The View of = Muslims and Arabs in America Before and After September 11th

The View = of=20 Muslims and Arabs in America Before and After September=20 11^th

Webpage by=20 Heather Jolls, Anita Alaverdian = ,Lindsay Adams,=20 and Roselle Silva

Facts = About Muslims=20 and Arabs in America:

There=20 is much that is misunderstood about Arabs and Muslims in America.=20
Most=20 Arabs in America are not=20 Muslim.=20
Most=20 Muslims are not Arab.=20
Most=20 Arab Americans came from Lebanon and Syria =
Most=20 Muslim Americans are African American or from South=20 Asia.=20
Many=20 of the early Arab immigrants assimilated well in American=20 society=20
Like=20 other ethnic groups in America, Arabs and = Muslims have=20 produced many successful American whose ethnic background is merely an = afterthought.=20
The=20 income of Arab Americans is among the highest if any American ethnic=20 group-second only to that of Jewish Americans.=20
The=20 enormity of the horror, the Middle Eastern background of the = terrorists, the=20 terrorists=92 attempt to use religion to justify their acts have = inevitably led=20 to episodes of discrimination against Arabs and = Muslims.=20

An=20 Identity View:

In a=20 New York Times article appearing a week after the horror that befell = America on=20 September 11, a Muslim woman described her dilemma this way: "I am so = used to=20 thinking about myself as a New Yorker that it took me a few days to = begin to see=20 myself as a stranger might: a Muslim woman, an outsider, perhaps an = enemy of the=20 city. Before last week, I had thought of myself as a lawyer, a feminist, = a wife,=20 a sister, a friend, a woman on the street. Now I begin to see myself as = a brown=20 woman who bears a vague resemblance to the images of terrorists we see = on=20 television and in the newspapers. I can only imagine how much more = difficult it=20 is for men who look like Mohamed Atta or = Osama bin=20 Laden."

(http://www.brookings.edu/press/REVIEW/winter2002/telhami.htm) =20

=A9 Copyright = 2002 The Brookings=20 Institution=20

With = the=20 disassembling of the Taliban=92s insidious reign in = Afghanistan,=20
so came the dissolution of many of its fundamental laws. Due = to the=20
treatment of women during the Taliban=92s rule, the world media = soon=20
became aware of the restrictive laws and policies concerning = women=92s=20
rights, or lack there of. Unfortunately, American society = tends to=20 now
stereotype Arab-American women as veiled, docile, home bound = victims,=20
and also, many times, automatically assume that they=92re Muslim, = when=20
studies have shown otherwise.

TALIBAN INFLUENCES:

During=20 the Taliban's reign, many invasions into the domestic lives of
its = citizens were made with the scriptures of the Koran as their=20 key.
Although highly misinterpreted, some would argue,=20 justifications were
made by the claim that Islamic law, or Sharia, applied to all aspects
of life, = including the=20 home.  This allowed Taliban forces to use
surveillance = and other=20 monitoring "strategies" to ensure citizen's
compliance with Sharia.  When addressing the laws put = in place=20 for
women, a different approach was taken.  Laws such as = the=20 restriction of
women's faces in public, the requirements of male=20 chaperones in public,
and the forbidding of women washing = clothes in=20 their local rivers,
were put in place in support of=20 privatization.  These laws were now
justified by deeming = the=20 acts as an intrusion of domesticity into the
public.=20 (The Taliban, Women, and the Hegelian Private Shpere. Social
Research. Fall 03. Vol. 70, = No.3)

BEFORE:

Muslim=20 feminism was on a rise.  Arab-American women were owning = their=20
ethnicity, while questioning the religious influences within their =
culture.  It has been found that the connections = Arab-American=20 women
have with their ethnicity and religion are not determiners = of their=20
identity.  Rather, they are components of several = conditions=20 that
contribute to their identity, such as immigration status, = marital=20
status, and the level of relevance connected to = scripture.  In=20 fact,
the same study showed that one-third of=20 Arab-American women practice
Christianity and show the same = results=20 as those of Muslim beliefs.
Through the eyes of feminism, many = American=20 Muslim women have sought
ways of reforming the religion in order = to sync=20 with their own
traditions or have looked to infuse other = religions, such=20 as
Christianity, to accommodate them more = appropriately.  But=20 some have
taken the option of  completely abandoning the religion, = claiming=20 that
it does not promote the equality of all human=20 beings.

