A wave of discrimination has plagued the nation since the terrorist attacks earlier this month, with innocent Arab, Muslim and South-Asian Americans facing harassment, vandalism, assaults and even murder.
To help increase dialogue at Penn, a six-member panel discussed this recent backlash before an audience of about 50 students in Logan Hall last night.
Many in attendance agreed that raising awareness was a critical first step in the right direction.
"We, as Americans, need to start arming ourselves with information," said panelist Amel Ahmed, a political science doctoral candidate and a member of the Penn Arab Students Society.
Panelist Jeremy Brochin, director of Hillel, attributed the phenomenon of racial prejudice to the confused masses' need to direct their anger at a visible target.
"People don't know what to make of the world, so they put the blame on someone else," Brochin said. "It's a natural, psychological response to find a scapegoat, someone who isn't like us."
Panelist Rosane Rocher, director of the Asian-American Studies program, pointed out that many are making the comparison between the Sept. 11 strikes and the attack on Pearl Harbor, and that this comparison can be extended to the similar racism toward Asian Americans during World War II.
History's repeating cycle was a common concern.
"Mistakes in the past are something to be learned from," said panelist Benjamin Herzig, a College sophomore and member of the Muslim Students Association.
Not only Arab and Muslim Americans have suffered from the backlash, but also anyone who appears Middle Eastern or South Asian.
Panelist Anita Sreedhar, a College junior and a member of Sangam, noted that the Sikh community has been discriminated against simply because its members wear turbans.
One member of the audience mentioned that her Sikh father felt compelled the other day to remove his turban and replace it with a baseball cap before he entered a post office, out of fear that he would be mistaken for an Arab or a Muslim.
Ahmed noted the dangers of the rampant "social profiling," resulting from the idea that the terrorists "could be anywhere."
"I've been hearing from a lot of people, `You have to have a third eye out these days,'" Ahmed said. "Well, what are you looking for?"
Finally, the forum considered possible solutions to preventing the backlash from escalating.
"I hate to be negative here, but it can get worse," Brochin said.
Brochin emphasized that keeping discussion free and open was imperative.
"We have to continue to come together in forums like this," he said.
Acknowledging that attendees were already coming into the forum with open minds, the panelists encouraged them to discuss the backlash with others.
"We may be preaching to the choir here, but you all have friends who are not here tonight," Ahmed said. "Talk to them about it."
Sreedhar said that maintaining communication between different religious and ethnic groups is essential.
"Here at Penn, we self-segregate ourselves," she said.
Rocher stressed the importance of being aware of potentially discriminatory proposals to Congress.
"We can write to our congressmen and oppose discriminatory legislation," Rocher said.
Students said they attended the forum -- organized by College junior Shaun Gonzales, the special projects coordinator for the Latino Coaltion -- to gain both support and perspective on the growing issue.
United Minorities Council Chairwoman Jennifer Kwon, a College senior, said the forum was a good way for students to immediately confront difficult and delicate matters.
"Right now, it's fresh in people's minds," Kwon said. "Yes, it's painful to talk about... but this isn't going to go away by itself."
