Americans are good people.

Somalis are good people, but they are being demonized by the National Alliance and the World Church of the Creator as part of a propaganda campaign.

With just a little effort, any group of people can be made to seem less than human. Few of us would want to attack or harm another human, but those we see as less than human become easy targets.

In Lewiston and Portland, the National Alliance and the World Church of the Creator are spending enormous energy going door-to-door demonizing Somalis. The effort deserves close scrutiny.

Some of the Somalis here and in their homeland have been characterized as violent and exploitative people capable of murder, rape and theft. If we are honest, these same criticisms could be accurately hurled at some Americans.

Some of our citizens are capable of enormous cruelty. Of corrupt behavior. Of overwhelming oppression. But we know that these transgressions do not define us as a people. We know that the United States is a country of enormous decency, generosity and unparalleled personal freedoms. A truly great country.

Our abiding love of country tends to color the image we hold of ourselves. There are true acts of horror in this land of liberty.

The National Alliance suggests in one of its fliers that an American-born blond-haired, fair-skinned, innocent, inquisitive, intelligent and trusting child is endangered by the intrusion of Somalis. Might that be how the Japanese view us? How could they forgive the three American soldiers who raped an elementary school girl in 1995, or the nation that stationed these rapists in Okinawa?

While a model of democracy and civil rights, we don’t need to look overseas to see native Americans endangering innocent, inquisitive, intelligent and trusting people on our own soil. Our crime rate is evidence of that.

Just about anyone could go online and produce an artful flier warning of dangerous Americans, of our propensity for violence, our negligence of children and the elderly, sexual deviance, disregard of the homeless and inequitable social classes. We could be easily painted into nearly unrecognizable villains.

That picture would not accurately reflect the true America, nor should we believe the picture of Somalis presented by extremist groups is the true Somalia.

We would be offended if our entire society were characterized by the acts of our most degenerate and desperate citizens. The Somalis must be so offended now.

Extremist groups will try anything — even gross misrepresentation — to further their agenda. Knowing what we know about our own history and people, it’s easy to dismiss the effort.
jmeyer@sunjournal.com

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