Woman hits Middle Eastern student’s car, snaps at him: ‘Some of you are terrorists’
Image: Facebook/Bassel Hamieh
A Portland State University student’s car was sideswiped by an unnamed white female driver who later inquired about his race. When he told her he was of Middle Eastern descent, she remarked, “Some of you are terrorists.”
“Today was the day I had to confront a racist lady, in Portland, OR, who hit the side of my car, denied the fact, proceeded to call me a terrorist, and finally accused me of harassing her,” wrote Bassel Hamieh on a Facebook post he shared on Aug. 21, alongside a video of the altercation.
Hamieh’s post, which had gone viral, has garnered over 76,000 views, 1,700 likes-and-reactions, 780 comments and 1,100 shares, as of this writing.
Today was the day I had to confront a RACIST lady, in PORTLAND, OR, who hit the side of my car, denied the fact, proceeded to call me a terrorist, and finally accused me of harassing her.I was in my car when she hit it and kept driving. Thinking she would stop I waited but soon realized that she wouldn’t, which prompted me to run after her to let her know what she had done. After I asked for her ID and insurance, she questioned why I would need them and implied that I would be using them to steel her identity and live illegally here in the states. That was the moment I decided to record the incident; one that I had thought was a simple fix, but was in fact something much bigger. Watch the video to see what had unfolded. The police came in the end to neutralize the situation. I was so startled that I couldn’t find the right words to defend myself, especially after taking an exam and being exhausted from school. However, all I know is that I AM SICK AND TIRED of dealing with ignorance and hate-filled people. I have endured too many years of this kind of abuse and am shocked by the fact. Regardless of this, I will proceed with a kind heart and hope that one day all things will change. Though I felt defeated for an instance today, the support of my friends and family has reminded me of my worth as a citizen and a human being. I am making my peace with the fact that I will never feel safe here and will just live, hopeful, that one day we will all love one another and live to make others feel this love. I truly believe that I am BLESSED to BE A BLESSING to others and especially people like her. I hope that she looks back at this situation and reflects about her actions to see that there was absolutely no need to make it about race and that all it took was being honest, compassionate, and understanding to get this situation fixed. I feel pity for her because she is filled with so much hate; that she had been raised to think with hate, see with hate, and express with hate; and that she doesn’t have the ability to see, to truly see, right from wrong. I will live each day feeling PROUD of who I am and not shame. Feeling LUCKY to be who I am and not unfortunate. I WILL NOT let people like this women define me. I promise that one day, when I make it “big” I will use all of my power to make this world better, more equitable, and more loving for the underrepresented and forgotten. But for now, I will take all the steps that I can to ensure that I will reach this goal.As Marthin Lutheran King Jr once said, “If you can't fly, then run.If you can't run, then walk.If you can't walk, then crawl.But whatever you do,You have to keep moving forward.”PLEASE SHARE as awareness to the world that racism and bigotry (obviously) are alive and thriving and ready to divide us!!!
Posted by Bassel Hamieh on Tuesday, August 21, 2018
“I was in my car when she hit it and kept driving,” Hamieh said. “Thinking she would stop I waited but soon realized that she wouldn’t, which prompted me to run after her to let her know what she had done. ”
“You don’t look like a Portland guy,” the woman noted in the video. Hamieh asked the woman for her I.D. and insurance information to make an insurance claim but the woman refused to hand her identification details, implying Hamieh will steal her identity to illegally live in the United States. Hamieh insisted that he was an American citizen and that he was born in Portland.
The woman wasn’t having it, though. “You are not born here, we have a huge accent. I have an American accent. I’ve been all over the world my own self, don’t you go there with me,” she said.
Later, she asked Hamieh what his name is. When Hamieh told her what his name is, she said, “I knew it. I knew where you’re from.”
“What’s wrong with Middle Easterners?” Hamieh asked. The woman replied, “What do you think? Some of you are terrorists.”
From then on, the woman was adamant for Hamieh to keep a distance from her. At one point, she even threatened to call the cops, which Hamieh told her to proceed with, as he was certain the security footage will reveal that the woman was in the wrong.
“People who are haters like you need friends actually,” Hamieh remarked. The woman retorted that she is not a hater, highlighting the fact that she is a Christian.
“My mom’s a Christian just FYI,” Hamieh replied. “You’re a racist and you have to keep your heart open and love people because it’s disgusting.”
“Unbelievable. People like you are what the problem is in this world,” Hamieh said in the end.
The police came not long after the woman gave her insurance information, Hamieh told The Oregonian last Saturday, Aug. 25. The woman went as far as to report to the police that Hamieh and his friend, who was driving the car when the incident happened, were harassing her. The police neutralized the situation and the woman went on her way to the appointment she was talking about in the video.
“I am making my peace with the fact that I will never feel safe here and will just live, hopeful, that one day we will all love one another and live to make others feel this love,” Hamieh said in his post. “I will live each day feeling proud of who I am and not shame. Feeling lucky to be who I am and not unfortunate. I will not let people like this woman define me.” JB
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