The Tsranaev Brothers Are White Citizens.

Svetlana Jahan

Professor Bruce

ENGL 1101-004

27 June 2013

The Tsranaev Brothers Are White Citizens.

Every time filling out different applications we have to provide our race identity along with some common personal information. Although people of the modern world are not so prejudice against various cultures, they still pay attention to the appearances. I completely agree with the words I read in the article “Reborn in the USA” by Kwame Kwei-Armah “Race in the US is everybody’s business.” In spite of many Americans debating about the Tsarnaevs’ skin color, we should identify Tamerlan and Dzhokhar as white citizens. Furthermore, after acknowledging some facts about the two brothers, we can consider them white males.

The Tsarnaev brother’s race identity is the subject of debate, because “whiteness” is a highly contradictory matter in the United States. People of different nationalities can consider themselves white. For example, citizens of Middle East and Europe are white, although some of them have the dark skin. Hispanic people can look like light-skinned Europeans, but they are not legally white. In spite of millions of immigrants with different complexions living in the United States, being white in America means “both culturally and legally, being ‘one of us’”(Beinart, 2013).

Tamerlan and Dzhokar were born in a former Soviet Union republic of Chechnya, which is in the south of present-day Russia, in the Caucasus. While the minority of Russian population has a dark complexion, these people are considered white. Being from Russia myself I can say that along with native citizens there are many Tatars and Bashkirs who are recognized as white even though having dark skin, hair, and eyes. Peter Beinart in his article “Are the Tsarnaevs White?” says “the Tsarnaevs hail from the Caucasus, and are therefore, literally, ‘Caucasian.’ You can’t get whiter than that.”

Moreover, Americans often associate Muslims with being dark-skinned people; however, Islam is a religion of people of various diversities. As Beinart stated “Today, Americans still often link Islam and dark skin,” people can think that being a Muslim just “means not being white.”The United States has been a victim of many terrorist attacks from Muslims, so the population made a conclusion about the possible danger coming from Islam. We can see that misconception in Josh Levs and Monte Plott’s article “Boy, 8, one of 3 killed in bombings at Boston Marathon; scores wounded,” when “Investigators warned police to be on the lookout for a ‘darker-skinned or black male’ with a possible foreign accent in connection with the attack.”In opposition to that, there are millions of white Muslims living in Russia and in former Soviet republics like Chechnya, the place where the Tsarnaev brothers were born.

Also, based on the family origin and background the two immigrants from Chechnya can be considered white. In the article “An Asian American Race Man” David Mura, a Japanese person living in America, said that even though “Asians are people of color,” he “grew up thinking like a white person.” Being white means more than just having a light skin tone. It is extremely hard for the majority of American citizens to accept the fact that the Tsarnaev brothers, who committed the crime against their country, are white. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan lived in the United States with their parents for over a decade. Dzokhar was a student at the University of Massachusetts. He was an outgoing person, played sports and even won a scholarship. Tamerlan was married to a white American Catherin Russel from a middle-class family. Hence, the Tsranaev brothers had regular lives as other white Americans did.

Consequently, in spite of all wide spread misconceptions, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev can be identified as white males. Besides, a false association of Islam, dark skin, and terrorism caused many people being mistreated and even being abused for no reason. We need to understand that the prejudice made it hard to accept that a white naturalized American citizen can commit a crime against Americans. However, after acknowledging numerous facts, the Tsarnaevs can be regarded as white people.

Works Cited

Beinart, Peter. “Are the Tsarnaevs White?” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 June 2013.

Kwame, Kwei-Armah. “Reborn in the USA.” New Statesman Ltd. 16 Jul. 2012: Vol. 141 Issue 5114, p. 64-66, 3p, 1 Color Photograph. GALILEO. Web. 14 Jun. 2013.

Levs, Josh. “Boy, 8, One of 3 Killed in Bombings at Boston Marathon; Scores Wounded.” CNN.com. Cable News Network, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Jun. 2013.

Mura, David. “An Asian American Man.” Institute of African-American Affairs. Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire; Spring/Summer 2013, Vol. 13 Issue 1, p. 156-159, 4p. GALILEO. Web. 14 Jun. 2013.

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