enchantedpixiedust
Old Timer
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2004
- Messages
- 497
This is in todays Dallas Morning News - sometimes the stupidity and insensitivity of some people just makes me so mad! I'm not a Cowboys fan at all, but this is an embarrassment IMO. I'm glad the couple is handling it so gracefully.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ists/sblow/stories/091004dnmetblow.71729.html
In case the link doesn't work...
Cowboys fans reeling from sting of jeers
11:46 AM CDT on Friday, September 10, 2004
By STEVE BLOW / The Dallas Morning News
Maybe the first thing you should know about Hujefa and Insiyah Vora is that they stood and cheered enthusiastically when U.S. soldiers were shown on the big screens at Texas Stadium the other night during a "fan of the game" contest.
A few seconds later, the Voras were thrilled to see themselves on the video screens at the Cowboys game as the final contestants in the fan popularity contest.
"We were so excited," Hujefa said. "I'm a huge Cowboys fan. And to get your picture up on the Jumbotron man, that's every Cowboys fan's dream."
But that dream was soured when some in the crowd that night booed and hissed the Voras because of their Muslim appearance.
Dr. Hujefa Vora and his wife, Insiyah, were just thrilled to appear on the Jumbotron at Texas Stadium. Only later did they realize they had been booed. "It hurts. It really does," 30-year-old Hujefa said this week. We visited in the cafeteria of Arlington Memorial Hospital, where he is a staff physician a doctor of internal medicine.
Insiyah joined us for the conversation. She's an elementary school teacher. They live in southwest Dallas.
At my request, they wore exactly what they wore to the game last week. It's what they always wear to the four or five Cowboys games they attend each year.
Hujefa wore a head covering and his beloved No. 59 Dat Nguyen jersey. ("My absolute favorite Cowboy.") Insiyah wore a rida (ree-DAH) as she always does in public a long skirt and hooded shawl.
But you couldn't exactly call this a "traditional" rida . It's blue and white with silver stars and "Cowboys" imprinted on it.
"Hujefa bought this material, and I made it just for Cowboys games," Insiyah said. "He even bought these stars," she said, showing off the star-shaped buttons on the skirt.
"I was really in touch with my feminine side," Hujefa clowned.
Though their appearance may be a bit different, a few minutes of conversation reveal that this is a very typical, immensely likable young couple.
OK, Insiyah is a bit exotic. She's from Canada.
"But I don't say 'eh' " she laughed.
Hujefa grew up in Fort Worth. He went to Austin College in Sherman as a theater major, then decided on a career in medicine and graduated from UT Southwestern in Dallas.
When Hujefa and Insiyah were shown on the stadium screens, the people right around them cheered so loudly that the Voras couldn't hear the scattered boos coming from other parts of the stadium.
Also Online
Tell us: If you could talk directly to the couple jeered at the Cowboys game, what would you say?
9/3: What's next at Cowboys games? Tackling dummies in Arab attire?
"We left the game that night absolutely elated," Hujefa said. "We had been on the Jumbotron!"
The cold slap in the face came the next morning when he listened to his favorite radio station, the all-sports "The Ticket" (KTCK-AM).
"They were talking about this Muslim couple at the game that was oblivious to the fact they were being made fun of," Hujefa said. "And I knew they had to mean us."
Later he heard all about the boos from friends who were at the game. The heartache still shows on Hujefa's face as he talks about it.
"I guess in a way they were right on the radio. We were oblivious," he said. "But part of me still wants to believe the best. Part of me wants to believe the Cowboys showed us just to show the wonderful diversity of Cowboys fans."
When I talked to a Cowboys spokesman last week, he apologized and said contrasting soldiers against the then-unidentified Muslim couple was unintentional and a lapse in judgment.
But now I have to wonder how sincere that apology was. Hujefa said he called the Cowboys office to discuss the incident, just hoping to understand what happened. Twice he called, in fact, identifying himself each time as the booed fan. Neither call was returned.
I guess public apologies are easier than personal ones.
Amazingly, neither Hujefa nor Insiyah is bitter. "I want something very positive to come out of this," Hujefa said.
"Nobody loves this country more than I do, and I want people to understand that," he said. "You can be a good American and a good Muslim, too."
The Voras said they are sickened that a tiny percentage of radical, terrorist Muslims have so stained the image of their peaceful religion.
"They have ruined it for everybody," Insiyah said. "And we're scared of them, too!" she added.
I mentioned earlier that Hujefa wore a "head covering" to the Cowboys game. Let me tell you about it.
Some in the crowd thought they saw a turban on his head. Others described a religious cap. And often Hujefa does wear a traditional topi cap.
But what he actually wore that night was an FDNY ball cap. He and Insiyah made their first trip to New York recently. "And our first stop was Ground Zero," he said. "We just wanted to pray and remember all those who died there."
And in tribute to his heroes of 9-11, he bought the New York Fire Department cap. Later, he stopped by a New York fire station simply to meet and personally thank the firefighters there.
Prejudice, stereotypes those things come pretty easy to us. Reality is often so very different.
