Terror in Sugar Land

In my previous posting on the strange but predictable turn that the race for a seat on the Sugar Land City Council has taken, I mainly wanted to comment on where I suspected the anonymous flyer came from.. There is a faction of the Republican Party in Fort Bend that can only be characterized as meaner than 10 acres of snakes and it is from that general area that I suspect the flyer was created.

What I didn’t comment on, because I was not aware of it, because it wasn’t in the media, was the fact that this particular act was in reality an act of terrorism. Terrorism in that the Ahmed family has now been targeted by every diseased mind in the county.  Terrorism in that, as Democratic County Chair Steve Brown has said in the media, this cannot help but discourage South Asians and people not of the Christian faith from seeking public office.

Yesterday I received an email message forwarded to me by a friend from the mother of Farha Ahmed. In it she described things that were not reported in the media that people need to know. It is making the rounds in Sugar Land and elsewhere so I thought I would give it a boost and repost in on this blog so that my 7 readers can also see what is going on in Sugar Land.

Forwarded email message follows:

Dear (Name withheld)  ,

As a Mother what would you do?

I brought up my daughter, Farha Ahmed, right here in our area. I raised her with the kind of values we Texans cherish: dedication, honesty, integrity, love for our country, and standing up for what’s right.

Farha is now a mother herself, and she and her husband, are raising my grandchildren with the same set of principles that I worked so hard to instill in her when she was a little girl. I love my daughter fiercely and I am so proud of the strong woman and leader she has become.

So when I saw this disgusting hateful mail piece it made my blood boil. These untrue filthy lies being spread about my Farha made me ill! Imagine how you would feel if someone came after your child like this?

Because of this mailer, the Sugar Land police department dropped by Farha’s home to make sure she and her family were okay. I want to thank them personally.

And it was their kindness that turned my anger to sadness and now concern. As hard as it is to see Farha called a terrorist, it is almost as hard to believe that someone from our town could be the one to do it. You would never think that a race for Sugar Land City Council could bring out the worst in people. I know I didn’t expect it. Hatred and lies have no place in Sugar Land, and shouldn’t have a place anywhere in our politics.  

I hope that none of you reading this ever has to know how it feels when the police knock on your door to make sure that no one has attacked your family. Your kids. Your grand-children. This started off as a simple  race for a City Council seat, but now, it is a referendum on whether Sugar Land is the kind of place where this behavior is tolerated.

Regardless of who you plan to vote for, I hope you’ll get out there and vote. It’s the only way to stand up and send a message that this kind of negative politics is poison.  Now, I’m biased, but I think Farha’s running for Sugar Land City Council to make this a better place for all of us.  So, as a Mother, and as a citizen, I’m asking you to stand-up against ignorance and hate. I’m asking you to stand-up and go vote.

Believe me, it’s what your Mom would want you to do.

Your Neighbor,

 Talat

Talat Ahmed

Farha’s Mom

P.S. Please forward this letter and attachment to like minded friends - Thank you.