Silence Perpetuates Violence

The following is an e-mail I recently received from the Muslim American Society. A very interesting portrait into the so-called "tolerance" of American society (multiple acts of vandalism, a police force that sits on its hands), and this in a blue state!

Alhamdulillah that I don't live in Revere as this poor family does!


(BOSTON) - When his car was vandalized for the fourth time, Lesley University security supervisor Sgt. Mohamed Kenawy could not tolerate this type of bigotry any more. So he kept his son and two daughters, ages 6, 10 and 12, from going to school and took them, with his wife, directly to the Revere Mayor's office, declaring, "If you can't guarantee our safety, we are going to live here in your office."

Sgt. Kenawy, his family and neighbors, had been the victims of hate crimes in their neighborhood for nearly five months, and it was time for it to come to an end.

In October of 2004, Sgt. Kenawy's wife and another neighbor's wife, both veiled, were sitting outside their homes in Revere when a couple of white youths shouted at them, "Go back to your f***ing country!"

Unbelievably, a few days later, the neighbor's wife was again victimized as her car was blocked by another vehicle, forcing her to sit, petrified and helpless, while a youth stood at her driver's side window shouting profanities at her. But this time, before the perpetrator's car could pull away the victim was able to get the license plate number of the vehicle. However, it wasn't long before long another verbal abuse incident occurred, and the victim was again able to obtain a license plate number. With the newly submitted license plate numbers, Sgt. Kenawy was at last relieved to learn that the Revere police would finally open an investigation.

However, the victims of these hate crimes didn't breathe easy for long. On November 2004, a neighbor's wife awoke to find that the family car had been savagely vandalized. The damage was so extensive that the insurance carrier categorized it as a total loss.

After the November incident, the media was finally alerted and a report on the vandalized vehicle was aired on Fox News. Despite the media attention, the investigation seemed to hit a dead end as Revere Police reported they were unable to track down the alleged perpetrators from the license plate numbers provided, stating that the numbers seemed to have been written down incorrectly on both incidents.

Unfortunately, Sgt. Kenawy would soon learn that the vandalization and harassment that he and his neighbors had been suffering through was not yet over. On January 8, 2005, Sgt. Kenawy found the rear driver's side window of his 1997 Dodge Caravan completely shattered, causing $400 in damage.

On January 11, 2005, one day before Sgt. Kenawy was scheduled to leave on a trip to perform Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah and Madina), and just after the repair work to his Caravan had been completed, the same window was once again broken out.

Needless to say, it was a very stressful time for Sgt. Kenawy to be leaving his family. He explained all the necessary precautions his wife should take in his absence, and as they parted he left her with the words, "May Allah be with you." It was with the heaviest of hearts that Sgt. Kenawy left for Makkah, but he tried not to let it show.

Sgt. Kenawy's fears for the safety of his family and personal property were affirmed on January 22, 2005, when he received word that his vehicle had been vandalized yet again. This time the damage to his vehicle was so extensive, including four windows and the windshield being completely broken out, that the damage came to approximately $9,000. Needless to say, the news of his family being victimized in his absence filled Sgt. Kenawy with even deeper anxiety.

Returning from his trip in early February, Sgt. Kenawy went straight to the Revere Police and Mayor's offices. He told officers at the police department, "If I pay you taxes to defend me and you tell me 'We don't know what to do', then give me your guns and I'll handle it." Sgt. Kenawy further addressed the Mayor, asking, "Do you want us to leave the country like they do, or are you going to do something about it?!"

At a loss for what else he could do to protect his family and property, Sgt. Kenawy also sought help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in addition to contacting MAS Freedom Foundation - Boston, Public Affairs Coordinator Hamza Pelletier.

Sgt. Kenawy states that FBI agent Maureen Robinson was dispatched to investigate the incidents. Revere Police subsequently promised to place a surveillance camera, but didn't follow through.

Freedom Foundation's Pelletier contacted Revere Police Capt. Dennis Collyer, of the Criminal Investigation Division, in an attempt to persuasively reinforce that more needed to be done to resolve the crimes being committed, stating, "This is intolerable, not just for the Muslim community but for any community member. You're not doing anything to prevent this, you're waiting for something to happen; are you waiting for someone to get hurt?"

And yet again Sgt. Kenawy's vehicle was vandalized for the fourth time on March 11, 2005, as the rear driver's side window shattered with a rock.

Kenawy commented, "I take this as a message that this harassment will not stop."

Fuming, Sgt. Kenawy kept his kids from going to school and took his whole family to the Mayor's office, telling the Mayor that he and his family planned to live there. He also told the Mayor, "My children have questions. I want you to answer my little girl's questions for me. She's asking, why are people doing this to us?" He added, "What are you waiting for?"

Revere police finally assigned an officer to place a surveillance camera that is now recording the parked car 24 hours a day. There have been no further incidents to date. Asked if the installation of the surveillance camera satisfactorily resolved the issue, Sgt. Kenawy, replied, "I will never be satisfied until these criminals are punished by whatever the law decides." He added, "My sleep is disturbed. I wake up at night repeatedly to check up on the car."

Pelletier commented, "Silence perpetuates violence. Unless we advocate for the rights we deserve, we will continue to be treated as second-class citizens. With the support of the community, MAS Freedom Foundation Boston will be that voice."