It's not that. I find that the SVX boards, much like the Trans Am boards, are openly anti-Arab, without really caring much for what any Arab members on the board think, and usually without much reason. I was born in Manhatten and raised in the Bronx, Clifton, and Jersey City.
I'm first gen American, and my parents came here because life here is better than in our war torn home in Palestine. Despite the media and the government constantly antagonizing Arabs, specifically Muslim Arabs (which fyi are about 18% of the Muslims in the world), and all the rights constantly being breached, and all the injustices seen day in and day out, it's still better to live in America for now. I can't imagine moving anywhere other than maybe the UAE, but even there, the people are just too different for me to ever get used to living with.
I'm Palestinian-American. I'm also Muslim, and not just one by name. I follow the religon very closely. Being American is a hyphenated nationality usually, and the huge melting pot formed over the past hundered years has become our identity, but there are still too many people not willing to accept that. Even the big bad government is helping us mainstream and love this country we're in. Just last month, Immigration granted the sheik at our local masjid citizenship, along with the rest of his family. He was initially denied because the Israeli government said he was a Hamas terrorist. They even sent three government representatives to the hearing in Newark to testify against him, and they admitted to holding and torturing him for months on end, telling him that if he just said he was part of them, that it would all stop. It was all shot down, and they were ridiculed in court by the judge for what they did. For those interested, this is a little video people made when they were raising awareness for the whole thing. I'm sure if you
his name or youtube it, you'd come up with a bunch of reports and whatnot on what happened:
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mAUAtoIjI
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts1lb...eature=related
There are also a considorable number of Muslims and Arab Muslims in the United States Armed Forces. All the negative campaigning against Muslims and Islam after 9/11 killed a natural resource for America for people who naturally spoke the language. There would've never been a shortage of translators, guides, etc. had that not happened. In a few months, I'll be leaving for Basic Training for the ANG to help keep my home safe and to oust all the evil people that have done terrible things in the name of my religon. Do you know why the number of people that converted to Islam spiked in America after 9/11? Because people wanted to know if these people were really as insane and brainwashed as they seemed to be on TV. Qur'ans flew off shelves in Barnes and Noble, Borders, small bookstores, and local libraries. Seerat Al-Rasool (The Life Story of the Prophet Muhammad) soon followed when they Qur'ans were sold out. Educate yourselves just a little bit before you go around generalizing.
Do you honestly think that we raise our kids with all the love, time, and attention any good family would just so they could go blow themselves up? The fact that people think that that's possible means that some educating is needed, and the fact that things like that happen mean that there's definitely something wrong with that part of the world. I would highly suggest you all go watch Occupation 101. It interviews a lot of Jewish/Israeli people, red cross, UN, former political figures, former Israeli government officials and the like, and they all speak of the situation in Palestine. Here's a link for those interested:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?...01&emb=0&aq=f#
That's my $0.02 on this. I don't wear a towel/sheet on my head, I don't ride camels, and I don't want to blow anything up other than a few fireworks we pick up from the PA wholesalers every now and then. Stop being ignorant. That is all.