Healing the NationThe Arab AmericanExperience AfterSeptember 11

I. Arab American Response to the September 11 Attacks

II. Backlash and the Nation’s Response

IV. Civil Rights Issues in the Wake of September 11

III. Arab Americans Reach Out to Educate and Inform

James ZogbyPresident

Jean AbiNaderManaging Director

Helen SamhanExecutive Director, AAI Foundation

Jennifer SalanCommunications Director

Text: Michael S. Lee

Design: Sarah Sullivan

Contributors: Abdallah Al-Zuabi,Sean Brooks, Jeff Curley, MajedJafari, Karim Shaaban

Special thanks to the ArabAmerican community leadersaround the country who sharedtheir stories with us.

This report was published by theArab American InstituteFoundation with the generoussupport of the AtlanticPhilanthropies (USA) Inc.

The Arab American Institute1600 K St. NW, Suite 601Washington, DC 20006Phone: (202) 429-9210Fax: (202) 429-9214www.aaiusa.org

The Arab American Experienceafter September 11

Healing the Nation

Rescue and Recovery Fundraising Vigils, Rallies, and Blood Drives Individual Efforts

Organizations’ Efforts Individual Efforts

The USA PATRIOT Act and Civil Liberties Executive Branch OrdersInvestigation and Individual Rights Impact on Immigration Policy Dangerous Directions at the Department of Justice Committed to

Dialogue and Advocacy

V. AppendicesA. Submission to The United States Commission on Civil Rights:

Testimony of James J. Zogby, October 12, 2001.B. “Arab American Perspectives on the International War Against

Terrorism.” Remarks to the Secretary's Open Forum by James J. Zogby, December 5, 2001. United States Department of State.

C. Commissioners Meeting Open Session: “Employment Discrimination in the Aftermath of September 11.” Remarks by AAI Managing Director Jean AbiNader, December 11, 2001. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

D. Arab American Institute Materials:I. Select AAI Press ReleasesII. AAI Publications and ReportsIII. AAI Educational Packet

E. Other Resources

Government Response Community Response Individual Response

a first anniversary report by the Arab American Institute

eptember 11, 2001 will forever be remembered asthe day the American spirit was tested to a greaterdegree than at any time since World War II.

For Arab Americans, the deep shock and angerover this national trauma and grief over lost relatives andfriends were compounded by a rush by some to blameArabs collectively for the attacks. Arabs and Muslims in thiscountry were suddenly confronted with the double pain ofmourning an attack on their country and simultaneouslyhaving to defend themselves, their families, and theirstature as Americans.

But in the aftermath of that tragic day, and despite actsof misguided hatred and violence, September 11 has alsoreminded us of the best of the American spirit. For everystory of heartache on September 11, there is a story ofheroism. For every act of violence or hatred that came inthe wake of the attacks, there are dozens of examples ofselflessness, compassion, and kindness.

The first anniversary of the attacks is an appropriatetime to document the Arab American experience in thedays, weeks, and months following the terrorist attacksand to tell some of the stories of the past year that haveyet to be told: the Arab American firefighters and doctorswho rushed to Ground Zero to help in the recoveryefforts. The hundreds of thousands of dollars raised byArab and Muslim groups to aid victims. The Americansacross the nation who lent assistance and support whentheir Arab and Muslim neighbors were threatened. Blooddrives, interfaith prayer vigils, and fundraisers thatbrought together Americans from all backgrounds andfaiths. The many Americans who sought to learn moreabout Arab culture and the Muslim faith, and the manyArabs and Muslims who stepped forward to promotegreater understanding.

This anniversary is also an opportune time to looktoward our nation's future, to some of the challenges inbalancing a fight to defend ourselves with the need to pro-tect the rights and freedoms we all hold dear. ArabAmericans have, out of necessity, been in the vanguard ofthose fighting to safeguard civil and constitutional rights -not just for the sake of those of Arab origin, but for allAmericans.

While it would be impossible to chronicle the entirety ofthese moving stories, this report endeavors to serve as arecord of how Arab Americans responded to and were affect-ed by the momentous events of September 11, 2001.

