In a recent edition of “The Pittsburgh Post Gazette” a woman wrote a letter in regards to September 11 events. In the letter, the woman wrote that other Americans shouted at her “Go back to your homeland.” She is an American, who happens to be Muslim. In light of the events, Americans are facing discrimination because of their nationality or religious preference. It is wrong to blame innocent people for the actions of others. The sad thing is that this does not surprise me.

Americans are looking for someone to blame. The day the World Trade Center crumbled, we had a name and a country to blame; the basic okay to hate. On the news, we watched children as young as five and six years old celebrating the attack on America. The anger that swelled in some of us lead people to make statements like, “KILL the little bastards”. It does not matter that these children have barely begun to think for themselves.

While I do feel it is good to have a sense of national pride, many are using pride as an acceptable reason to hate. Hate is a powerful word, but an even more powerful action.  In Arizona, someone claiming to be “for America”, shot into a Chevron station, killing the owner because of race. The gunman then proceeded to shoot up a Mobil station, whose clerk is of Lebanese decent and managed to fire several shots into the home of an Afghan family, before being arrested; no one else was killed. Women are being harassed because they are practicing Muslims; Muslim women are easier to spot because of the head wraps they wear. People who look slightly like they could be from the Middle East are being watched as they board planes and in some cases removed from the planes, all of this because of an action inspired by hate.

            I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be angry; don’t misinterpret my intentions, many of us lost loved ones in New York, Washington D.C. and Somerset PA. What I am saying is we cannot blame innocent people because of the religion they chose to follow or the country they come from. Many of these people lost loved ones just as many of us have. 

            Furthermore, we have sons, daughters, sisters and brothers that watch our actions very carefully. We have to take into account that if we let them believe that it’s okay to hate, they will hate. This will continue to promote an ongoing cycle of hatred that will lead us back to where we currently stand. Hate is why so many innocent people died in the World Trade Center. We are disgusted by the actions of terrorists yet, many of us are acting just as bad. Do we honestly believe that by staking blame on others we will achieve justice? The harsh reality is many of us do.

            It is easy to hate, especially with situations this dramatic. What we fail to realize is that the real challenge lies within whether we can get past our petty differences. Begin to see people as individuals and stop associating a person’s character with their race. Respect all races equally and the natural outcome will be a more peaceful environment. The United States is supposed to be the land of the free, do not take that away. The sense of freedom that we all feel should not be limited to the color of our skin, the country we originate from or the religion we practice.