further probed and resolved. In addition, he told me how throughout the country many Sikh’s were being murdered or beaten in hate crimes and that those attacks struck fear in the Sikh community. In reaction, my friend and his father traveled to schools and establishments to explain the difference between Sikhs and Muslims. This way, people would no longer be ignorant to their practices.

wiki entry ch 1. pg 1-9 2/08

Muhammed Ratiq Butt:

He has a wife and five children in Pakistan. He arrived to America, working in New York City’s immigrant economy, in order to send money to his family back in his home country. Due to his inability to speak English and his old age (55years old), he was forced to work in a restaurant and sweetshop in the “Little India” sector of New York City. On September 19^th, a tip from a local caller, caused FBI agents to arrest Butt. While in a U.S detention center, he died of a heart condition. Rumors spread amongst his Pakistani community that he was actually beaten, arousing fear. His body was shipped back to Pakistan with $1000 for his family.

Interesting Facts/ Statistics:

“From September 11 through February 2002, hate crimes and incidents of discrimination toward Muslims soared to 1,717 according to the council of American-Islamic Relations” (6).

“Of the approximately 1,200 [post-September 11] detainees, 762 were acknowledged later to be of ‘special interest’ to the government’s terrorism investigation” (8).

“Since the post-September 11 fallout, community advocates and lawyers working with detainees estimate that the total arrests and detentions in the Northeast have reached up to 10,000” (8)

Should be in collaborative wiki Feb 4

Should be in the Wiki:

1. A brief list and summary of violating laws, listed in the introduction
2. Summary of the experiences of the immigrants:
Ch.1 : Muhammad Rafiq Butt, Bobby Khan, Ali Raza
Ch.2: Abdullah Osman and his family, ALi Galaydh,
3. Voices of the victims- Pertinent Quotes from victims and their experiences

response to book Feb6

I am surprised to hear that events like these would occur in the U.S, especially right under our noses. It is shocking to hear that paranoia would get the best of America. These events remind me of the red scare and McCarthyism during the cold war and of the internment camps for the Japanese during WWII. Although, we acknowledge these events as horrid mistakes in history books, it seems that America has yet again repeated this mistake of allowing paranoia overcome rationality. The paranoia blurs the ideals of liberty and justice, which our nation is based upon.

In fear, many innocent and unsuspecting immigrants are blamed for events for which they have no association with and as a consequence are detained. Tram Nguyen quotes Subhash Kateel who states, “After 9/11 it was just unbelievable, the scale with which specific populations started getting targeted” (7). It is also surprising to hear that many Americans are allowing such things to occur and support laws and enactments in the name of defense and protection. Also within the prisons, the fact that immigrants are treated far more poorly disturbs me. In reference to prison conditions for immigrants, Tram Nguyen states, “…the report nevertheless painted a clear picture of due process violations and human rights abuses” (19). Tram Nguyen paints a vivid picture of the post 9/11 paranoia that has taken place and is still taking place. She illustrates the human rights violations through the experiences of several immigrants with different backgrounds.

Question: Have conditions gotten better or has it been exacerbated by such things as the recent immigration debate?