we were American citizens of Japanese
ancestry ordered by the President of the
United States to be imprisoned in the
United States in our case Arkansas and
guarded over by the US military they
were American concentration camps for
Americans of Japanese ancestry so they
call them relocation centers they were
they were America's versions of
concentration camps anyway all that she
could remember is just blood everywhere
in the mess hall that's all she could
remember was he and his family were put
in a horse stall they were given your
father yeah was put in a horse dog yeah
they were given burlap bags told to
stuff it with the hay whatever was in
her many have compared what happened to
all these different groups it's
happening now with the Muslims now
Muslims are perceived as the other but a
Muslim can be Irish Japanese like we can
see right here
I said I'm leakin greetings apiece
welcome to the deshawn me to your host
and we got a lot to talk about today
with my next guest Bryan Ozaki how are
you I'm doing I'm doing well thank you
very nice to have you here with us thank
you thank you for having me now we're
gonna be talking about the the camps
that were set up here in the United
States here Hiroshima and Nagasaki all
this is set up now I mean all this is
part of some of the work you do to
create awareness of a history that's
actually been forgotten yes about the
japanese-american internment camps that
happened back in 1940 during the 1940s
during World War two correct no your
parents were in those camps yes both my
parents my dad's side was there from
Seattle so they went to a different camp
they were ended up in Minidoka and Idaho
and my mom is from California she
bounced around for three camps and she
was separated her and her mom were
separated from their father he is in a
Japanese term they call him ki BAE so
they were born in the United States they
are educated in Japan and then brought
back to the United States and because he
was able to read and write he was
separated as soon as Pearl Harbor was
bombed by Japan and he was sent to a
Department of Justice camp in Santa Fe
and my mom and her mother were sent to
three different camps all the while
being separated so they call internment
camps but it's not really an internment
what does that mean what are they trying
to say about internment camps you know
it wasn't really for their protection
yeah the japanese-americans two-thirds
of the japanese-americans 120,000 there
are American citizens they were
incarcerated the numbers I heard were
probably even more this is lower number
and it's possible because there were
numbers from Alaska people from Peru
were brought over people were put in
Department of Justice camps and not only
the War Relocation Authority camps
so the numbers could have been larger
and only the people that were on the
western seaboard were truly affected by
it mm-hmm but though so those were okie
so paint the picture to us what got us
thinking that this is far away from
reality is something that not too long
ago people are actually talking about
putting Muslims in these camps that's
right
right absolutely and the
japanese-americans have people who were
in the camps that were incarcerated
generations past they stood up right
away as soon as they heard about this
Muslim ban one died out they jumped out
and they were on the front lines talking
about we've been here before we know
where this is going so they were out
there they were picketing they were
showing their solidarity with the with
the with the Muslim people who did the
Japanese yes Japanese American they're
like we've heard this story before
absolutely yeah yeah now paint the
picture I mean okay these these are now
many people don't understand that these
were American citizens yes they were
two-thirds were American citizens they
were born here and that just didn't
really matter the the writing on the
wall was that it was for the
japanese-american their protection
however any of the camps that if anybody
visited or had pictures of there were
guard towers and there's barbed wire and
they were gun turrets on the top but
they were facing inside towards the camp
not outside away from the camp so they
weren't protecting anybody from coming
into the camp they were protected they
were trying to make sure nobody from
inside the camp was gonna get out now
was there was there a justifiable means
to this was there something going on
that there was some evidence proof that
now citizens were going to rebelled
against their government there wasn't
actual proof what happened was there was
a lot of wartime hysteria there was a
lot of fear there was already in an anti
Asian sentiment happening way before
1941 and this was just an excuse
there was a the Chinese Exclusion Act
that was going on and they needed cheap
labor to come in to help farm on the
west coast so they brought Japanese in
to farm they were able to farm land that
was thought to be just you couldn't grow
anything on it and they were able to do
it so that what happened was this was
kind of this kind of helped the farmers
Association - yeah let's let's get
behind this will push the
japanese-americans out we can take their
property in their fields and their
growth that's what actually happens when
they got put in these camps all their
businesses properties everything the the
locals wherever people end up taking
that yes that you were only allowed to
bring what you could carry and that was
that people were selling the property
their farming equipment their businesses
for nothing yeah a lot of it just got I
mean did it they didn't end up getting
that back right no so it was people
stolen yes pretty much yeah put it
bluntly pretty much yeah and now so this
lasted three years that but before that
it was for for some time that there was
a sentiment that there was this fear
mongering going on kind of like what we
see today exactly that's exactly what's
happening and you can see the
similarities and there are some people
out there that's that will say this is
completely different than what happened
to the japanese-americans what happened
with the Japanese Americans they were US
citizens people that these bands like
the Muslim band or the people seeking
refuge and asylum they're saying they're
