While people celebrated the news of Osama bin Laden's death in Times Square and Lower Manhattan, reactions were mixed in Pakistani communities around the city. The Brooklyn Ink has been live-blogging reactions from all over Brooklyn all day, and has a wide range of reports from members of the Pakinstani community in our area:
10:48 a.m. – “Bin Laden’s death makes me genuinely happy,” says Jani Nawaz, a resident of Little Pakistan on Coney Island Avenue. “Because of him, so many innocent children died back home in Pakistan and he brought all of us (Muslims) a bad name here in America."
9:37 a.m – Some Pakistanis in Brooklyn are afraid to speak up on sensitive issues involving terrorism. One woman declined to comment by saying that she doesn’t listen to the news and has nothing to say. Another woman said she had no interest in commenting on the news. Memories of the backlash against the Muslim community in the aftermath of 911 are still raw here.
8:30 a.m. – Meanwhile, in Little Pakistan, reactions to the news are mixed.... “I don’t care if I get deported for saying this. I just want people to leave us alone. The Americans, the Arabs, just get out of our country.”
Additionally, several of the comments mentioned camera crews and reporters showing up along Coney Island Avenue. There are many more reactions at the blog, be sure to check out the ongoing list.
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