[News] Yemeni faces death threats after filming Baton Rouge killings

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/black-and-arab-unity-comes-fore-over-black-lives-matter-movement-1238748385 



  Yemeni faces death threats after filming Baton Rouge killings

Jihan Hafiz - July 20, 2016

*BATON ROUGE, United States -* On Monday night, a large crowd of mostly 
women and children gathered outside the Triple S shop in Baton Rouge to 
talk about police brutality. Since 37-year-old Alton Sterling’s death by 
police shooting went viral on 5 July, the Triple S has become the 
rallying site for Black Lives Matter activities in Baton Rouge.

As the crowd discussed the videos, one resident motioned to a slender 
Middle Eastern man and shouted, “If it wasn’t for him, we may have never 
seen another angle of this murder. It shows Alton had no gun [out] as 
the police claim. It takes a brave man to come forward and bring this 
truth to us. And this man is not even black, he’s an Arab.”

The crowd applauded loudly and a number of mothers pushed 35-year-old 
Abdallah Muflahi forward.

“Thank you brother, may God bless you for your courage,” one woman 
says.  Another shouts out “Assalamu aleikum” - an Islamic greeting 
meaning "Peace be upon you."

A quiet man, Muflahi humbly thanked the crowd and stepped back. He did 
not intend for his act to make him the unsung hero of the Baton Rouge 
uprising.

“Who is going to speak for the dead? Alton is gone. He can’t speak for 
himself. I had to do something,” Muflahi told Middle East Eye. “You know 
how it is [in Islam]. You do right and you are not supposed to wrong 
anyone, and if you notice someone being wronged, you cannot turn your 
eye and walk away. You have to stand up for them and seek justice.”

Muflahi described the night of Sterling’s death as a nightmare he never 
imagined he would witness.

Muflahi said he felt something was terribly wrong when the two police 
officers approached Sterling. He watched the altercation from his store 
and then took out his cell phone when the police became physical. “The 
first thing I thought was I have to film this,” he said. Immediately 
after Sterling was shot, the police turned their attention to Muflahi.

The police officers demanded the surveillance video captured on his 
store cameras. Muflahi requested to be present in his store if they 
wanted to take the video. The police officers told Muflahi they would 
get a warrant. Instead they detained him and stuck him in the back of a 
hot, stuffy police cruiser while they seized the store’s surveillance 
video, which has still not been publicly released.

After the police released Muflahi, he gave his cell phone video to a 
news agency. The video immediately went viral and Muflahi filed a 
lawsuit against the Baton Rouge police department.

“I don’t like the fact that the police can violate people’s rights 
because they are minorities,” said Muflahi, who has faced multiple death 
threats since releasing the video and filing the lawsuit.

Born in Yemen, Muflahi and his family immigrated to the US when he was 
six years old. They settled in Detroit and Muflahi lived there until a 
few years ago, when a friend called him and told him about a job 
opportunity in Baton Rouge.

“It was a nice transition. I never had any issues with the community and 
one of the first people to welcome me was Alton Sterling.” 
Muflahi remembers Sterling as a man with a big heart who loved to joke 
around and make others around him feel good. “He was a good guy. I miss 
him.”

Baton Rouge is home to a sizable Arab and Muslim community. Historically 
in the US, it is not commonplace for black and Arab communities to 
mingle in the same social circles - but in Baton Rouge, the communities 
are intertwined.

For Muflahi and other members of the Arab and Muslim community, racial 
profiling and discrimination are nothing new.

“Of course I have faced discrimination because I’m Muslim, I’m Arab and 
have a beard on me. I’m always profiled, called a terrorist, raghead. 
I’ve been called awful, hurtful things. I’ve been followed and harassed.”

Muflahi consulted members of the Muslim and Arab community before filing 
the lawsuit. Many of them advised against the decision, fearing police 
reprisals.


      Fearing police reprisals

After Muflahi went public with the lawsuit, only a few members of the 
Arab community have stopped in to show their support.

“It’s understandable people are afraid to show up,” he said. “They don’t 
want to put their names out there like that. There are lots of racist 
people out there that hate Arabs and Muslims as much as they hate 
blacks. People don’t want to put themselves in danger.”

“I have people mainly calling the store, threatening my life, saying 
Muslims are trying to rip America apart from the inside out,” said 
Muflahi. “It’s just disturbing to even talk about. Being called a 
terrorist, a sand n*****, a n***** lover, I will pay for thinking I’m 
black, for supporting the black community. But what am I gonna do? I 
have to look past it. I fear only God.”

The black community has stood firmly behind Muflahi, including 
Sterling’s relatives, who consider Muflahi a member of their family now. 
Members of the black community have been engaging in discussions about 
Islam. While those attending activities outside the Triple S learn words 
like /shukran /(thank you) and /assalamu aleikum/.

Islam is the second most common religion among black Americans. Many 
African Americans attending Black Lives Matter rallies either have a 
black Muslim friend or family member.

“People know about Islam here in the black community,” said Muflahi. 
“After what happened, people see Islam and Muslims differently, in a 
more positive light. And I hope what I did makes them realise who we are 
as Muslims. I hope that message reaches a lot of people.”

Sterling’s family asked Muflahi to be a guest of honour and speaker at 
the funeral service. When Muflahi was introduced, he was greeted by a 
standing ovation, with some shouting, “Allahu akbar” - God is the greatest.

At Muflahi first words, “Assalamu aleikum,” the crowd of hundreds 
answered back “Waleikum assalam” - the formal response meaning, "And on 
you, peace."

“This has brought the communities closer because we both face 
discrimination,” Muflahi said.

“Black Lives Matter is a good thing. Black, Arabs, Muslims … basically 
if you are not white you are being profiled and that must change. We 
need to change this cycle. The killings and the violence must stop. And 
it’s a beautiful thing the communities have come together to see this 
through.”

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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