Palestinian conflict

A recent report out of North Carolina tells of three Palestinian students who were attacked by at least 15 members of the Guilford College football team, according to court records. Some were said to be under the influence of alcohol. The attack occurred late Friday night or early Saturday morning on the campus of the Quaker-affiliated college. Three of the football players were arrested on charges of assault and battery on Monday. \nTwo victimized students were said to be severely injured according to police reports. Reports also allege that the students were called "terrorists" and other racial slurs during the five-minute attack. \nOne extreme irony about the incident is that this unprovoked attack occurred at an institution of Quaker affiliation. Quakers are known for being pacifists. \nOne of the victims, Omar Awartani, called it "the most horrific experience of (his) life" as well as a "horrible, unprovoked hate crime," according to the Greensboro, N.C. newspaper, News and Record. He said he had never seen his attackers before in his life and "they just began insulting us ... we tried not to fight them, we did not insult them back." \nIndeed, it would have been difficult for them to defend themselves when it was at least 15 members of the football team against three victims. \nThis pathetic, unevenly matched and unprovoked attack with "fists, feet and brass knuckles" demonstrates nothing more than the ignorant and bigoted attitudes that permeate our society, even in the 21st century. Is the American civil rights movement truly over if certain members of society have gone from lynching blacks to lynching Arab students? Awartani was also quoted as saying, "We were beaten because of who we were, because of what they thought about us. We were never even given a chance to defend ourselves."\nInstitutions of higher education are constantly trying to attract more international students and promote the ideals of diversity and increased global consciousness. These victims worked hard and left their countries to come here and study, thus contributing to both their own life experiences and to the universities they attend. \nWhat sort of message does the attack send to the Arab community in the United States? "We really want you to come study at our schools, but just as a disclaimer, you may be randomly targeted by racist drunks with brass knuckles on any given weekend?" \nWe wonder if there were any business majors in this group of attackers. What would they do if they went to work for a corporation and were sent to an Arab country for business? There are plenty of international students studying in America, and it's obvious that many U.S. citizens are extremely misinformed about the importance of racial diversity in American universities. Consider that IU in recent years has placed a greater focus on tolerance and promotion of diversity. Universities across the nation have the responsibility to educate in order to perpetuate such promotion. \nWe're all for sending American students abroad for a little bit of education and tolerance training. Adding a little balance to the process could go a long way.