not US citizens the problem is is that
we're treating people in humanely and
that's that's the real focus of it and
what you did to a group of people that
didn't look like the rest of the world
or the rest of the country that's what's
happening now and people really don't
know Muslims people really don't know
the people who are trying to seek asylum
no matter where they're from so there's
a fear out there but they're treating
him so inhumanely
mm-hmm well you have Muhammad Ali he's a
he's a citizen the guy who built the
Muslims who built the Sears Tower
there are citizens right so the same
thing here you have you have so many
American Muslim Americans who were born
here who now people start to look at
like suspiciously you know what the the
the media giving half-truths and the
politicians right a lot of times pushing
a lot of this division hate absolutely
just like um I'm not I don't know if
you're aware I see up in dolly she's
from Bridgeview she made a documentary
Bridgeview was under surveillance for
many years before 9/11 they government
couldn't find anything so they stopped
surveillance then 9/11 happened and then
you know then they started to surveil
again but nothing came out of it they
couldn't find anybody that was doing
anything wrong mm-hmm so now going back
to the internment camps or the camps
pretty much just like jails that was set
up and they were they were housing over
a hundred that incarcerated over 120,000
plus of American citizens pretty much in
the Japanese and then after three years
then they were released they were
released you could have gotten out
earlier if you had a sponsor somebody on
the interior of the United States I
could sponsor you for a job the places
that the the the ten camps that were
created they were not there so they were
built as they were being relocated
so first people were put in places like
state fairs open fields horse farms like
my dad went to pile up in on the west
coast and what happened was he and his
family were put in a horse stall they
were given your father yeah was put in a
horse dog yeah they were given burlap
bags told to stuff it with the hay
whatever was in there and they stayed
there for a while until Minidoka was
ready what was your father doing before
this happened what was he involved in
what kind of a business what was he he
was a little but what happened but his
family they they took care of like a
rooming house in Seattle mm-hmm
yeah did they feel that they felt this
was coming on was this was this
something that just overnight people
came and yeah came and took them and for
my for my dad side of family that's how
it felt to them yeah yeah so now then
then what happens is from there and this
is without any trial without any right a
notice went up executive order 9066 went
up told them to be at a specific
designated area and to be there with
what you can carry in your hands and
that was it from there they were taken
by buses with shades drawn so you
couldn't see out and people couldn't see
in they got dropped off at for my
parents like for my dad they got dropped
off at at the racetrack and then from
there when they went to Minidoka they
got to trains and took the train to
Minidoka
it is a desolate area in Idaho it's by
Twin Falls Idaho
there is nothing but dust in thus in the
summer it's hot in the winter it's snow
they were made shift barracks with just
tar paper on the outside so dust came in
snow came in it was cold and you had
multiple families living in one barracks
so you just got a notice saying show up
here all that what did it read like all
Japanese citizens yeah so that that's
what it red and then used you should
Italy I said all Japanese yeah need to
report here and here or you're gonna be
what shot killed what I mean it's or
there's some kind of cops because what
happened was they made it seem as though
it was for their protection yeah but
everybody was nice their identity so you
are not giving your knit you or not you
didn't get to keep your name you're
given a tag a tag with a number you're
little you're a newbie come a number yes
yeah I had a tag with a number you put
that on each person in your family do
you remember what number your father was
and I don't
so they got a number yeah that's how
were they identified yeah I by their
name anymore but that number Wow no and
that's not to that's that was just on
the corner that was really it's it was
78 years ago yeah yeah and then
pretty much your life your whole
livelihood everything that you worked up
and tell about that time it was all gone
then right pretty much
and then when camps let out like my mom
and her mom they they had nowhere to go
so they stayed in camps until it closed
in 46 and then when you got let out you
were given 25 dollars in a train ticket
mm-hmm and that was it that was it
yeah Reagan sometime later he paid out
some yeah he did
there was a there was some money that
was paid out like $20,000 to each person
that was still living that was
incarcerated uh-huh correct
what did you think about that you know I
was a kid so you know your parents how
did he write I mean to my dad it was a
slap in the face
mm-hmm my dad took this to heart and my
dad was a certain way his entire life he
was I mean he couldn't be more Perl
American than anybody he had enough
fighting for the United States during
the Korean War he only bought American
cars
if anybody disrespected the flag he was
gonna tell you right away I mean he just
he loved America and there was things
that he did that it wasn't till later on
that I figured out why he did it you
know like he didn't want to be known as
Japanese or Asian or somebody different
he wanted to be that American guy but
you know you can't erase the color of
your skin you can't erase the way that
your features look you know but you know
it's that's what happened to him that's
how he lived out his life based off of
what happened to him mm-hmm so then then
you have the releasing of the Japanese
from the
around 19:00 about 45 46
that's when hiroshima nagasaki huh well
you know she yeah so it was right after
that were Japan kind of like they lost
the war and then they just that was it
and they were releasing people before
that if they had sponsors but it was
after that that they just kind of said
