A couple weeks ago I submitted an article to The State News called “Actions are how we fight al-Qaida.” (SN 3/19) In writing that column, I wanted readers to understand whatever has happened and whatever will happen with that global, broad-based Islamist group in the future has not and will not be supported by most Muslims in the world.

I wrote the piece from the angle of the destruction al-Qaida has put on my family and me: an Arab-American from Detroit whose parents and ancestors are from Yemen — the same place where al-Qaida supposedly is located. I chose to take this route in writing the piece because I wanted readers to understand we are not in favor of their actions, even though most members of al-Qaida are my race. For all the destruction it has caused, though, I want to take down al-Qaida just as much as anyone else would.

But hours after my article was submitted, a commentator named Arafat quickly attacked Muslims and the religion of Islam, saying, “In contrast to this, it is easy to find verse after verse after verse in the Qur’an exhorting Muslims towards domination of and violence towards non-Muslims. It is easy to find verse after verse after verse in the Hadiths and Sira describing Mohammed’s (Muslim prophet) actions of violence towards others and exhortations to his followers to do the same.” Talk about having no regard for the overall message that was trying to be sent.

But I am OK with what he said. As an MSU student striving to become a journalist, I have learned to take constructive criticism — if that’s what he wants to call it — from anyone who reads my papers. As a matter of fact, I want to thank you for your comments, Arafat, because your racist words steered me toward the idea in writing this column.

Now, I don’t want readers thinking all racist comments or racist things people do ends up leading to positive results. As a matter of fact, the recent case regarding Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old boy who was shot in Sanford, Fla., by George Zimmerman, is an example of how racist actions can get way out of hand.

The reason why George Zimmerman chose to kill the teenage boy has not yet been solved by Sanford police.

But to quote from an article on CNN.com titled “What witnesses say in the Trayvon Martin case,” “America will have to wait and see as State Attorney Angela Corey plunges deeper into a case charged with allegations of racism.”

Imagine you’re Martin’s mother, and you hear your child has just been shot and killed because a self-appointed neighborhood watchman was suspicious of him. What would be your first reaction?

This Martin case has to be tough to swallow for most, including myself, because that could have happened to anyone. However, I am accustomed to hearing and seeing people act in this way being from a city called Hamtramck, where there are many different cultures in such a small area.

Now, to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a situation where racial discrimination has led to someone dying in my city, but I’ve seen people get beat down with bats, chains and golf clubs just because they were black. I’ve seen people get thrown out of cars and get jumped by five different people, get broken jaws and dislocated ribs just because they were Arabic.

What is the reasoning behind this all? Racism.

So the best way I believe people can deal with this epidemic is to first understand we are all racist in our own way. To say you are not racist or have never been racist is saying you are not human.

Because once you understand the concept of racism and see the devastating toll it can put on people, maybe you will come to the conclusion that from now on you would watch what you say or do.

Everyone should just say “no” to racism.

Omar Thabet is a State News guest columnist and journalism sophomore. Reach him at thabetom@msu.edu.