UCLA NOTEBOOK: BRUIN LAMENTS IMAGE OF ISLAM.At UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , as in most locker rooms, ethnic jokes are as much a part of the atmosphere as snapping towels. And nobody is more good-humored about it than reserve linebacker Audie Attar, the Bruins' lone Arab and one of their most outgoing players. Tuesday's terrorist attacks changed that. ``We joke about our heritage all the time,'' said Attar, who was born in Bagdad, Iraq. ``This time there hasn't been one joke.'' Amid speculation that Arab extremists were behind Tuesday's attack, Arab-Americans around the nation are finding themselves subjected to threats and violence. On Wednesday, a man in Suffolk County Suffolk County may refer to:
v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. windows at mosques in Texas. And in Washington State, a prison fight erupted when one prisoner uttered a racial slur while inmates were viewing news broadcasts. While Attar hasn't experienced any problems, it hasn't taken long to rekindle re·kin·dle tr.v. re·kin·dled, re·kin·dling, re·kin·dles 1. To relight (a fire). 2. To revive or renew: rekindled an old interest in the sciences. memories of the Gulf War and the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma, where anti-Arab currents surfaced. ``It's just like the Oklahoma City bombing See Terrorism "The Oklahoma City Bombing" (Sidebar); Venue "Venue and the Oklahoma City Bombing Case" (Sidebar). . The first people they blamed were Arabs and fundamentalists,'' said Attar, who is active in UCLA's Arabic student organization. ``Right now, I'm not worried who it is. I'm more worried about the people who were lost and the families that were left behind to mourn.'' Attar says he was taunted by a handful of elementary-school classmates Classmates can refer to either:
``Only he understands what it's like,'' said linebacker Ryan Nece Ryan Clint Nece (born February 24, 1979 in San Bernardino, California) is a professional American football player who plays for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as one of their starting linebackers. . ``If he's walking down the street, I'm sure he's wondering if people are looking at him differently. In a time like this, with all the stuff we've heard on TV, it can create a lot of hostility.'' Said Attar: ``You're going to have ignorant people who commit these crimes of terrorism and you're going to have ignorant people that are going to stereotype that one group and label everybody of that heritage a terrorist. ``It's not of the Muslim religion to see innocent people die. It's a wrong representation of Islam and of the Arabic culture Arab Cultural Traits Generosity and bravery were the prominent virtues of and to the Arabs. In classical Arabic literature generosity and bravery were considered the two main traits of a great Arab. .'' --ASU game set: UCLA's game against Arizona State will officially be played Dec. 1 at the Rose Bowl. A time has not been set. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: AUDIE ATTAR ``We joke about our heritage all the time,'' said the native of Baghdad, Iraq. ``This time there hasn't been one joke.'' |
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