okay we're releasing yeah how many
people died in that innocent people I
mean it in some lines hon of innocent
people died I don't have that number but
a ton of people does to this day you
have people who are still suffering
absolutely I I went and saw and this was
many years ago probably over ten years
ago I went to go see a woman who wrote
this book called atomic mom and she she
was one of the the women who helped
developed the atomic bomb and then she
worked with some Japanese women and they
were probably second or third generation
and she was still having issues health
issues from the atomic bomb yeah it's in
the hundreds of thousands minimum that's
these are probably low numbers I mean
and then millions have been affected
still where this is indiscriminate just
bomb on just as humanity and so you know
we're the only country to ever use this
bomb and now you know we're the ones
that are telling people not to use it
right but we have the most of them so we
talk about these things now too
and why do you now why do you you you're
part of an organization that comes out
and speaks and creates awareness what
motivated you to do that to be a part of
something like this you know it had to
have been my family in my dad you know
the second and third generations they
didn't really speak about this stuff at
all they didn't speak about the camps I
had to really do my research and then
pull it out of my parents they didn't
want to talk about it they were still
traumatized program yeah it was part of
history that you know they didn't want
to talk about it they they lived it they
experienced it but they don't want to
talk about it so I kept
pulling it out of them and you know it
was something that I remembered that I
didn't learn about too much I just heard
about a little bit and that was it so
you know when my son was in the fifth
grade they were his teacher she's
brilliant and she was going over this
chapter in history and she happened to
find out from my son that his
grandparents my parents were in these
camps so she really sent my wife and I a
letter asking please can they come in so
my parents said no but I eventually got
them to say yes and they came into the
school and they taught and they shared
their experience with the class in a
very G rated version for the fifth
graders and they they recorded it and
ever since then I mean this was seven
years ago eight years ago and every year
since then she's she shows this video to
the kids and the kids send my parents
thank-you cards and just how they can
relate what they remembered from the
stories and I mean that's incredible now
that's a way to get this awareness out
and with JCL which is an organization
that I sit on the board with they have a
program where they go out to schools and
organizations and they teach this
history and that is a new program that
started a couple years ago and it's
something that it needs to be taught so
people just don't forget what had
happened to innocent people you know
back in the 40s mm-hmm are there any
stories unique stories that stand out
I'm sure you heard you've heard a lot
from people who were close your family
or others who have been into these camps
at that time that you recall that had a
found impact that you can share with us
yeah you know it's the Japanese
community the japanese-american
community you know at one point in my
life I thought where are they and then I
found out they're around you just they
just dispersed a lot more
my dad used to tell me about a guy a kid
that he knew when he was in camp that
drowned in this river when they were a
camp well a few years ago in 2017 I was
talking to this lady and I was
interviewing her for a project that boy
she knew that boy that boy actually
saved her sister's life her sister had a
blood disease and she needed a
transfusion and this boy had the exact
blood match he saved her life and then
he went on passing away in the river I
mean the odds of the the relationship of
my dad to this boy and to this boy to
this woman and her sister I mean they're
from opposite ends of this country I
mean it's amazing you know there are a
lot of stories out there of people
witnessing a one person witnessed a chef
oh there's the same lady she witnessed
the chef that got shot by the military
police and all that she could remember
is just blood everywhere in the mess
hall that's all she could remember why
did he shoot him nobody knows she
doesn't know she just knows that he he
got shot she didn't remember so how much
if you if you look back of the people
because you have really good hearted
Americans here who wouldn't stand for
that you know how many were fighting
against that as opposed to the other you
know the people of prejudice people who
exercise racism people who had that hate
in their hearts who were pushing is
there must have been some kind of divide
there what was there how was it like you
know and you looked into this yeah back
in the 40s because there was an anti
Asian sentiment happening
yeah and I think also I think there are
several different things that were
happening at that time one that being at
also the Japanese tend to be they kind
of keep themselves and they don't create
waves Yeah right
so also at that time of all the
documents of all the pictures of any of
the home videos nobody stood up for the
Japanese American there was no one
protesting no one protesting there were
some that like we're friends because
they knew that like from the community
so some people saved some of the
property some people save some
belongings but it wasn't like today
where you see you know groups of
thousands of people out there protesting
against you know anti-immigration or the
Muslim ban or women's rights you don't
you don't you didn't see that back then
how about the the exercising of one of
the statements attributed to Jesus love
your neighbor all the verses that talk
about peace and love did you have these
Christians coming up and you there had
to been some coming up you didn't hear
much I I haven't I haven't read or seen
anything like that mm-hmm
I mean it's possible it could exist but
of all the documentation that I've read
and and the videos and the pictures I've
seen I just didn't see these are times
