Racism, abuse of weapons fuel gun violence in U.S. society, says Egyptian expert

CAIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Heba Gamal, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, has condemned frequent shooting incidents in the United States, saying they are driven by a "deep-rooted culture of racism, bullying, white supremacy and the proliferation of arms."

"American laws that permit 18-year-old citizens to freely and easily possess weapons, even war arms, is the main reason for exacerbating the problem," Gamal, also an associate professor of Comparative Politics at the Cairo-based state-run Institute of National Planning, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Violence, she said, has become part of American society and culture, with murder scenes often seen in TV series and movies.

"Amid high rates of crimes, streets have become unsafe, especially at night," Gamal said, adding that the rising poverty and persecution rates add more fuel to the fire.

Deeming violence a deep-seated problem in the U.S. society, she said, "Violence is part of the American culture and society," and those who immigrated from Europe in history assaulted the indigenous people (Native Americans).

Commenting on democracy and human rights, Gamal considered them "slogans that have not built a homogeneous community."

Targeting people of color indicated that "racism is a well-established culture in the U.S. mentality," the expert said, referring to the murder of George Floyd, an African-American man, in the city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer.

"Colored people are the main victims of the American violent society," she said, holding the belief in white supremacy to be a major reason for the profound racism in the United States as U.S. former President Donald Trump "supported such a concept and many groups eventually appeared to defend the rise of those racist ideas."

She said that the "vicious circle of violence and shooting will continue," not only because the arms trade is a pillar of the U.S. economy, but also the existence of weapons lobbies and the spread of organized crime groups that boost violent attacks.

Human rights groups have called on the U.S. Congress to reinstate a federal ban on assault weapons and warned against the rising violence.

"It is a profitable trade. I do not think the Congress will pass a law on prohibiting sales of weapons for civilians," she said, questioning whether it is "logical for ordinary people to own war weapons."

The repetition of violent attacks signals "ignorance of the U.S. administration of human rights and protection of children and youth from murder," Gamal said.

Weapon sellers are the most influential and richest people in the United States. Both Republicans and Democrats in the Congress need donors for their campaigns, and here the arms lobby plays a significant role in this process, the expert explained.