A LJ article called Where have all the Muslims gone is a hot topic on a few of my friend's blogs. Folks are trying to find out if it's "true" or an "urban myth" and the comments on another site focuses mainly on whether there's any internment of Muslims happening. I thought I'd just thought I'd comment on this briefly. (Very briefly. I'll try and do a topic like this justice later. I'm just too swamped right now.)

If we're talking about internment camps, then this whole thing is an urban myth. 'Tain't happening. Yet, anyway.

However, if we're talking about men, usually fathers or older sons, getting arrested and put in jail for MONTHS with no good reason, then this isn't an urban myth. I could probably dig up a few real examples of that.

If we're talking about families disappearing of their own will - then this isn't an urban myth. That too is happening in places. If dad's in jail, the family finances may be wrecked and everybody up and moves to their relatives. Or there's just the fear factor and a family decided they can't live with the fear of what might happen in the future and they up and move to their relatives in Toronto, Canada.

In fact there have been stories about detainments at the border with Canada and many families going across the border into Canada. Whether it's a significant amount, I don't know.

This post is having an effect that is unfortunately much like the one that surrounded the Afghan Women Petition. Everybody pointed out how the petition was a "hoax" (since it wouldn't go anywhere after the University canceled the student's account) but there was not much talk about the nature of the message - and the truth of the women's situation in Afghanistan.

With this issue folks will concentrate on whether the government in disappearing these people into concentration camps - which isn't happening - and forget that there's a hell of lot of innocent people in jail (or at least people brought in to stay in jail for MONTHS and even up to a year on piddly little paperwork snafus), or INS detention (which if you ever read "Do They Hear You Cry" is a hell all on it's own) and others who are just scared enough that it WILL get to that point that they are leaving on their own.

The fear is real, whether justified or not. Imagine being a muslim immigrant and reading this article in the Washington Post. Here's a tidbit about this new laxity with regards to timely and accurate FBI database information:

Officials said the change, which immediately drew criticism from civil-liberties advocates, is necessary to ensure investigators have access to information that can't be confirmed but could take on new significance later, FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said.

Critics have noted complaints for years about wrong information in the computer files that disrupted the lives of innocent citizens, and the FBI has acknowledged problems. In one case, a Phoenix resident was arrested for minor traffic violations that had been quashed weeks earlier; in another, a civilian was misidentified as a Navy deserter.

Medley comments:

This'll make it pretty easy to erroneously (read: strategically) label someone a criminal. And nowadays, it's a short step from criminal to terrorist. And with the upcoming Patriot Act II, a short step from potential terrorist to being stripped of your citizenship.

Bada-bing, bada-bang. And there you have it. The perfect recipe for fear that might make certain ethnic groups decide - quite on their own - that sticking around to see how it turns out might not be the safest thing to do.

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