when God is testing humanity you see
it's it's human beings a lot of times we
want to blame the Creator God Almighty
we shell law and then these wars happen
but it's the human beings that start
these words to human beings that cause
this corruption on earth and then God
Almighty Allah he gives us these
opportunities for people to step up and
show their their mercy to come up and
show that love and then now this is
going to be a witness against a lot of
people on the day of judgment see
because it's easy to profess faith I
believe in God and all that but what are
you doing when you see injustice like
this happening yeah and I think
everybody has their level how they
perceive that or take that right for me
also planet Allah gave us free will
right
and it's up to us to do what Elspeth
Allah wants us to do right so I I just
think that I guess it depends on what's
more important at that time maybe yeah I
couldn't tell you I can only tell you
what how I feel about that yeah so some
of our viewers just probably got
surprised they heard you say the term of
law which simply means the Creator God
Almighty and they're wondering so you
you actually had some exposure to Islam
and then you you actually yourself
accepted Islam became a Muslim I did and
for those that don't know Islam simply
means to submit your will to the crater
and a Muslim was one who does that
action of submitting to the will of the
one guy that's right so you were saying
yeah so I did I grew up very different
and you know I in a Buddhist home and
didn't work for me and I think almost
Paulette Allah every single day multiple
times a day for for being here for
telling me teaching me guiding me what I
need to do to prepare myself for Jenna
right so it's it's it's it's hard to
describe for me it's it's like it's a
feeling that brings a smile to my face
mm-hm you know almost upon file it gives
me purpose yeah you know I so I mean
this whatever I can do to help humanity
to my ability I mean I'm not anybody but
whatever I can do say something to
somebody spread awareness you know it's
and that's one of the means to
fulfilling the purpose of life is to be
when you're in the service when you're
worshiping serving your Creator you're
serving mankind you're trying to be a
good asset a good ambassador you're
trying to be a good humanitarian you're
trying to spread goodness and this is
one of those things there's one of those
ways but you've obviously had to really
engrossed yourself in studying the text
the Quran derson uh because you would
not have come I'm assuming for sure
someone who parents were oppressed
they've seen oppression and now you have
the media making Islam look like it's a
terrorist religion making it look like
it's an impressive way of life for women
you wouldn't I mean going why would you
go in that direction if you didn't learn
the opposite you know it's I think it's
because I've been around Muslims for
more than half my life and you know I I
have I've always stood up for Aslam
because you know a lot of people don't
have that knowledge and when somebody
doesn't have even the most basic
knowledge they become fearful and when
they become fearful they become I don't
know angry or belligerent yeah and you
know I would to the best of my knowledge
at that point in time I would try to you
know tell them that whatever you're
hearing it's just it's not what it is
right and you try to give them examples
and people would pull things from here
and there and say well this says this
and you know you got to tell them while
you're giving them just this small
portion you can't base your judgments on
just this warm portion you know you have
to have the entire text before and after
it to get an entire picture and
oftentimes it's not even that simple you
have to have
the whole parts even before that and
after that to truly understand that and
then you have to have the the stories
that that backfill that writing like the
hadith right you need some of that
information to give it more context yeah
so it's not as cut and dry and saying oh
they're barbarians and they treat their
women terribly and they're not allowed
to do this and they can have you know X
amount of wives it's just you know you
can't get angry with people like that
you just have to try to tell them that
you know that's not what it is and this
is what it is right now we saw we saw
that that hate being perpetuated with
many people who have come over to the
Americas starting with let's say you had
the Catholics see a Christian on
Christian hate so you had the Christians
hating on the Catholics from here and
then you had the Irish then you had what
came out of that now you could start
coming along you had the the Japanese
now now we have a live example of your
parents who are in those jails those
camps so we saw it we can see like what
anyone who was perceived as the other
right all right who doesn't who doesn't
walk like us talk like us have the the
the slang like us have a skin like color
like us they're the other but it even
went so far back as two other just they
had the skin same color but maybe a
different little dialect sure but now
it's coming so we have a live example we
were giving with your story and your
family story or something I didn't just
happen yes it was just it was something
it was um it was like four years ago
yeah it was just around the corner and
now history is there so we can study it
so hopefully we can get some good from
and not let the evils repeat itself but
now many have compared what happened to
all these different groups it's
happening now with the Muslims now
Muslims are perceived as the other but a
Muslim can be Irish Japanese like we can
see right here
a Mexican Italian white American because
a Muslim is one like Jesus Moses Abraham
Mohammed peace be upon them all one who
just submits to the will of God that's
right yeah absolutely
and I think that's what the power you
know a lot of the
the satanic forces and and and the
people of division the people who want
to spread this hate that's what they
fear Islam Allah because Islam brings
humanity together you know it's LOM is
something that unites people under the
worship one God doing good deeds being a
good human being and I had a interview
with Christian not too long ago mr.
