Muslims brace for angry response

Muslims should not be judged according to the bad ones because in every community you will find good ones and bad ones," a Jordan native says.

By LEON M. TUCKER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 13, 2001

CLEARWATER -- If the sweat on Fouad Tarhine's forehead failed to tell the story of his past two days, then the man at the door of his convenience store Wednesday did.

"I see your people are bringing this s--- over here now," said the unkempt man who poked his head inside the glass door. "Why don't you take it back to where you came from?"

Patrons watched in silence as the man turned around, spit on the sidewalk out front, got in his car and drove away.

"You see, this is what I have to deal with now," the store manager, a native of Lebanon, said. "Even some of my customers I've known for more than two years walk in now and won't even look at me."

Area store owners with Arab and Muslim ties reported mixed experiences in how they have been treated in the wake of Tuesday's attacks in New York and Washington.

As federal authorities search for suspects, Muslims fear they could be unjustly blamed for the horrific misdeeds.

On the night of the attacks, Shade Ahmad, who works for Tarhine at the Roadrunner Food Store on Court Street, said he had to close his store 40 minutes early because unruly customers were threatening revenge.

"Not everyone is the same," the Brazilian-born Muslim said. "You had the Oklahoma City bombing and everyone was blaming the Arabs and it turned out it was a psycho, crazy American.

"I'm sure this is going to affect us big-time."

But it was business as usual for Mahamoud Said, who works at Betty Lane Food Mart on North Greenwood Avenue. Said (pronounced sah-eed) attributes this to a mutual respect between the store and the neighborhood.

"The people here do not judge all people the same," the 52-year-old Jordan native said. "Muslims should not be judged according to the bad ones because in every community you will find good ones and bad ones."

Ralph Guirguis, a Christian from Cairo, Egypt, is angry that people assume he is Muslim. After living in the United States for 10 years, he is horrified by the week's events.

Guirguis expressed his patriotism as he pleaded for people to learn the difference.

"Tuesday was the first time I felt like an American," he said.

Theodis Clay of Clearwater said Muslims never should have been placed in this predicament. "If the government had done their job protecting us, we wouldn't be going through this," Clay said. "But I don't think you can single out or harass them for this."

Mike Schratt agrees.

"I don't think anyone should be harassed," the 51-year-old Clearwater businessman said. "It just doesn't make any sense."

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