events

Expressions of support for Muslim students and Muslim community members here speak well for Pocatello. The outpouring of concern for local Muslims has been both heartfelt and sincere.

It appears, though, that many international students will not be back here next fall. That’s not just because two Middle Eastern countries announced they will no longer provide scholarship support for students from their nations attending Idaho State University. Muslims, and even individuals who appear to be Middle Eastern, have reason to fear for the welfare of themselves and their families here. The fact that Pocatello is not the anti-Muslim community media reports have claimed will not readily change that.

“What can we do to help?” has been the most common question I have heard in response to news last week that the stabbing of a Middle Eastern student at ISU may have been a hate crime. That incident was just the latest in a string of anti-Muslim acts in Pocatello recently.

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I am distressed that such intolerance can rear its ugly head in this community I’ve called home most of my life. Here are some thoughts about what’s happening and, more important, what can be done about it.

We are a community governed by laws. Those laws take effect after some wrong has occurred. A criminal prosecution, though it may punish the perpetrator, does not repair the damage of the crime.

Even if someone is ever charged for stabbing an ISU student while calling him a “terrorist,” that charge will not heal the knife wounds. Nor will it restore the sleep lost by parents worrying about the safety of their children or even make others feel secure in their homes and daily lives.

While laws are necessary and useful, they cannot and do not, by themselves, solve the problems of prejudice and intolerance. Only people who are willing to speak out and act against discrimination and hate can have that effect.

There will, of course, be those who continue to promote intolerance. An estimated 15 to 20 percent of our friends and neighbors live in an echo chamber of discrimination. They get so much feedback from sources of intolerance that they actually believe their views are widely held. Only by speaking out is it possible to show them they are wrong.

Here’s one such example. “Dear Neighbors,” read a hand-written card delivered on Saturday to the home of foreign students near ISU. “We want you to know that we are HAPPY to have you living in our neighborhood. There are a few hateful people doing scary things in Pocatello right now, but most of us are pleased that you are here. We appreciate the diversity you bring to our small town and university and feel terrible about recent events.” The card, which originated with a middle-aged couple, was also signed, with personal notes, by others.

If you want to know what you can do, do as these fine folks have done. Speak up. Offer a kind word or gesture. Show that hate is not a Pocatello value.

Speaking out does make a difference. While criminal prosecution has its place, trial in the court of public opinion is ultimately the most persuasive form of accountability.

Dave Finkelnburg is the current president of 2Great4Hate, a Pocatello human rights organization.