Benjamin and his followers they were
watching the program and they got to see
us interact and talk and then they we
heard some of their feedback and one I
just I was amazed to see like what some
people were saying one particularly took
us out he said I cannot believe how
stupid I was something like that
saying that I don't believe anything the
media says majority of it but why'd why
now he had to come to terms with his own
self and say why now when it comes to
Muslims do I believe what the media says
but another thing I question everything
but now when it comes to Muslims when
they say something against Muslims in
Islam I just swallow it all right
you know oftentimes you know if you
don't know any Muslims right you don't
know or you have no idea and then you
have to think you know what does the
Muslim look like you know I hear often
times about how people are like well you
know you don't look like a Muslim or you
know how do I know if you're Muslim or
not right you know it's it's not
something you wear it unless you know if
you were a hijab or you yeah but you
know what does the Muslim look like you
know it looks like you do me I mean yeah
you know we're totally now opposite
probably to what people will be thinking
the Muslims looks like alright because
they're thinking some Arab in a desert
big turban with a sword on a camel sure
absolutely you know it's like whatever
they want to show in the movies right
uh-huh
but they got two right now sitting in
front of them on the sigani screen big
screen huh
yeah so we crushed that stereotype right
there absolutely yeah absolutely
another another thing is when you think
about the justice and the beauty of of
this beautiful way of life Islam that
would never allow something like when
you look at this this does this
indiscriminate bombing of
here innocent human beings like the
hiroshima nagasaki
I mean Muslims didn't do this I mean
this is something that Islam is totally
you have no there is no exception to
killing innocent human beings just
indiscriminate sin is like killing all
of mankind
that's a verse from the Quran yeah you
gotta take that to heart and you have to
believe it yeah so it's crazy how you
know some of these some some you see
some people doing the worst heinous
criminal acts and then flipping it and
trying to make Muslims you know as
they're the the people terrorizing and
spreading corruption in the earth it's
amazing it reminds me of one verse in
the Quran or god almighty is talking
about this talking about they wish to
spread I'm paraphrasing saying that
they're the people of peace but they're
actually the ones spreading corruption
and in the land it's crazy it is as
unfortunate and I think you know part of
what people on the outside would see is
they're seeing culture as opposed to
seeing the religion yeah and I think
sometimes not entirely their fault for
seeing that - yeah right so I think in
in some cases you know we have to take
responsibility for that mm-hmm right so
I you know I I believe in in the pure
faith and so you know I tried my best
every day to do the best that I can
based on what was it that finally had
you how much time did it take for you
researching that you finally decided to
that this is the way of life from the
creator and I'm gonna accept it you know
it's I think it's I was tired of just
the way that I was living my life you
know nobody was holding me accountable
for it right and I kept screwing up you
know and when you screw up oftentimes
you know it hurts you but a lot of times
it hurts others too when you screw up
so you know I was tired of screwing up
and I wasn't the way I was living my
life wasn't working and Alice upon
Tallis showed me you know I mean he
holds me accountable for all of my
actions and you know it's been a
blessing mm-hmm have you have you've
traveled to Japan when I was a kid
before Islam but I'm traveling to Japan
inshallah I'm trying to tape and in a
few months
how was Aslam being received over there
I heard there's uh there's a growing
growing Muslim community it's growing
and you know it's funny you bring that
up last night I happen to turn off this
Japanese show it's a it's called NHK so
it's uh it's it's a it's a station
Japanese station in Japan and they were
talking about Islam it was the craziest
thing my wife and I were we couldn't
believe it and in how it like a
mainstream channel it's amazing it's a
Japanese station that shows nothing but
things happening in Japan it's like a
it's like watching CNN but yes it's all
from Japan and they were talking about
this bacchus tiny guy that's been living
there for 20 years and he immersed
himself in the culture and he's Muslim
and they I think they're in an area
where it's got the largest mosque so
they have I think he said there's like
600 Muslims that pray here but in their
newsfeed if they were mostly like
Pakistani I didn't see any Japanese
however I have seen a couple of mosques
in Tokyo and I did read a story about
some Japanese people in Islam and I read
articles about how
they're being more accommodating towards
people in Islam they dedicate prayer
rooms in public spaces they're making
claw and the be how food more accessible
for people there's a big Malaysian a
group that goes I mean it's you know
that they come they do business they
they vacation so you know Malaysia is a
huge Muslim population so they are more
accommodating towards Muslim people no
mm-hmm that's beautiful to hear yes
speaking I know I don't I kick myself
for that and I'm sure my mom does too
because my mom can speak but I'm really
excited to go cuz I really want to see
like this Muslim culture out there yeah
now the Japanese some of the Japanese
cultural things that that we know about
tell me tell me is this true is like
before you go into a Japanese house you
can't take your shoes you have to take
your shoes off yes right that's part of
Japanese culture yeah they're very big
into cleanliness
so before you enter the house you take
your shoes off and they so you would
wear slippers and then they would have
special slippers for like the restroom
yeah so you only have rushed restroom
slippers and then you have the rest of
the house slippers uh-huh and that's
beautiful because Islam you know
plumbing cleanliness
you know purity is a part of our iman
our faith yeah so we do the same thing
take your shoes off in the house right
right you're always making sure you're
cleaned spiritually physically
absolutely so now when somebody from the
Japanese they accept this is one of
those things of the culture that just
goes really because with Islam you don't
just throw everything out the culture
there's some things like for instance in
some cultures mainly here there's some
lot of good things but there are some
things like it's just common to go in a
house with the shoes yeah right you know
so you're bringing in like I did a
program on this talking about this you
know but this is something that people
can adapt take from from one of the
beautiful things Islam and the Japanese
culture right because they did a study
about the hundreds of different germs
