Page 2 - Aruba Today
P. 2
A2
UP FRONTThursday 24 March 2016
American Muslims defy Sen. Ted Cruz’s call for surveillance
GILLIAN FLACCUS as mostly meaningless rhet-
Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — A oric.
few miles from Disneyland
is a place most tourists Majd Takriti, 43, stopped to
never see. The signs along
the thoroughfare suddenly discuss Cruz’s remarks as he
switch to Arabic script ad-
vertising hookah shops, picked his mother up from
Middle Eastern sweets and
halal meat. a butcher shop. He said he
At a run-down strip mall in
the neighborhood known took Cruz and rival Donald
as Little Arabia, flags from
a half-dozen Muslim coun- Trump with a grain of salt.
tries flap in a stiff breeze.
Flying above them is a gi- “A lot of what they say is
ant American flag.
After Sen. Ted Cruz called to attract attention,” Takriti
for increased surveillance
of Muslims in the U.S., many said.
people in this community
and others like it either A block down the street,
challenged the Republi-
can presidential candidate Jordanian native and 44-
or dismissed his comments
year U.S. resident Wathiq
Bilbeisi slurped on lentil
soup during his break at
a Jordanian restaurant.
He seemed mystified by
the concern among some
non-Muslim Americans
about the candidates’ Wathiq Bilbeisi enjoys a lentil soup in Orange County’s “Little Arabia” neighborhood in Anaheim,
Calif., Wednesday, March 23, 2016. He discussed remarks by GOP presidential candidate Sen.
comments. Ted Cruz that advocated for increased surveillance of Muslims in the U.S.
“The politicians, they want Associated Press
to say whatever the con-
stituents want to hear. I what they say, and in the to terms with themselves,” a significant presence.
end, they’ll have to come he said. In Washington, Deputy At-
don’t think they mean Bilbeisi wasn’t worried torney General Sally Yates
about the GOP seeking was asked Wednesday at
major changes to U.S. law. a news conference about
“When they go to Congress calls to step up patrols of
to get laws to watch the Muslim communities.
Muslims, nobody’s going to She said the Muslim com-
do anything about it,” he munity “is one of our great-
said. “It’s against American est partners in our fight
values.” against terrorism and pub-
At a nearby hookah shop lic safety generally.”
displaying pipes in a rain- Ahmad Tarek Rashid Alam,
bow of colors, employee publisher of the weekly Ar-
Guss Zayat questioned abic-language Arab World
whether IS members were newspaper and one of the
true Muslims. immigrants who helped
“They are killing more Mus- build Little Arabia, said
lims than anyone else in anti-Muslim statements are
this world. They are kill- familiar.
ing children. They are kill- “This has been going on
ing Christians and Muslims in every Islamic neighbor-
in our home countries,” hood for years,” he said.
said Zayat, who came to “But now our kids are in
America from Beirut about the police, in the Army. Are
three years ago. Politicians they going to watch us?”
“should know the differ- He said Cruz’s remarks
ence between ISIS and Is- seemed aimed at exploit-
lam.” ing prejudice to get votes.
Cruz’s statement on Tues- “The way he talks, it could
day came hours after the work maybe 40 years ago.
deadly attacks at the Brus- But now, it’s too late. Islam
sels airport and a subway is part of the country.
station that killed dozens . We are already in the
of people and wounded country. We’re part of the
many more. The Islam- country whether he likes it
ic State militant group or not.”
claimed responsibility. Sam Chashku, a Syrian im-
He said law enforcement migrant who arrived in 1996
should be empowered to and married an American-
“patrol and secure Mus- born Christian woman, said
lim neighborhoods before Cruz’s comments simply
they become radicalized.” made him sad.
Echoing earlier statements “We love this country. We
from Trump, Cruz also said came from nothing. They
the U.S. should stop the flow gave us everything. It’s
of refugees from countries crazy. This country is built
where the Islamic State has on immigrants.”
