Arab-Americans of many backgrounds, were equally loud and committed to the ideas indicated by their placards: We’re American Citizens, Not Terrorists; Stop the Madness-Recognize Palestine; Support Peace-Not Israel; and Down with Zionist Imperialism. There were numerous women’s rights advocates protesting the exploitation of women in both America and the Muslim countries.
Inside the round convention hall gathered nearly six hundred of southern California’s most prominent Palestinian-Americans. During the 1970s when Israel shoved Palestinians out of their homeland and neighboring Arab nations failed to offer them refuge-in the Arab world Palestinians are looked down upon as dirty, uneducated troublemakers, common laborers, housemaids, and garbage collectors-a large number of wealthy and educated Palestinians had moved to southern California. The group assembled inside the convention center were the elite; doctors, pharmacists and successful business people. A large number were Armenian Christians. No matter what their faith, all the delegates that morning were committed to one objective, the restoration of the State of Palestine and an end to conflict in the Middle East.
It was hoped that this convention would help raise awareness and understanding among the American people that Palestine was not a terrorist state. Terrorism was the desperate act of a handful of deranged people. The overwhelming majority of Palestinians were willing to find a way to live with their new neighbor, Israel. All they wanted was their country back.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. It is time to begin.” As the chairman of the convention welcomed the attendees, the muffled chants from the growing crowds outside formed an eerie backdrop, a faint threat rising and falling against the walls. Dr. Ahmed Khoury quickly finished his welcoming remarks and introduced the keynote speaker. Thunderous applause momentarily drowned out the chanting outside.
Dr. Brian Walker strode confidently up to the lectern, shook hands with his host and acknowledged the enthusiastic applause of the crowd with a nod of his head. At fifty-five years of age, Brian Walker portrayed a commanding presence. His long black hair tied in a ponytail showed striking silver streaks at the temples. He still had the easy gait of an athlete. Accustomed to controversy as a result of his radical views on freedom and international law, he had accepted this speech as an opportunity to address not just these Palestinian expatriates but also the American people. Numerous reporters from the major print media were in the audience, as were camera crews from CNN and the other major networks. A team of reporters from the Arabic news network, Al Jazeera, had their TV cameras ready. With all the exposure, Dr. Walker was looking forward to helping America understand the gravity of the country’s growing tide of hostility towards foreigners.
“During my lectures at Berkeley, I’m used to the angry mob being on the inside instead of the outside.” The crowd laughed nervously.
He stared at the audience filling the circular hall, then his voice boomed out. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” After a long pause, during which the only sound was the muffled chanting outside, Dr. Walker continued. “So begins the second paragraph of one of the most important political documents concerning human freedom ever written. The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, by fifty-six courageous individuals representing the original thirteen United States of America.
“What a powerful and visionary document.” he declared, his voice gaining in intensity. “It’s a shame America won’t live up to it.” Many in the audience gasped, several murmured angrily. “And I’m not talking about those people outside. I’m talking about our elected officials, the supposedly courageous upholders of our sacred Constitution. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, and the Bill of Rights were intended to be guidelines to help this nation live its values. But they have become a collection of highly malleable words that can be interpreted to fit the needs of whoever is in power at the time. Let me explain. And listen closely, because it is about to happen again.
“It is early 1942. The days following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor witnessed a great drop in American resolve. Unable to strike back effectively against the mighty Japanese empire, America instead lashed out at fellow U.S. citizens and peaceful resident aliens of Japanese descent. Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, called for the deporting of all Japanese and Americans of Japanese ancestry from the Western coastal regions of the United States to concentration camps in the interior. Canvas-tented camps ringed with barbed wire and armed guard towers were hastily erected in such garden spots as Posten, Arizona, Manzanar, in the cold and bleak California high desert, and Topaz, Utah.
“The sad truth, as this deplorable act proves, is that constitutions and laws are not sufficient of themselves to protect the citizens of a nation from their own government. Despite the clear and concise language in the U.S. Constitution that writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, and despite the Fifth Amendment’s statement that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, these constitutional safeguards, these inalienable rights, were denied to over 110,000 people, many of whom were American citizens, under Executive Order 9066.
“Then in 1944 this travesty, born out of fear, was upheld by our Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision against an American citizen, Fred T. Korematsu, convicted in a federal court in 1942 for refusing to report to a relocation center, instead remaining at his home in San Leandro, California, a designated ‘military area’ at the time.” Dr. Walker paused, sweeping the room with his dark eyes. Suddenly, as if on cue, the assembled throng outside the convention center let out an angry roar. “In the not too distant future,” Dr. Walker went on, unfazed, “I suggest our Constitution will again be grossly violated, except the names will not be Korematsu, Kodani or Yamamoto, but Hussein, Mohammed, or Markarian.
“Let me be perfectly clear. Even though all of you here today are American citizens, some naturalized and some born in this country, you must stand up for your constitutional rights. If you don’t, the crown on the Statue of Liberty will be tarnished once again by the fear and ignorance of our elected officials. As you know, attacks on those of Arab descent in the United States are dramatically escalating. Some Americans, in their ignorance and insecurity, are lashing out at anybody with dark skin and an Arab-sounding name. Just as in 1942, the first attacks will come from frightened citizens in local communities. These will be followed by military intervention, and then an executive order.”
A woman in the audience began to weep. The chants from the angry mob outside swelled to a frightening crescendo.
“You think it can’t happen? That America has learned from its prior mistakes? Well, think again. It can happen again, and it will.” Professor Walker’s voice, strident at the microphone, was drowning out the noise of the crowd outside. His hands clutched the lectern.
“And who are these people who will trample on your constitutional rights? They are the individuals, the political organizations, and the nations who profit from terrorism. The Palestinian people are not terrorists, they just want their homes back. No, I am talking about greedy elected officials, entire countries, and highly sophisticated criminal organizations who profit from war and international upheaval. They don’t want peace and will do whatever they can to perpetrate unrest, generate fear, and provoke conflict. And, believe it or not, one of those countries is the United States.” Walker coughed, then paused for a drink of water from the cold sweating tumbler atop the lectern.
“Yes, our country is no longer free, but held hostage by special interest groups-the Jewish lobby, the fundamentalist Christian lobby, the defense and aerospace industry lobbies. All pour massive amounts of money into the coffers of politicians across the nation, many of whom are now so deeply indebted that they no longer represent the will of the American people. Our elected representatives have become political pawns of special interest groups, and if unchecked, these servants of the people will take away your inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Dr. Brian Walker paused to sip some water. All at once the heavy double doors to the convention hall crashed open, startling him. “What the hell?” he exclaimed, as the water glass slipped through his fingers and shattered on the stage.
For a few frozen moments, no one moved. An eerie stillness gripped the convention hall as it dawned on both groups that an ugly scene was about to explode. The emotional venting outside had gone unchecked for too long. Someone hurled a flaming Molotov cocktail up onto the stage. In a panic, one of the security guards drew his pistol and fired in the direction of a tattooed biker, poised to throw a second gasoline-filled cocktail. Before the biker released it, the bullet struck, spraying flaming gasoline all over him, instantly igniting his long greasy hair and beard. He dove to the floor, screaming and rolling, while people nearby backed away, protesters and delegates alike, shoving each other in an attempt to flee to safety. The shoving quickly escalated to physical blows.