and and things that you bring in on your
shoes and you bring in
inside the house and put on your bed
yeah you jump on the bed with your shoes
on yeah and that's the thing about now
you think now you have because your way
is superior but then you end up putting
other people down because you don't
understand that why I got to take my
shoes off this and that in the other and
then you're saying like wow this
actually makes more sense yeah yeah what
else is there with Japanese they'll do
the Japanese will the tradition was more
or less handshake more more of a nod it
yes it was a bow cria yeah uh-huh yeah
it's always kind of like you know
there's different angles of boughs yeah
tell us about that well there's
different angles of boughs right and so
depending on you know it's it's a also a
level of respect right whether it's a
teacher or a parent or an elder right
you would always try to at least have
you about lower than theirs Yeah right
and you wouldn't raise from your bow
until they would raise first right yeah
it's a lot of it just is based off of
respect yeah you know you do martial
arts in jiu-jitsu I do kendo so I
there's there's there's a lot of
similarities between the culture and
Islam tonight that I sometimes parallel
yeah because it's important and it's and
it's amazing on these parallels yeah and
I think respect is a huge part of that
see now now you can you you can respect
that's the part about getting educated
traveling understanding other people's
cultures because again this is another
area where people start to put down
Islam put down Muslims I make this
parallel with the Japanese culture and
now let's say for instance someone it's
a it's about great respect let's say
someone who's a Muslim he shows great
respect towards the opposite gender a
woman right he'll hug his mom his aunt
and he'll hug her his squeeze his
daughter but now someone else's wife
he's not groping all he's not kissing
her and
almost unlike Anna cheek but almost on
the lips and stuff you know hugging her
no it's like respect he respects your
wife he's not gonna even touch her he
doesn't come in her space that's right
right it's not about putting a woman
down all right so I make this parallel
well now you can because just because
you don't understand it's a little
different than your culture why why are
you gonna go crazy and start you know
spewing all sorts of hate rhetoric and
whatnot because you just don't
understand yeah I believe that you know
it's not for everybody and everybody
doesn't do that and I believe that it is
yeah I'm specifically you know you know
that the fear is is it's you're not born
with it no no is it something you're
taught whether it's in the home or
within yours and it's just the lack of
that education of knowing what you fear
and what you hate you know what I'm
talking about right I have those
specific group of people but it's sad
because sometimes if the good people
they remain silent they don't speak out
then it spreads like a disease
it does and then but you know hopefully
you know within time you can maybe turn
that disease around yeah yeah never cure
yeah it's it's very important that's why
I'm talking about these things and
discussing it and helping people to
understand because sometimes you're just
brought up in your little town your
little village
your little area and all you get to see
is people with the same colour as you
look like you and then anything else you
don't travel much and now any
opportunity that something doesn't look
the same way you do it then it's the
other and then you are developed that
fear and then you attack what you fear
yeah so just going back to what we
started with that's why one of the
things is that one of the reasons now
creating this awareness of these
interment these camps that were that
were created for that were there for
three almost four years with the
Japanese Americans a good portion of
them citizens that now if we don't
remember this history that it can repeat
itself again absolutely absolutely I
mean if you just strip it back and you
just talk about the humanity of it right
I mean it's happening now with asylum
seekers seeking a
life not only for themselves for their
families right and you have to kind of
you know in Islam you should have this
empathy and you have to you have to
really think about why are why are
people wanting to come here why are
people wanting to flee wherever their
their home is right whatever their home
is wherever their home is it must be
wanting a better life right and then to
be treated at the gate and just treated
just so inhumane Lee you know not giving
them the opportunity to come into this
country the percentage of asylum seekers
that actually come in is like point zero
four percent I believe it is point zero
four percent the camp that we were just
at had about about eighteen hundred
people in it in Matamoros eighteen
hundred people so Oh point zero four
percent of that population will come in
to the United States
that's almost nothing and to see how
they are forced to live just so they can
have a better life no matter what
they're fleeing whether it's violence
drugs war anything that they're fleeing
to live in how they're living to them
it's so worth it to live in these
conditions to flee from where they're
fleeing you have to think about if
they're here living like this
imagine what they're they're running
from and we have to as humans think
harder about this and try to help them
we're so you went down this was in Texas
it's right on the border of Brownsville
Brownsville Texas just on the opposite
end of the Rio Grande is Matamoros
Mexico
and that's where there's a there's a
tent camp right now mm-hmm
so there they are those are the asylum
seekers who are trying to come in yes
so what's what what you've been there
how was it down what is was the status
of the people now and what happens when
they enter these Kent they're in another
they're in a camp they're right there in
a canter at a tent camp and they're on
the levy side of the Rio Grande huh
so if the real grant ever floods I mean
they're gonna hit it I mean their
indirect path of it yeah you know
they're they're segregated by kind of
like by the country where they're from
and so they have these neighborhoods and
they make do with what they have what
with what God created you know they're
making they're making kitchens out of
what God created by by tree branches
twine mud earth and then whatever they
can find to use as a cooking element
like like a part of a file cabinet
they'll use as a stove top I mean the
ingenuity that they have to survive is
amazing but you know when we were they
don't have they don't have jobs they
want jobs they want a life they want to
provide for their family but we just
aren't giving them this opportunity it's
they're given opportunities to go to
court but the court is against them they
don't have they don't have there's such
a language barrier that they don't have
the information that they need in order
to help them pass through into the
United States you know they are sent
