Punish one group, punish all

Just as we have condemned the attacks by terrorists on our innocent citizens, so too should we condemn the racist attacks on innocent Arab Americans who are no more tied to this violence than your average white Christian was tied to the Oklahoma City bombing.\nThe deplorable acts by the terrorists on Tuesday in New York and Washington has opened a seeping wound in America. Fifty years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we have seen the tumultuous struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. We have apologized and repented the actions taken to rid the Japanese Americans from our landscape via containment camps during World War II. We ask for strength, we pray for even temperament, we vow to amend the sins of the last generation. \nBeing a current resident of Florida who lives less that 20 miles from Embry Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach (a reputed site where some of the terrorists might have received training) the situation is not much better than that of IU. At the University of Central Florida, there is a sizeable international student population. The Muslim Student Association on campus posted numerous signs expressing their sadness for the tragedies committed on Tuesday. \nBut it seems that a formidable percentage of the university population does not believe this, and many students have been targeted for attack. I implore Americans to remember that this country is composed of millions of immigrants, who came here to enjoy religious and political freedom. Eradicating Muslims from this nation -- along with any other ethnic group -- will not solve the plight of terrorism that has occurred here this week. Just because something is written on paper does not make it tangible in reality. Please stop the violence.