A story that appeared in my local paper:
Local Family Faces Threats
By CORRIE OWEN
Register & Bee staff writer
DANVILLE, Va. — When Sam and Iman Fouad became American citizens, they swore an oath to promise to protect the United States from all of its enemies.
“When you swear and promise, you have to keep that promise,“ Iman Fouad said Monday, wearing a homemade American flag pinned to her shirt.
The Fouads, who formerly lived in Port Said, Egypt, own and operate Pino’s Italian Restaurant at 608 Westover Drive. Since Thursday, they have received three phone calls at their restaurant accusing them of celebrating when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked last Tuesday.
They deny all accusations, explaining that neither of them worked in the restaurant on Tuesday.
“I was there for 10 to 15 minutes to get lunch, and that was it,“ Sam Fouad said.
Like everyone else in America, the Fouads are upset about the terrorist attacks on our nation. They don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt innocent people.
“We love this country. We love America,“ Sam Fouad said. “We all live under one flag.“
They also love Danville.
When their restaurant burned to the ground last December, they had to move their business to a temporary location while they rebuilt the building.
“This town helped me, supported me, brought us money and food when we needed it,“ Sam Fouad said. “No one from Egypt called us to ask if we were OK.“
The first threatening phone call took place Thursday afternoon when a woman called stating that she had heard Sam Fouad say Tuesday that “America deserved it.“ According to Iman Fouad, the caller was rude and screamed obscenities at the waitress who answered the phone.
A second call came Friday around 11 a.m. Iman Fouad said that the man was nice. He introduced himself, and then said that he needed to ask her a question.
He said, “Is it true that you and your husband were celebrating the terrorist attacks on Tuesday? Are you happy that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked?“
She answered, “No, we’re very sad. We want to help. We want to know where we can go to donate blood. We want to know what we can do.“
She said that the man seemed satisfied with that answer and politely said goodbye.
The Fouads received a third phone call around 12:30 p.m. The man was angry, Iman Fouad said.
He said to her, “Y’all have been celebrating, and y’all are gonna be sorry. Are y’all still open for business? Y’all had better close your doors and go home. This is the first warning I’ll give y’all, and there won’t be a second one.“
Fouad said that she was upset by the phone calls and cried all day on Friday.
The Fouads reported the phone calls to the police, and an officer stood watch at the restaurant Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Since the rumors began, however, many Danville area residents have again rallied around the Fouads. They have received numerous phone calls from people telling them not to worry, that no one is going to hurt them, that they are praying for them.
“One minister came in to pray with us,“ Iman Fouad said. “Another woman came in and said, ’My name is Lisa. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. But I want you to know that we are praying for you and your family.’ Then we both started crying and hugging.“
“I want to thank the people who support us, who don’t believe the rumors, and who are praying for us.“
Like his wife, Sam Fouad is baffled by the accusations.
“If I hate this country so much, why am I here? Why wouldn’t I go back to Egypt? Why would I rebuild my business from scratch? Why would I buy a house. I’m happy here. I have a beautiful home; I drive a nice car; I have a good business. I’ll be honest with you. If I stayed in Egypt my whole life, I wouldn’t have these things. I’m here because I want to give my children everything I missed.“
The restaurant’s business, however, has not been affected by the rumors.
“We have regular customers. They are good to us. They come to eat every day,“ he said.
Fouad moved to the United States 18 years ago. His wife joined him here in 1993.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is alerting the nation about a recent string of what appear to be anti-Muslim hate crimes related to the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. The organization has recorded several hundred incidents of anti-Muslim harassment, threats, discrimination and violence.
“Muslims have received many messages of support from people of other faiths who abhor the anti-Islamic backlash that is now taking place. Unfortunately, the bigoted acts of a small minority are creating an atmosphere of apprehension and fear in the American Muslim community,“ said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
There are an estimated seven million Muslims in America and some 1.2 billion worldwide. |