back to either their country or another
country and majority of them are facing
death when they get there and you know
when you feed them there's an
organization called world central
kitchen and they're a new organization
by chef Andres
andreas and he creates this this group
this world central kitchen and they go
to these post emergency devastated areas
like camps like in Japan the cruise ship
that's holding all all the people aboard
the ship because of the coronavirus in
the Bahamas and they provide food they
provide food for people that need it and
it's such an amazing company we went
down there we prepared food for like
over 1200 people and it was so amazing
all the volunteers were so lovely and
smiling and they worked 18-hour days
seven days a week preparing food handing
it out to people these people are their
friends you know these people are also
volunteers and it's you know that's like
Toma mmm-hmm when you when you watch
this yeah you you're down there and you
look at this and it makes you just think
like there's got to be more that you can
do mm-hmm that's what Islam is about huh
helping humanity doesn't matter what
color of your skin what race nationality
where you come from it doesn't matter it
doesn't matter it doesn't matter what
your economic status is doesn't matter
whether you're born on this side or this
side of the tracks I mean we're the same
we're you know their bloods the same
color as mine you know they breathe the
same air as I do you know that's what
it's about
how do your parents feel about you going
and creating awareness now about the
history of what differ somewhat some I
almost forgotten history going down to
Texas visiting the the asylum seekers
they were trying to get in
safe passage what what did what did they
say they when they hear about this are
they scared for you are they so happy
are they la mama scared yes you know she
always worries about my safety
whether it's you know coming to aslam
she was worried for my safety you know
while the weather traveling to create
awareness she's worried about my safety
she's always gonna be my mom she's
always gonna be my parents she's always
gonna be scared for me but you know what
this other at the same time she's also
very happy and proud of who I became you
know so it's quite a different picture
when you have the the more of the
acceptance and the hospital the
accommodations that are made in Japan
now when you compare that to China
have you ever China I have not what's
your what's your opinion there when you
see like the the eager Muslims you have
like how many now are in the camp almost
three million is it yeah it's it's a
shame it's I you know what I can't even
pretend to understand it yeah because
you know I'm not there I'm not part of
the culture in that society so you know
for me to give just like such a I don't
know I don't think I can give that kind
of an opinion I can just see from the
outside what it looks like I something
has to be done yeah I mean to have
citizens of a country wrangled up and
putting this in an area that they can
never leave and you know they're being
told they can't they can't practice
their religion they can't you know wear
hijab they can't do the things that you
know they grew up doing or recently came
to do you know I mean it's it's not
howhow are Muslims received like the
Muslim women women who are imitating
married the mother of Jesus wearing the
hijab who
we're practicing them modest dress code
in Japan how did they get receive over
there from your knowledge I honestly
don't know I will say though like
historically yeah Japanese clothing has
been modest yeah you know I mean you go
back to what they looked like wearing
kimonos not if it was skin tight yeah
that's yeah that's another part of the
Korea
none of it was you know how do you what
do you call it again come on oh come on
oh yeah Kim oh no that's what using the
ha I was the martial arts also its
clothes you know and so that's why I
like like in kendo you know it's it's
one of the oldest martial ways of
Japanese culture of fighting right it's
its way the sword how its loosely
translated but you know I I I try to
bring that into the into the Muslim
community because unlike a lot of other
sports especially for the young Muslim
sisters you know they have to come up
with ways to adapt to play the sports
right in in a modest way right
like in gymnastics or swimming or
whatnot but in kendo you know you wear
hakama which is the lower half which is
extremely it's extremely comfortable if
they're just really wide pants and then
you have your ghee which is very
loose-fitting and then you wear your
Bogle your armor on top of all that and
you know especially for a young sister
who wears or an older sister doesn't
matter wearing hijab you know you're
covered you know so you don't have to
worry about what do I have to figure out
to to be a part of this right I mean
obviously it's not only for people learn
for women who wear hijab but you know
it's something where you don't have to
worry about trying to find an alternate
clothing apparel to fit this yeah right
so when you hear about the mot we just
mentioned part of the culture of modesty
there the the greeting of his respect
then we talked about the cleanliness and
now when you add in some of the other
things if you're talking to someone of
just from background do you feel like
because we know Islam is a natural way
you know worship the Creator not the
creation be a good human being be
morally upright it just the tenants of
Islam it just makes sense it's not hard
to to comprehend to live is the pure way
so when you talk to someone who already
and their culture has many of these
these qualities have you felt have you
had experience and talking to some
Japanese people have they been receptive
when you have you've shared some of the
teachings of Islam how do they take to
it I mean honestly it's not a subject
that gets brought up hmm I think because
because I think there is this respect
level even between generations of being
japanese-american or people from Japan I
just think that there's this respect
level in it and I'm sure people have
these discussions but personally with me
they don't ask me and they don't they
don't talk about it I'm always open to
talk about it but it's just not
something that really happens and you
know it to be perfectly honest I can't
grow facial hair right it's like a for
me it's a Japanese gene I just can't
grow facial hair right so and I don't
wear it dopey so it's like I you know
you if you were to look at me you would
walk right by me not even think about
saying Salam to me yeah so I am sure
it's the same when other people see me
from my culture they probably just think
of me as just Japanese and that's it
they don't think of me as being Muslim
mm-hmm when you you're going you're
going you said you're going soon to
Japan in a few months
what's the the main martial art there
that's practiced well I think that
originates from there
well sumo is a huge Japanese sport that
is there kendo
we'd have to adjust a tire for sumo yeah
