DEARBORN — Daren Wilson’s shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, followed by a grand jury’s decision not to indict the police officer, sparked angry protests and countless conversations about race, police brutality and law enforcement across the country. But while conservatives generally applauded the grand jury’s decisions and liberals mostly condemned Wilson— judging by social media comments— Arab Americans were deeply divided over the issue.

Wilson, a White police officer claimed that Brown reached for his gun during a scuffle in the police car, and then charged at him outside the car. The policeman said he feared for his life and killed the African American 18-year-old. Dorian Johnson, who was walking with Brown during the encounter, claimed that the slain teen was surrendering to the officer and saying “I don’t have a gun” when he was shot.

Brown had stolen cigars from a nearby store before his fateful confrontation with Wilson. 

Chaldean American attorney Nazek Gappy said she “wholeheartedly” believes that Wilson was justified in shooting Brown. She added that too much attention has been given to the incident.

“The media, which is controlled by much bigger powers, continues to shed light on this unfortunate situation to take away from bigger issues,” Gappy said. “What happened in Ferguson is not as compelling as more crucial issues today. There are women and children being raped and murdered and sold to sex slavery in Iraq.”

Gappy said Arab and Chaldean Americans should identify with other ethnic minorities, but not in this particular situation. 

“The people who wanted justice were hurting themselves by rioting,” she said. “The lessons we need to learn from this is that when we disagree with something, we should take action in an effective way to bring it up to discussion without violence.”

Amer Zahr, a writer, comedian and an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, said accusing the protesters of rioting while overlooking what Wilson did makes it impossible to have a conversation about the issues.

Zahr said the events in Ferguson highlight the problem of racism in the United States.

“The failure of the grand jury to indict Darren Wilson was a signal to all of America that Black life is not as worthy of attention as White life and that’s why people are upset, not because Michael Brown was an angel,” he said. “The justice system failed to even hold a trial.”

Zahr added that there is a “strong and disturbing pattern” of anti-Black racism in the Arab American community.

“It is not a fringe group,” he said. “Racism is permeated in our community.”

According to Zahr, many Arab Americans see themselves as White, not as people of color, partly because the U.S. Census Bureau considers Middle Easterners and North Africans Caucasian. Zahr produced a movie titled “We Are Not White” last year. In the film, he argues that Arabs should get their own ethnicity box on the Census. 

Zahr slammed Arab Americans who justify the killing of Brown.

“There are people in this community who are cozying up to White power and White supremacy,” he said. “They regurgitate things they hear from Fox News and law enforcement. It’s unintellectual. When you cozy up to White power, unfortunately that translates into anti-Black racism.”

Zahr added that the race factor cannot be excluded from incidents of police violence against young Black men.

He said the Black community is unified in considering the events in Ferguson an African American issue in the same way that Muslims were united in opposing cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohamad.

“When you say this is not about race, you are telling African Americans they are all wrong,” he said. “It is the same with the Muslim experience. When you tell Muslims they should not be offended by the cartoons, you are saying the way they feel about their faith is not important.”

Zahr added that racism still plays a major role in the way police deal with people.

“Ask yourself, if the same thing had happened and Michael Brown were White, would he have been shot?” Zahr said. “If you answer with any hesitation, then it is about race. We stand for justice in Palestine, but can’t stand for justice in America? This is hypocritical.”

However, Ramzi Elias, a business student at Henry Ford College, blamed the media for overemphasizing the racial aspect of the shooting.

“I feel that the media is very responsible for making this a race issue,” he said. “Darren Wilson had every right to defend himself and I don’t believe he shot Brown just because he was Black. The fact that the case did not even go to trial points to evidence supporting Wilson’s testimony. With that being said, I do not understand why Brown was shot six times. Wasn’t one bullet enough to stop him?”

Some Arab American activists have compared the situation in African American neighborhoods to the injustices in the Middle East. In October, a group of protestors formed a Palestine contingent that participated in protests in Ferguson and St. Louis demanding accountability for Brown’s death.

John, a Palestinian American engineer who chose to be identified by his first name only, rejected the analogy between the Arab World and Ferguson.

“The issues in Palestine and Iraq are political and sectarian,” he said. “The issue in Ferguson involves a street criminal— a thug— who physically assaulted a store owner, was jaywalking in the middle of a main street and charged at a cop. In Palestine there’s an army illegally occupying others’ land. In Ferguson, there is a criminal problem.”

He added that if you do not respect the law, there are consequences. 

John said racism still exists in the United States and he has experienced it first-hand. 

“Being pulled over for no reason is one thing, but in this particular situation, I don’t see race as a factor,” he said. “If you commit criminal acts, you cannot always play the race card. Michael Brown was a thug. He stole. He smoked marijuana. He charged at a cop. Evidence clearly shows what he did.”

John said it is “foolish” for Arab Americans to support the Ferguson protesters.

“It makes our community look bad,” he said. “We should stand by our principles and recognize the authority of the law. Arab store owners in Detroit are being killed for $10 and $20 sometimes.”

Community activist Zena Ozeir said she finds the grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson “disheartening and disappointing.”

“Anybody who defends this is ridiculous,” she added.

Ozeir, who was arrested while participating in a protest demanding justice for Brown in October, said racism causes some local Arab Americans to support Wilson’s actions. 

“The Detroit area is one of the most racially segregated regions in the country, and a lot of the racism has to do with economics,” she said. “It’s a part of the way Arabs tried to assimilate and were largely successful. They were able to get to the middle class and move to the suburbs and upwardly mobilize, while African Americans were not as fortunate.”

She added that the relationship between Arab store owners and Black customers in Detroit has “awful dynamics.”

“Some Arabs are profiting off of the Black community in Detroit and still seeing them as a threat,” she said. “That’s part of the reason why some people in the Arab community see Brown as a criminal. It is completely disgusting. The New York police harassed Eric Garner and then choked him to death because he was supposedly selling cigarettes. Most Arab-owned gas stations here sell loosies.”

However, according to Ozeir, the recent events have started important conversations about race within the Arab American community and encouraged more people to be vocal about police brutality.

“The death of Michael Brown is not an isolated incident,” she said. “It is a race issue, but it is also a state violence issue. There is a problem with poorly trained police officers who have a shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality. And you are more likely to be harassed by the police if you are a person of color. It is a part of the system we are living in, where the police view young Black men as violent and dangerous.” 

Ozeir called on the Arab community to stand in solidarity with African Americans and demand justice for Brown and Garner.

“We should work together for change in this country instead of polarizing and separating ourselves from each other’s causes,” she said.