So who was that couple booed at Texas Stadium the other night?
Hujefa sums it up pretty well "just a couple of kids at a ballgame."
E-mail sblow@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ists/sblow/stories/091004dnmetblow.71729.html
In case the link doesn't work...
Cowboys fans reeling from sting of jeers
11:46 AM CDT on Friday, September 10, 2004
By STEVE BLOW / The Dallas Morning News
Maybe the first thing you should know about Hujefa and Insiyah Vora is that they stood and cheered enthusiastically when U.S. soldiers were shown on the big screens at Texas Stadium the other night during a "fan of the game" contest.
A few seconds later, the Voras were thrilled to see themselves on the video screens at the Cowboys game as the final contestants in the fan popularity contest.
"We were so excited," Hujefa said. "I'm a huge Cowboys fan. And to get your picture up on the Jumbotron man, that's every Cowboys fan's dream."
But that dream was soured when some in the crowd that night booed and hissed the Voras because of their Muslim appearance.
Dr. Hujefa Vora and his wife, Insiyah, were just thrilled to appear on the Jumbotron at Texas Stadium. Only later did they realize they had been booed. "It hurts. It really does," 30-year-old Hujefa said this week. We visited in the cafeteria of Arlington Memorial Hospital, where he is a staff physician a doctor of internal medicine.
Insiyah joined us for the conversation. She's an elementary school teacher. They live in southwest Dallas.
At my request, they wore exactly what they wore to the game last week. It's what they always wear to the four or five Cowboys games they attend each year.
Hujefa wore a head covering and his beloved No. 59 Dat Nguyen jersey. ("My absolute favorite Cowboy.") Insiyah wore a rida (ree-DAH) as she always does in public a long skirt and hooded shawl.
But you couldn't exactly call this a "traditional" rida . It's blue and white with silver stars and "Cowboys" imprinted on it.
"Hujefa bought this material, and I made it just for Cowboys games," Insiyah said. "He even bought these stars," she said, showing off the star-shaped buttons on the skirt.
"I was really in touch with my feminine side," Hujefa clowned.
Though their appearance may be a bit different, a few minutes of conversation reveal that this is a very typical, immensely likable young couple.
OK, Insiyah is a bit exotic. She's from Canada.
"But I don't say 'eh' " she laughed.
Hujefa grew up in Fort Worth. He went to Austin College in Sherman as a theater major, then decided on a career in medicine and graduated from UT Southwestern in Dallas.
When Hujefa and Insiyah were shown on the stadium screens, the people right around them cheered so loudly that the Voras couldn't hear the scattered boos coming from other parts of the stadium.
Also Online
Tell us: If you could talk directly to the couple jeered at the Cowboys game, what would you say?
9/3: What's next at Cowboys games? Tackling dummies in Arab attire?
"We left the game that night absolutely elated," Hujefa said. "We had been on the Jumbotron!"
The cold slap in the face came the next morning when he listened to his favorite radio station, the all-sports "The Ticket" (KTCK-AM).
"They were talking about this Muslim couple at the game that was oblivious to the fact they were being made fun of," Hujefa said. "And I knew they had to mean us."
Later he heard all about the boos from friends who were at the game. The heartache still shows on Hujefa's face as he talks about it.
"I guess in a way they were right on the radio. We were oblivious," he said. "But part of me still wants to believe the best. Part of me wants to believe the Cowboys showed us just to show the wonderful diversity of Cowboys fans."
When I talked to a Cowboys spokesman last week, he apologized and said contrasting soldiers against the then-unidentified Muslim couple was unintentional and a lapse in judgment.
But now I have to wonder how sincere that apology was. Hujefa said he called the Cowboys office to discuss the incident, just hoping to understand what happened. Twice he called, in fact, identifying himself each time as the booed fan. Neither call was returned.
I guess public apologies are easier than personal ones.
Amazingly, neither Hujefa nor Insiyah is bitter. "I want something very positive to come out of this," Hujefa said.
"Nobody loves this country more than I do, and I want people to understand that," he said. "You can be a good American and a good Muslim, too."
The Voras said they are sickened that a tiny percentage of radical, terrorist Muslims have so stained the image of their peaceful religion.
"They have ruined it for everybody," Insiyah said. "And we're scared of them, too!" she added.
I mentioned earlier that Hujefa wore a "head covering" to the Cowboys game. Let me tell you about it.
Some in the crowd thought they saw a turban on his head. Others described a religious cap. And often Hujefa does wear a traditional topi cap.
But what he actually wore that night was an FDNY ball cap. He and Insiyah made their first trip to New York recently. "And our first stop was Ground Zero," he said. "We just wanted to pray and remember all those who died there."
And in tribute to his heroes of 9-11, he bought the New York Fire Department cap. Later, he stopped by a New York fire station simply to meet and personally thank the firefighters there.
Prejudice, stereotypes those things come pretty easy to us. Reality is often so very different.
So who was that couple booed at Texas Stadium the other night?
Hujefa sums it up pretty well "just a couple of kids at a ballgame."
E-mail sblow@dallasnews.com
