One of the most famous American news commentators, Paul Harvey is a person who has a huge popular following. He also does a daily show that features a portion called, “And Now You’ve Heard The Rest Of The Story.” This section tells well-known stories in the news, but highlights a side of the story that most of the public hasn’t heard. Let me tell you one of those stories that even Paul Harvey hasn’t heard.
“Arab-American Woman with Muslim Heritage Kills Terrorist.” That headline hasn’t been used in any story published in the media and yet one of America’s most notable current heroes, Jeanne Assam, fits this description.
Earlier this week, Jeanne Assam, a native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a security officer in Colorado killed a man who was terrorizing Christians in Arvada and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mathew Murray of Colorado had already killed two Christian students at a seminary related institution in Arvada, and moved on to another Christian institution in Colorado Springs gunning people down when Ms. Assam drew her pistol and shot him. Murray was shooting people with a high-powered rifle when confronted by Assam who had her security issued pistol. Assam, trained in law enforcement, advanced on Murray and took him down.
After the killings in Arvada earlier in the day and before Murray was killed and identified, the news media and blogs all over the country were speculating as to who the “terrorist” was. Someone who was confronted by Murray in Arvada had heard him say that he wanted to “kill Christians”. Many were speculating that the killer was “probably an Arab or a Muslim” because, after all, who else would want to “kill Christians?” Murray was eventually identified as a disgruntled former student at the seminary-related institution where the killings began. He apparently had no “Arab or Muslim” background. However the hero who killed him and prevented him from killing as many as 50-100 other potential victims, according to local authorities, was a person with Arab and Muslim heritage.
Jeanne Assam is the granddaughter of Hamad Kassim Hamadi of Maschgara, Lebanon, a small village in the Bekka Valley. Her grandfather immigrated to South Dakota in the late 1890s and later married her grandmother from the Sheikh family of Mashgara in the 1920s. Jean’s father, Faiuz or Fred, grew up in Sioux Falls that is also Jean’s hometown. Jeanne’s grandfather, Hamad, had his name changed, probably by an American immigration official on Ellis Island. Hamad’s father’s name, Kassim, was rewritten by the official as “Assam” and that name became the Americanized version of Kassim. Hamad was well known as the leader of the local Muslim community during his lifetime.
North and South Dakota had a surprisingly large Arab-American population and many notable native sons and daughters of Arab heritage. Most of their ancestors came to the Dakotas in the late 1800s and early 1900s from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine to procure free homestead land and seek their fortunes. Both Christian and Muslim immigrants arrived and the first building built as a mosque in all of North America was constructed on the prairies of North Dakota close to the village of Ross.
Arab-American notables with Dakota ties in addition to the now famous Jeanne Assam include former Assistant Secretary of State Philip Habib; former US ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Nassif; former US Sen. James Abnor; former US Sen. James Abourezk; and Jeanne Assam’s uncle, Dr. Sam Assam, a famous neurosurgeon. Most of their parents and grandparents were simple farmers in their home countries who left the Middle East and eventually prospered in the United States.
The rumors and innuendos circulating at the early stages of the killings of the Christians in Colorado were reminiscent of the immediate aftermath of the terrorist bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma a few years ago. Many of the major news media outlets immediately suggested that the bombing in Oklahoma had been done by “Arab or Muslim” terrorists. Some commentators went as far as to suggest that the bombing had to have been done by Arabs or Muslims as the “style” of the bombing definitely had an “Arab/Muslim” pattern to it. Later, when the non-Arab, non-Muslim culprits were caught, none of these media outlets issued an apology to the Arab and Muslim communities.
Now back to Jeanne Assam and her heroic gesture. Here is a very brave Arab-American woman who saved scores of Christians from being killed only because they were Christian. Not only was the crime not referred to as a “terrorist” incident, but also no one has chosen to mention her Arab and Muslim roots. We won’t see her heritage listed in any of the media accounts of her courageous acts. Stop for a moment and think what the media would likely be saying if the ethnic heritage of the security officer and the cold-blooded killer of the Christians had been reversed.
Now you’ve heard the rest of the story.