AFTER:

The=20 attack on the World Trade Centers brought more attention to the =
small=20 population of Arab-American communities than they could have ever=20
dreamed.  As the dust settled, people's views remained=20 scattered.  A
new witch hunt was in effect and any means = of=20 determining the
identification of the culprit would be=20 accepted.  Unfortunately, the
wonderfully decorated = scarves, or=20 burquas or hijabs, became=20 the
easy-to-spot target for hatred.  For months = following the=20 attack,
Muslim women were forced to hide in their homes to avoid=20 harassment and
violence and those that chose, or had to, go into = public=20 would wear
their scarves in a manner that could not be recognized = as being=20
affiliated with their religious beliefs.  Furthermore, = when=20 responses
from the Islamic community were given concerning the = devastating=20
events, the women of Islam were silenced.  (Lester=20 2003)

PATRIOTISM:

In the=20 name of patriotism, rash decisions have been made throughout the =
country,=20 and at all levels of power.  It should be known, though, = that
of=20 ALL the misinterpretations and misunderstandings that surround =
September=20 11, 2001, many Muslim Americans celebrated their patriotism
by = valuing a=20 country that allows anyone to observe any religion they so=20
choose.=20

Perceptions of=20 Muslims and Arabs by Americans due to Media Influences and Political=20 Agendas

Even=20 before 9/11 the views of Muslims and Middle Eastern people in the = United=20 States has been skewed. It can be = traced to=20 deliberate mythmaking by film and media, stereotyping as part of = conscious=20 strategy of 'experts' and polemicists on the Middle East, the selling = of a=20 foreign policy agenda by US government officials and groups seeking to = affect=20 that agenda, and a public susceptible to images identifying the = unwelcome=20 'other' in its midst. (Akram) Played as a scapegoat for = all the=20 worlds=92 problems Muslims are not the first person to be targeted for = racial=20 profiling. Arabs are = seen as,=20 =93robed and turbaned, sinister and dangerous, engaged mainly in = hijacking=20 airplanes and blowing up public buildings. It seems that the human = race cannot=20 discriminate between a tiny minority of persons who may be = objectionable and=20 the ethnic strain from which they spring. If the Italians have the = Mafia, all=20 Italians are suspect; if the Jews have financiers, all Jews are part = of an=20 international conspiracy; if the Arabs have fanatics, all Arabs are = violent.=94=20 (Akram)

After=20 9/11 Americans continued their harsh views and opinions about any = person who=20 resembled the images that they media portrayed as the enemy. Within days of the attacks = every news=20 channel was flashing up images of what the hijackers looked like. From these images Americans = turned=20 their fear and hatred on to anyone who closely resembled these faces.=20

The=20 media only fueled the hatred that Americans felt towards all Arabs = when it was=20 relatively a small group of people responsible for these attacks. Since 9/11 the media has = continued to=20 depict the Middle East as ungrateful for the help that the = United = States=20 has supposedly brought. Filled with deceptive lies and reporting of = only half=20 of the story, =93Little wonder then that 600,000 dead Iraqis need = never be named=20 or even counted. Iraqis can even be portrayed as =93ungrateful=94 for = not=20 appreciating Western efforts to =93help=94 them. This kind of = interpretation has=20 permeated out of the academy into all areas of Western culture, from = novels=20 and films to more overtly political culture.=94 (Strong)=20

Media=20 in the U.S. does = not report=20 the facts about the war in Iraq. It does not tell us every = side of the=20 story because just like our history book it never has. = =93America's media = empire is=20 controlled by a tiny coterie of people. Chairman of the Federal = Communications=20 Commission Michael Powell, the son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, = has=20 proposed even further deregulation of the communication industry, = which will=20 lead to even greater consolidation.=94 (Roy) =20 It is as if our leaders justify this racial hatred because as = long as=20 American=92s stay angry at a this scapegoat = then their=20 anger will continue to give fuel an unjust war.

National=20 Security in a Post 9/11 World

National=20 security has been priority for Americans since the tragic events of = September=20 11^th six years ago. = It=20 has been the cause for fighting the =93War on Terror=94 in the form of = Islamic=20 extremists. The aftermath = of 9/11=20 has put us at war with Iraq=20 and Afghanistan, = and has led=20 to the rise of racial intolerance towards Muslims within the = United=20 States. =20 We are in a continuing cycle of violence that has cost us=20 profoundly.

The National Intelligence = Council=20 (NIC) evaluates the issues of National Security. The council works with the = Intelligence=20 Community to predict the likelihood of future events and provide = analytical=20 information regarding current threats to the U.S. The main threat to the=20 United=20 States comes from Islamic Terrorist = groups=20 according to the NIC. = Groups, such as al-Qaeda being a major threat. Counterterrorism efforts since = 9/11 have=20 debilitated terrorist groups with plans of attack to the = U.S. Improvements in National and = Homeland=20 Security policies have made it more difficult for such groups to execute = more=20 acts of terrorism with similar magnitude of 9/11.

