Appalling footage captured by a bystander in Washington DC of two teenagers assaulting a Pakistani immigrant with a Taser has sparked a political storm in the \u201cland of the free.\u201d As per the shocking evidence, a botched attempt at stealing the car of a father-of-three working as an Uber Easts driver resulted in him being crushed against a fence. Mr Anwar could be seen attempting to recover his vehicle when a suspect sped down a street just seconds before he lay sprawled and motionless on a sidewalk. Lasting only a minute-and-a-half, the unfortunate video spells an untimely end to the life of a person described as \u201ca hard-work(er)\u2026who came to the United States to create a better life for him and his family.\u201d
\nThe largely successful GoFundMe campaign\u2013garnering support from the local community\u2013to cover his funeral costs on top of providing for his survivors is a welcoming development. While no money can fill the gaping hole his demise left in his family, the fact that people are moved enough to stand by the bereaved heirs and remove some of their stress is a sign of a passionate society. Yet, casting a dark shadow on this display of empathy was the district\u2019s mayor, Muriel Bowser. Amidst calls to acknowledge Anwar\u2019s death, her office deemed it better to share a video on preventing auto thefts. Quite expected, the move (better called as shooting in her foot) drew criticism. The administration should have been more conscious of its reactionary statement given the very recent nationwide protest against violence towards Asian-Americans and Pacific-Islanders. Only a week earlier, shooting in Atlanta had killed six women of Asian descent. There is a never-ending fear of backlash among minorities as the pandemic has seen a significant increase in violence, including a six per cent uptick in online harassment. With the exception of a fortunate few, a large majority of immigrants have braved through a tirade of racist and xenophobic slurs. The \u201cIslamophobia\u201d trumpet blown by America\u2019s former president only adds to the worries of up to 500,000 Pakistani Americans living in the US. Growing in numbers by nearly 100 per cent since 2000, they are the second-fastest immigrant group across the country. But their huge population does little against the Damoclean sword hanging over their heads. For they are forever living a dual-threat: being a \u201cPaki\u201d and largely assumed to be practising Islam. Both parts of their identity are linked to terrorism or deemed \u201cviolence-prone.\u201d
\nAnwar\u2019s gruesome murder calls for a greater introspection into this senseless crime. It is simply splendid that the two teens have been charged with felony murder and armed carjacking. Much-deserved sentences! The police diligence is greatly appreciated here, but the real problem lies deep within. Why would a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old go to such extreme lengths to steal a car? Two girls of school-going age found nothing better to do with their time than wreaking havoc on a 66-year-old. What strange times! If this isn\u2019t the beginning of an outright moral decay, only God knows what would in the ever-so-popular golden land?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Appalling footage captured by a bystander in Washington DC of two teenagers assaulting a Pakistani immigrant with a Taser has sparked a political storm in the \u201cland of the free.\u201d As per the shocking evidence, a botched attempt at stealing the car of a father-of-three working as an Uber Easts driver resulted in him being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-183307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\n