Race and Ethnicty in the US
Arab-Americans

Diverse group coming from 22 countries in N Africa and ME
Over 1mln in US
About half of these are descendants of immigrants from 1880-1940
About 250,000 live in SE Michigan (Dearborn, Livonia) one of largest concentrations of Arabs outside the ME

Dearborn, the more working class destination of recent immigrants, is the largest Muslim community in the US

Livonia, more middle class suburb, home to 2nd 3rd generation Arab Americans

91% of all Arab Americans live in cities (compared to 75% of all Americans)

Religiously diverse:
in Parillo’s study in Patterson, they found
34% Muslim
30% Ortho Christianity
25% Melkite Catholic
10% Protestant

I came across another stat that said that 70% of Arab Americans are Christian, but recent immigrants (refugees from Lebanan, Yemen, Palestine) are more likely to be Muslim than Arabs who immigrated longer ago

Arabs and Muslims –  group(s) suffering (even before 9/11) from a lot of racist remarks, stereotyping; negative portrayals in media, fear

Why?  Why are Arabs or Muslims discriminated against, feared by Americans?

July this year Arab American groups called for the resignation of Federal Civil Rights commission Peter Kirsanow for saying that “not too many people will be crying in their beer if there are more detentions, more stops and more profiling”

Since Sept. 11, incidents of discrimination and violence against Arab Americans have skyrocketed

FBI report confirmed that attacks against “Muslims and other believed to be Middle Eastern” increased by 1500% over the previous year – 481

Justice Departments estimated that there had been 350 hate crimes against Arab Anmericans between 9/11 and May 2002

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Ctte reported 700 incidents from 9/11 to the end of 2001 and 165 cases from Jan-Oct 2002

Of these:  7 confirmed murders where ethnicity was a motive; 12-15 where motive is not entirely clear; many acts of vandalism, driving cars into mosques, stores burned down, people assaulted

Council on American-Islamic Relations reports that Muslim Americans rallied to support the victims of the 9/11 attacks; Mercy-USA gave $65,000 to victims
National Arab American Medical Association raised $100,000 for the American Red Cross; many Arab Americans attended interfaith prayer services, held other services at their own mosques and churches, participated in relief and rescue efforts at WTC (including Arab American firefighters who drove from MI to help!)
 

Post- Sept. 11 Changes in Border Control, Immigration Policies
Men from 26 specific countries had faced 20 day waiting period to enter (now eliminated)

US Patriot Act, special procedures for Arabs –

Nonimmigrant males over 16 admitted to US before 9/10/02 and who are citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria
must appear before an immigration officer for questioning
fingerprinted, interviewed by INS, must be registered with INS

All nonimmigrant foreigners (any age and gender) from these countries plus Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen must also register (plus any country added by US State Dept or INS in future, from time to time)

If they fail to check in with INS, they are logged into the National Crime Infor Center System; fed, state or local police can then arrest them

Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002
No nonimmigrant visas to be issued to anyone from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria (unless person determined not to be a security threat)

Racial profiling?  Gender profiling????
Is this treatment of Arabs warranted?  Constitutional?
Why are Americans tolerating, or even endorsing, these procedures?