Threats

[Carolyn]

On Amerikanska, I just read a posting by a young woman in SFI who is in a class with 12 Iraqis and apparently has been told by one of those male students that if the US bombs Iraq, he will kill her. I would urge everybody here that if you receive ANY kind of threats like that, to immediately report them to the rektor and also to the police.

I know that nobody wants to get anybody in trouble, but in the times we live in, and considering the fundamentalists of ANY religion and their narrow way of looking at life, these threats should be taken seriously and this kind of behavior needs to be nipped in the bud.

Be careful out there, folks.

[LadyDuff]

Oh that is just awful!!!

[Sabeine]

I was in a Swedish class last year right when Sept 11th happened. A couple days after a man in my class came up to me and said, "if America starts bombing muslims, Americans everywhere will die". I said, "Is that a threat?!" and he said "I'm just saying this is how it will be". Nonetheless, I told the teacher and the man who had said this denied it and said I was being paranoid. I quit the class. It's hard enough trying to learn a new language without having to worry if something would happen to you when you're walking home.

[Carolyn]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

It pays to be a little more cautious and although, being a child of the 60s, the police were NOT my friends, there is active hate crime legislation in Sweden and I think that threats of this sort should be reported, if for no other reason than should something happen, they'll have a record of the report and possible names and at least know where to start looking.

But I also think the best method is to avoid being high profile - talking loud (an American failing, unfortunately) and just blending in as best we can, which most of us do anyway!

[Natooke]

OH my dear goodness Take care everyone ... I know my embassy has sent out warnings.

[LadyDuff]

I agree with Natooke, we have gotten warnings, but I have to say you are right in what you have said also, it is not a nice thing to hear and I think that you should tell the police about it, just in case!!

I have to say that, although this is off topic, but it does illustrate what we are discussing here, the other day I was really happy that we didnt do what we were planning to do! Hubby and I wanted to go to the movies at Hötorget in Stockholm, where the Sergel Filmstaden is, well anyways, we wanted to go to the movies with a friend of ours and were supposed to have gone to the 7 pm show, which would end at 9 pm, which is when the next show starts.

Well, at 9pm some guys had come to the square outside and they had seen someone they were enemies with or fighting with or whatever in the crowd of people just on an evening stroll or going to the movies. The thing is they started shooting, right into the crowd!!

Some folks started running into the cinema to hide and some ran to other places, but the windows at the cinema were destroyed, we saw them today, it looks as if someone has smashed a stone and made all kinds of small cracks in them!

Oh it was so horrible that we couldve been there!! I got really scared when I read this! Even worse is that the police got these kids and then took them to jail and now they are free again...so we never know!! Today I was paying more attention than ever to all around us!!

[LadyDuff]

I just have to say I have no idea what is happening to the world, it feels like we cant be safe anywhere, and also, it feels like people are not seeing each other as people!!

When hubby was in SFI I was so terrified everytime he had to come home, because it was late and it was dark and he had two choices, either come walking or come on the train. Him being an outdoorsy sort of person, always chose the walk. He had to walk by a school, the local Gymnasium, but the thing is ( this I have complained about many times as a student there) that there arent that many lights around there, so almost anything can happen around you and you dont see it until it is too late.

He came walking there one night on his way home and saw some people there, which he had never seen there at that point before, so he turned and got on the train and came home. I think it is so horrible that we cant be safe anymore, that one always has to go aroud thinking that something is going to happen at some point.

Well, I dont mean that I think about this every day, but that at some point something happens and then you have to start thinking about where you are going and what is happening around you....

Pretty sad that some day that safe city/town that most of us grew up in is going to be something of a fairy tale!!