According=20 to http://www.whitehouse.gov/,=20 U.S. government = intelligence,=20 homeland security officials and law enforcement meet weekly with the = White House=20 to review current threats and how to deal with them. Law enforcement is constantly = developing=20 ways to improve their efforts in response to heightened threat. The White = House claims=20 that America is = safer but not=20 quite and our leaders, armed forces, and intelligence community continue = to work=20 together to prevent terrorism in the United States of=20 America.

Things=20 were done differently in the pre-9/11 world. The following is a comparison = of a few=20 Homeland Security policies before and after 9/11 according to the = Department of=20 Homeland Security (http://www.dhs.gov/).<= /P>

Issue

Pre-9/11

Post-9/11

Risk-based=20 homeland security funds

National=20 Security funds were not appropriated based upon=20 risk

-=20 100% of Urban Area Security Initiative funds are awarded based on = risk=20 & effectiveness.

-=20 DHS allocated the maximum amount statutorily possible based on = risk and=20 effectiveness under the Homeland Security Grant Program.=20

Critical=20 Infrastructure Assessment

No=20 integrated national policy to identify = threats

and=20 address vulnerabilities in critical=20 infrastructure.

-=20 DHS created the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), a=20 public/private partnership to identify and protect the Nation=92s = critical=20 infrastructure & key resources.

-=20 Improved security for high-risk chemical=20 facilities.

Private=20 sector preparedness

No=20 national standard for private sector emergency=20 preparedness

-=20 Private Sector Office created; increase in private sector = participation in=20 federal training, exercises, and = preparedness.

Airline=20 passenger pre-screening

Passenger=20 information collected from airlines on voluntary=20 basis

only=20 for international flights. = No=20 single list of suspected terrorists existed or was shared among=20 U.S.=20 agencies.

-=20 100% of passengers are now screened.

-=20 Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) implemented and = supported by=20 Passenger Name Record (PNR) which looks for = =93identifiable=85indicators of=20 risk=94.

-=20 Terrorist=20 Screening = Center (TSC) consolidated = watch=20 lists and provides 24/7 support.

Airline=20 passenger explosive screening

Not=20 all passengers were screened for = explosives.

-=20 1,200 Explosive Trace Detectors deployed at passenger=20 checkpoints

-=20 Nearly 4,000 metal detectors & x-ray machines installed at 440 = airports across the country.

Checked=20 bag screening

Not=20 all checked bags were screened for = explosives.

-=20 100% of checked baggage is now screened.

-=20 425 Canine explosive detection teams in more than 80=20 airports

-=20 1,400 Explosive Detection System (EDS) machines=20 deployed.

Soon after the shock and = despair of=20 9/11, the anger felt by Americans was fueled by talk of retaliation = toward the=20 enemy. Clearly, we are = talking=20 about Muslims and the Middle = East. For the violent acts of terror = committed=20 by =93Islamic fundamentalists=94, the Arab-American community felt a = backlash of=20 racial bigotry from their fellow Americans holding them accountable for = world=20 terrorism. Islam was = perceived to=20 be a religion of evil and anyone who resembles the enemy is a potential=20 threat. This portrayal of = an entire=20 people affected much of the issues concerning National Security, = especially=20 racial profiling among the airline industry.

Many Muslims feel = isolated and are=20 afraid of being suspected of terrorism. =20 According to an article from USA TODAY, =93Many Arab Muslims say = their=20 community is turning in on itself =96 shying away from a society = increasingly=20 inclined to equate Islam with terrorism=94 (Fear =91as bad as after = 9/11=92, Hampson). = In=20 the hopes that things would become normal after 9/11 but the war = overseas and=20 biased media coverage only made it more difficult to cope. Some people went as far as = changing=20 their names so they would not be compared to the terrorists in any=20 way.

