Yesterday a panel called “America’s Attack on America” discussed the backlash against South Asians, Arabs, Muslims and East Asian Americans.

Nearly 70 students attended the panel discussion, which discussed in detail the incidents that have taken place since the Sept. 11 attacks and the ways students can combat these hate crimes.

The panelists included Ghazi Khankan, the New York executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Sin Yen Ling, a staff attorney with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Debasish Mishra, a member of South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow; and Mazin Qumsiyeh, associate professor of genetics and a member of the Middle East Crisis Committee.

The panelists detailed incidents of assaults against Americans, including three murders and 645 incidents reported in newspapers across the country.

This event was co-sponsored by six Yale organizations including the Asian American Student Alliance Political Action Committee, the Arab Students’ Association, the South Asian Society, the Muslim Students Association, the AASA Asian Pacific Heritage Month Committee, and the Ethnicity, Race and Migration Department.

— Najah Farley