there's a lot there's a lot of touching
and grabbing in there yeah but for like
like Kendall's it's taught all the way
from like grade school what's taught
Kendall Kendall is way too sort so you
know when someone dies could no longer
practice being a solid I they would hide
it by doing kendo and it's instead of
the sword it's a bamboo sword and so
that's what I would say it's maybe one
of the majority of the martial ways that
is being taught is the the fighting with
the sword yes yeah they they have some
of the best swords it's a taught the
what's the name of the sword the the
specific sword that the summarized would
use out there it's a specific name for
it I forgot is it - Tommy sorter oh the
Qataris or katana sword yeah yeah I mean
there's yeah just even the craftsmanship
of building this sword yeah is is
amazing if you ever watch a documentary
to summarize this is uh the way the when
you study that this is from the Japanese
sword then they have certain principles
that they will live by yeah it's the
boot oh yeah it's it's it's the world of
its it's the way the Budo is it's it's
it's the way of the warrior it's how
there there are seven principles there
are several principles you remember some
of those you had integrity you had you
had courage you had what else character
you had really I mean when you look at
all the points some really good that
points that correlate really beautifully
with with Islam absolutely yeah yeah
yeah I agree with you
like if if if many people would just
live by those some of those principles
they probably wouldn't been the
internment camps right probably yeah if
people were living by some of those
principles we wouldn't have much of the
conflicts and but that's the thing a lot
of times we go away from from many of
these good principles that were
ultimately sent down by the crater for a
few for humanity and then we end up you
know following the the ways that it's
it's yeah I mean it's easier to do the
wrong thing the right thing mm-hmm
so at the end before we conclude what
what message would you have for you know
now
with the past and then what can we learn
from that for people who didn't know
this history who are learning about it
now listening to us seeing a Japanese
Muslim for the first time right someone
who has heard so many negative things
out there what would you say what would
you say to such a person what you know
you know I would ask them to ask me
questions or if you know Muslim talk to
them if you don't know Muslim the friend
of Muslim right you know it's I think
it's the only way that you would
understand and if you know you want to
talk about immigration policies or
Muslim bans you know you you have to
talk to people to understand talk to
people firsthand right people who know
about the subject somebody who has
experienced the subject in one form of
fashion you know it's it's all about the
education you know that's what it comes
down to is just to be educated wow
that's so that's profound to be educated
I mean when we're not educated properly
ignorance leads yeah it's it's a lot
easier to like I said you know in a
Colette's leads you it's just easier to
do the wrong thing yeah do you see what
now the with the political race coming
now with the new elections do you see
some of this stuff being brought back to
the FIR the surface again I do and I
think I think the only way to combat it
truly is to get out and vote I think
that's the only way that is a way to
possibly stop it or to slow it down is
to get out and vote and hopefully you
know whatever your vote is you know make
sure it's the right vote you know
whatever you believe in but I think you
know bring about awareness you know
speak publicly about it speak up about
it you know
have conviction and you know just
educate mm-hmm do you get in because you
you've done just couple more questions
you've done extensive research in this
area with the Pearl Harbor and
everything I have yeah how do you do you
get did you ever get down and what's
your opinion when because there's also a
great debate many have unfolded that a
lot of this stuff was already known you
know the what do you know was caught you
mean what was coming yeah it's it's
really based on fear
mmm-hmm truly everything that happened
and the reasonings of why things have
happened is truly based on fear there
was actually no physical evidence to
show that that the accusations that that
the military was throwing out there was
actually true and it's it's been proven
by US documents so what was proven that
that you know that it was that people
that we knew about it it was truth it
was proved that it would did we knew
about it that we didn't know that we
didn't know oh yeah we didn't that's
proof yeah cuz they were also saying
that there's Japanese submarines that
are just outside of was at San Francisco
or something I mean I mean they weren't
but because you know this negative
propaganda is can be thrown out there
and people will believe it you know then
that to them becomes their truth and
unfortunately the the truth won't come
out till many years later and if
somebody unearths it and looks for the
documentation and I actually really
quickly there's we every year the
japanese-american community across the
United States puts out programs called
Day of Remembrance and that's always
around February 19th because that's when
executive order 9066 was was created and
there's a young man named John osaki
with an S he created this he made this
film called alternative facts and he
interviewed many people involved
in the Proceedings of what had led up to
the incarceration of the
japanese-americans and he had proven
documentation that a lot of the
allegations were completely false and it
was a really eye-opening film you know a
lot of it some of us some people that
are historians of this particular
subject kind of knew it but when you
watch this film you actually hear the
testimonies of people that were actually
involved in the documentation that were
unearthed to prove it it kind of it kind
of just makes you think a little bit
more you know yeah thank you Brian thank
you so much thank you for being with us
here I appreciate your hospitality thank
you and we started with the beautiful
greeting of peace we end with peace
salaam aleikum
well Aslam thank you so much and thank
you guys for tuning in and there's a
beautiful quote by Nelson Mandela it
brought that came up to my mind where he
said that people aren't born hating
they're taught this hate and we got to
teach him how to love and when we live
this beautiful way of life if you're a
Christian if you if you love God with
all your heart mind body and soul I mean
you don't want to harm others you don't
want to stand by when others are being
harmed us as human beings we when we
hear this kind of stuff we don't want
this stuff to repeat itself so we study
it here and now you have this sentiment
that's growing we talked about how it
came to the Irish the Catholic the
Japanese now you have it with the
Muslims get to know your Muslim visit a
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