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PAKPAC dismayed at
Fort Hood tragic
shooting
Maryland
Nov 6th 09:
PAKPAC condemns in the
strongest terms the
cowardly attack on
innocent soldiers at
Fort Hood, TX resulting
in the murder of
thirteen soldiers and
wounding as many as
thirty one. The attack was
particularly heinous in
that it targeted the
all-volunteer army that
protects our nation. Such violence is morally
reprehensible and has
nothing to do with any
religion, race,
ethnicity, or national
origin. No religious or
political ideology could
ever justify or excuse
such wanton and
indiscriminate violence.
Pakistani Americans
stand with their fellow
Americans of all faiths,
ethnicity and
backgrounds in offering
prayers for the victims,
and sincere condolences
to the families of those
killed or injured.
PAKPAC requests to all
mosques in USA to
conduct special prayers
for the victims and
their families.
PAKPAC is
proud of the sacrifices
made by all US soldiers
who defend our
Constitution and our
national security, they
serve loyally in the
United States military.
US military including
3500 Muslim men and
women
in uniform represent the
religious, racial and
ethnic diversity of
America
.
Many soldiers including
Pakistani Americans
have been
honored
for their gallantry and
service to the nation.
See more details about
services of Pakistani
Americans in the US
military at
PAKPAC website.
The Pakistani American
community thanks the
Department of Defense
for their careful choice
of words in all their
communications with the
media. Their responsible
action separates us
Americans from various
others who may use words
and phrases before
actual knowledge of
realities.
PAKPAC board members and
all other Pakistani
American community
members have received
calls from friends from
all walks of lives since
yesterday. These have
included, friends,
neighbors, co-workers,
religious leaders from
all faiths including
people of Christian,
Jewish and other faiths.
Public officials,
Members of Congress,
local politicians, and
civil rights
organizations as well as
our law enforcement
agencies have been in
communication with us
about our safety and
well being.
We want to thank you all
from the bottom of our
hearts for your care,
love and sense of
community.
Today PAKPAC
representatives had a
conference call with the
representatives of the
US military, Department
of Defense, Department
of Homeland Security,
Department of Justice,
Federal Bureau of
Investigation and other
agencies. We thank them
for their time and
availability to listen
to our concerns of the
current times and their
clear understanding and
position that the
appropriate agencies
will ensure that anyone
from any community found
to be involved in hate
activity and hate crime
will have to go through
the punishments and
processes according the
extent of the law.
PAKPAC would like to
thank the various US
media outlets who have
exercised restraint in
drawing premature
conclusions. Some of
these media outlets who
gave been carefully
taking the hate messages
off their blogs are
really appreciated.
Regrettably, in the
past, the actions of one
individual from a
particular ethnic
background or religious
faith have led to the
scapegoat of entire
communities based on
actual or perceived
ethnicity, religion, and
national origin.
The actions of a
few should not invite a
backlash on innocent
members of any community
and we urge law
enforcement and others
to keep that in mind.
PAKPAC urges the FBI and
law enforcement agencies
to make every effort to
protect the civil
rights of Americans.
PAKPAC calls upon law
enforcement agencies to
provide immediate
protection for all
Mosques, community
centers, schools, and
any locations that may
be identified or
misidentified with being
Pakistani American,
Muslim or Arab.
PAKPAC as a
precautionary measure
for the benefit of
Pakistani American
community is providing
the following advice, in
the event of unwanted
hate-motivated backlash
violence against our
community:
1) IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU
KNOW IS TARGETED BECAUSE
OF ETHNICITY,
RELIGION, OR NATIONAL
ORIGIN:
Call the police (dial
911 in most communities).
Contact the local
FBI field offices .
It is the FBI's job to
investigate
hate-motivated crimes
and specific threats of
violence. If the threat
is imminent, go to a
safe location such as a
police station, school,
library etc. If you feel
threatened in your home
or community, move to a
friend's house or a
hotel for as long as
necessary. Contact
PAKPAC to file a
complaint by emailing
Report.Hate@pakpac.net
or by calling
202-558-6404.
2) IF YOUR PLACE OF
WORK, PLACE OF WORSHIP,
OR SCHOOL IS TARGETED:
Make sure the location
has an open line of
communication with law
enforcement. Make sure
you know all the exits
to your building. Make
sure the location has a
current emergency plan
that is defined and can
be implemented should
the need arise.
3) IF YOUR CHILD IS
TARGETED:
Make sure you discuss
the events with your
children and that they
feel comfortable
speaking with an adult
if they face harassment
by others. Work with
your children's school
to implement an
anti-discriminatory
policy. Talk to your
child teacher and school
administration about any
situation that your
child is uncomfortable
with. Make sure your
children know what steps
to take to avoid
confrontation with other
students.
PAKPAC asks everyone to
be alert, use caution,
and exercise common
sense. PAKPAC urges
community members to
contact local law
enforcement and
community-based
organizations including
PAKPAC at
Report.Hate@pakpac.net
or 202-558-6404 for
assistance and
information in the event
of any backlash, such
backlash could take the
form of hate messages
(email, graffiti, and
vandalism), property
damage, or life
threatening situations.
We call on American
people including
political leaders, the
media, and community
organizations to set a
tone of unity as the
investigation unfolds
and the healing process
begins. |