For the purpose of = National=20 Security, individuals must be screened throughout airports in the=20 U.S. New policies have formed to = improve our=20 airline industry and the safety of the homeland. Since passenger jets were used = to bring=20 down the twin towers in 2001, the Transportation Security Administration = (TSA),=20 have developed screening techniques to minimize the chances of attack = through=20 means of aircraft. All = passengers=20 are screened without judgments on race, religion, and ethnic = origin. Unfortunately this is not the = case in=20 reality. There have been = many=20 lawsuits against the airline industry since 9/11 with claims of racial = profiling=20 among people of Middle Eastern or Asian descent. People are searched thoroughly = and taken=20 in for questioning if suspected and sometimes it is related to their=20 appearance. When = passengers are in=20 the plane, they can be removed if other passengers feel = uncomfortable. For example, people who speak = Arabic, or=20 bare a resemblance to what is portrayed as the present day = terrorist. CNN reports the cases of five = passengers=20 who were prevented from boarding after 9/11. =93Among the plaintiffs is = Michael Dasrath, a 32-year-old analyst for Morgan Stanley, = who was=20 ejected from a Continental flight from Newark to=20 Tampa last New=20 Year=92s eve. Dasrath, a U.S. citizen of Indian heritage, told = CNN that=20 his incident began with the complaint of a single, white female = passenger who=20 had been observing him and two other men in their first class seats=94 = (=93Airlines=20 face post 9/11 racial profiling suits=94, CNN).

Discrimination is not = only in=20 airports, but exists in many forms. =20 The American media feeds us plenty of wartime propaganda keeping = focus on=20 the =93War on Terror=94 and it=92s = progress. There are acts of violence, = harassment,=20 and hate towards Middle Easterners. =20 The truth is, many victims from the = 9/11 attacks=20 were of different heritage and included a good amount of Muslims and = Middle=20 Eastern people. = Arab-Americans and=20 Muslims felt the same shock, grief, and anger as everyone else during = 9/11, but=20 racial intolerance and media persuasion steered many Americans towards=20 supporting War abroad and allowing the rise of racial=20 narrow-mindedness.

=93Americans seem = unsympathetic. Thirty-nine percent say they = harbor at=20 least some prejudice against Muslims, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup = Poll=20 earlier this year. The = same=20 percentage favor requiring U.S. Muslims =96citizens included=96 to carry = special=20 IDs. About a third say = U.S. Muslims=20 sympathize with al-Qaeda=94 (Fear =91as bad as after 9/11=92, Hampson).

When the government began = investigating the attacks, many people of Middle Eastern and Asian = decent were=20 detained and questioned. = Charges of=20 immigration violations were reasons for some of the people held, but = according=20 to The Council of American-Islamic Relations, Muslims were facing civil = rights=20 abuse and discrimination. = Soon=20 after the World Trade

Center attacks, 1,000 = people were=20 apprehended and thousands more taken in for questioning and = released. =93More than 500 cases of = discrimination=20 and attacks unrelated to the terrorist attacks constituted a 43 percent = increase=20 over the preceding year, when 366 were filed, said an annual survey that = the=20 council released today. = One-fourth=20 of the complaints involved ethnic and religious profiling at airports = and=20 workplaces, and nearly 20 percent involved government agencies, = including the=20 Immigration and Naturalization Service, the F.B.I. and local law = enforcement=20 authorities, the report said=94 (New York Times, = 5/1/02).

Every day is a struggle = for peace=20 and unity. =93United We = Stand=94=20 includes all Americans = regardless of=20 who the current enemy is; National Security and all other aspects = revolved=20 around the =93War on Terror=94 included. =20 Cultural differences and religion may be at the root of so many = wars in=20 time, but in present day society, blaming an entire people for the = violent acts=20 of militants will not result in peace or help make America=20 safer. As Americans we do = not want=20 to live in paranoia and regret. = We=20 will continue to improve our policies for National Security, but we must = honor=20 our civil rights values for all as a nation.

Resources

The Taliban, Women, and = the Hegelian=20 Private Shpere. Social=20 Research. Fall 03. Vol. 70,=20 No.3

Akram, Susan M., =93The = Aftermath of=20 September 11^th 2001: The targeting of Arabs and Muslims in=20 America=94 Arab Studies=20 Quarterly Spring-Summer 2002

Roy,=20 Arundhati, =93Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy = (Buy One,=20 Get One Free)=94 Presented in New = York at The=20 Riverside=20 Church, Copyright = 2003. http://www.csun.edu/faculty/sheena.malh= otra/Roy/Roy%20%20Instant%20Mix%20Imperial%20Democracy.htm=

Strong,=20 Ed, =93The White Man=92s Racism: =93Muslim Extremist=94 8/5/2007 =

http://edstrong.blog-city.com/the_white_mans_racism_muslim_extr= emists.htm=20

Telhami, Shibley.=20 =93Arab and Muslim America.=94 Winter = 2002 Vol 20 No.1 pp.14-15

http://www.brookings.edu/press/REVIEW/winter2002/telhami.htm<= /o:p>