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1/7/06

NEW SALONISTA Barbara Collier:  How about a buddy system for our Muslim neighbors?

Ellen,

Thank you for including me on the emailing list....

given this is my first introduction to conversations which occur around the table at Lloyd House..... I must say how impressed I am.... the high caliber of concern and political involvement expressed fills me with a sense of hope!   I cannot wait to meet all of you and hopefully find a place at your table.  I was born and raised in Cincinnati... left when I was 20 to attend college in the Pacific Northwest and have lived for the past 23 years in the DC area...bought a house in Glendale this past summer in which I plan to reside come August, 2006.  My boyfriend, Tarik Makour, a devout, non-violent Muslim, moved to America in 1998....since 9/11 he has had growing concerns about how safe he feels here....he doesn't want to fly anymore ....high anxiety about security searches or more accurately  "breaches of civil liberties"....we must keep a close eye on the government and their so called "authority"...  FDR said it is the most patriotic action an individual or group can take...that is, questioning the authority of an administration who is not leading us in the right direction....

I would be very interested in promoting a buddy Muslim project...perhaps a traveling group of teenage diverse students (Muslims, Jews, African-Americans, etc) visiting schools to make presentations....or the multi-racial dance troupe visiting schools....(I am a school teacher!)

The recent bombing at the Clifton Mosque has left me heartsick....Tarik's response was one of apathy...a sense that nothing will be done to make it better.  I'd like to show him the more enlightened side of America.....

Again, I feel lucky to have stumbled upon the Lloyd House....I cannot wait to meet you!

Barbara Collier