People should be considerate of each other's feelings

Since I started living in Cheney about two years ago, I have noticed one overwhelming thing: people have the wrong view of people from the Middle East.

Every day I hear someone refer to how different they are or how weird they look. Too many times have I heard them called obscene names that I don’t feel comfortable even to type. They have come here for nothing more than to go to school and get an education or start a new life. Some of the awful things I have heard come from the people of Cheney, some even coming from people working at businesses around town.

I blame our society for letting us see Middle Easterners as such bad people or portrayed as something bad. Every day on TV we let the news twist our mind and see people in headdresses and veils as scary people, but let me tell you this is far from the truth.

According to kff.org the amount of people who are from the Middle East sits anywhere from 1-15 percent. Everyone has their own story, so who are we to judge them because they come from a different country than us? If we walked in their shoes for a day, I am positive that we would not be happy with how we would be treated or talked to.

All I ask of the people of Cheney is to have a change of heart. It may not be an easy process for you, but if you listen to their story I know for a fact that your mind will change instantly. They are no different than you or I. Cheney is such a great little town and I can’t stand to see people show so much hate for no reason at all. Please consider other people’s feelings before going out and putting them down.

Quinn Cox-Harris

Cheney