Immigrant or Terrorist? by Zig Ziglar on Creators.com

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Immigrant or Terrorist?

On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States of America received a 9-1-1 call that has forever changed the face of our country, the lives of our people and our daily routines. Confusion was rampant, and many people feared for their lives. Some were taking not just reasonable precautions but were also paralyzed by fear.

The loss of about 5,000 innocent lives and the grief experienced by mates, parents, children, friends and business associates of those people is truly beyond description and understanding. These survivors are also innocent victims who continue to need our support, prayers, compassion and friendship. Another factor of the tragedy is both sad and unnecessary: Many people are confusing immigrants with terrorists. To set the record straight, of the 19 terrorists, most were in the U.S. illegally and immorally. Others were here on "student visas." They had come to learn how to fly planes so they could wreak their havoc.

My experience with legal immigrants has been outstanding. The overwhelming majority of legal immigrants contribute substantially to every phase of American life. They function in every area, from professionals — pharmacists, scientists, educators and physicians in our hospitals, as well as in private practice — to owners of many hotels, motels and other retail businesses, to occupying places of leadership in our communities and government. Many are serving as skilled, hard-working, loyal and committed workers, maintaining our lawns, gardens, golf courses, and performing innumerable other valuable functions within our society.

Often the jobs they fill are those that local citizens either cannot do or choose not to accept. These immigrants contribute mightily to our economy, peace of mind, ease, standard of living and society.

Despite this fact, many people discriminate against them, particularly at this time in our history, and especially if they appear to be from the Middle East.

The tragedy is we are judging many legal immigrants as we judge those misguided terrorists, who represent an extreme fringe branch of the faith they proclaim. They are no more truly representative of the Muslim faith than the Ku Klux Klan, who wear hoods and burn crosses as they quote the Bible and claim that they are Christians.

I'm convinced that we need to use simple common sense in all of our relationships, and if we see questionable behavior, regardless of skin color, bring it to the attention of the proper authorities. The odds are astronomical that outside a difference in appearance, other people are just like you and me.

From a personal point of view, I don't drive my car by looking in the rearview mirror, nor am I going to live my life by looking over my shoulder. Yes, I will exercise reasonable caution but, for example, the odds of my coming down with the flu are dramatically higher than my falling victim to anthrax. And it's beyond my wildest imagination to even conceive of losing sleep because I'm afraid I might catch the flu. Think about it.

I have great respect for and confidence in our president and the team of people with whom he has surrounded himself. We are making steady progress in the war on terrorism, and the commitment from all quarters in support of our efforts speaks volumes about the righteousness of our cause. I want to encourage all of us to remember that most people who look "different" are immigrants — not terrorists — and that there was a day not long ago when our very own grandparents or great-grandparents were the "different" ones, the immigrants to America.

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.