Under scrutiny

In 1986, the Reagan administration was considering rounding up all Arabs and Iranians living in the United States and interning them in two military compounds in the South, according to information brought to light by Freedom of Information Act requests. This detention would have been implemented similar to the way the Japanese internment happened during World War II. Clearly, Reagan and his government decided against this course of action. \nHowever, the fact that it was brought up and considered, and as recently as 20 years ago, serves to well illustrate the delicate situation in which Muslims find themselves.\nThe position of Muslims in the United States is a precarious one. On one hand, Muslims can expect the same general freedom to worship as any other person in the country. On the other hand, Muslims can also expect that an FBI agent somewhere might compile a dossier on them should they utilize that right. The Patriot Act gave the FBI that ability in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Nobody needs to inform an American Muslim of this surveillance, of course, as the Patriot Act also allows for the collection of their evidence in secret.\nIf FBI agents don't like what they see, they could label the Muslim in question an "enemy combatant," lock them away without access to the outside world and hold them indefinitely. The FBI can do this to a native-born American, even if it is arresting them in, say, Bloomington, according to recent rulings in the Jose Padilla case. The government can suspend the inalienable rights of an American, rights over which the Revolutionary War was fought, at its discretion.\n"That sure does suck," many of you might be thinking to yourself right about now, "but what's that got to do with me?" Well, first of all, a violation of any American's civil rights can conceivably serve as a precedent to violating all Americans' civil rights. That means you too could one day be labeled an "enemy combatant." The second reason I mention this to you is because probably some of it is new information to you.\nThe best way to prevent the former scenario from happening to you is to stay informed of what is going on around you. As luck would have it, there is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the situation of Muslim Arabs tomorrow. Dr. James Zogby, head of the Arab American Institute, will be kicking off a three-day conference on the situation of Muslims in the West with a lecture at 4 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium. \nYou can't really defend yourself against issues you don't understand. In the end, it's a matter that \naffects us all.