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“We are in the midst of a national nightmare ofunimaginable proportions.”

his press release touches onthe horror that ArabAmericans shared with the

rest of the country as news of theevents in New York City,Washington DC, and Shanksville,Pennsylvania thrust themselves intothe national consciousness. ArabAmericans were consumed by all ofthe same emotions so familiar to allof us: disbelief and shock, anger,grief, and a deep sense of violation.And they perished alongside theirfellow citizens and those of some 80-plus countries on that Tuesdaymorning.

For Arab Americans, it was notjust a violation of nation and citizen-ry, but also of heritage and, forsome, of faith. The attacks were aparticular affront to ArabAmericans, striking as they did attheir collective sense of culturalpride and religious belief. From thevery first moments after the attacks,the Arab American communityjoined fellow Americans in channel-

ing this hurt and anger into dedicat-ed efforts to help the victims andtheir families. It would be impossi-ble to chronicle the full extent of theArab American contribution torelief and healing efforts; what fol-lows are but a few examples.

The ranks of law enforcement per-sonnel and firefighters who wereinvolved in the initial, heroic min-utes after the World Trade Centerattacks included Arab Americans.Arab American physicians joinedthose who tended to the woundedin hospitals throughout the NewYork metropolitan area. Among thecrowds that descended ontoGround Zero in the days and weeksafter September 11 were Manhat-tan's deli owners, including ArabAmericans, to distribute sandwichesto the crews working to save peopleat the World Trade Center site andrecover the remains of those whodid not survive.

Rescue and Recovery

from an Arab American Institute press release, Sept. 11, 2001

ARABAMERICANRESPONSETO THESEPT. 11ATTACKS

CHAPTER I

T

“Arab Americans, like all Americans, are transfixed by thistragedy. We have family and friends who worked in theWorld Trade Center. We mourn for those who lost their livesand those who were injured. We mourn, as well, for ourcountry in this time of national trauma.

“We urge our fellow citizens not to rush to judgment andpoint fingers at their Arab American neighbors and col-leagues who are suffering, like all Americans, from these des-picable acts.

“Regardless of who is ultimately found to be responsiblefor these terrorist murders, no ethnic or religious communi-ty should be treated as suspect and collectively blamed.”

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October 3 profits from all of hisrestaurants to a relief fund for thefamilies of firefighters and policeofficers killed in the World TradeCenter attack. Helping is “our dutyas American citizens,” Mr. Chahinesaid, and “a way to demonstrate thatI'm an Arab American, I love thiscountry, and I'm committed to thiscountry.” (2)

Andy Shallal, ownerof three WashingtonDC-area eateries, host-ed an event at hisMimi's AmericanBistro in Washingtonthat raised $14,000,the entirety of the day'sprofits, for the TwinTowers Relief Fund.Shallal challenged fel-low members of theRestaurant Owner'sAssociation of Wash-ington to do the samething.

The CasablancaRestaurant of Alex-andria, Virginia, inpartnership with anumber of groups inthe Washington DCarea, raised money inlate September to beused in support of

Pentagon families who lost lovedones in the attack on the Pentagon.

In a show of fraternal support,the police officers and firefighters ofheavily Arab American Dearborn,Michigan, raised $125,000 for thefamilies of the almost 350 firefight-ers who lost their lives working aspart of the rescue effort at the site ofthe World Trade Center.

The Southern Federation ofSyrian Lebanese American Clubsraised $20,000 for their September11 Fund, which was donated to theTwin Towers Orphan Fund.

Bassam Amin of Bay Ridge,Brooklyn coordinated a fundraiserat his mosque, the Beit El Maqdis

Ali Taqi, a firefighter from Troy,Michigan, drove to New York Citythe afternoon of the attacks, alongwith seven other firefighters fromTroy and nearby Bloomfield. Taqifelt a deep sense of purpose in whathe and his fellow firefighters wereabout to do, as an American andparticularly as an Arab American.“We're Americans, we're trying todo as much as we canto help…We're griev-ing also.” Taqi's groupunloaded supplies,carried buckets ofdebris, and searchedfor victims at the siteof the World TradeCenter. (1)

Iraqi-born RonKuley, a member ofthe Fairfax Country,Virginia Fire Depart-ment, also joined ateam of relief workersthat traveled to NewYork and spent sevenweeks at GroundZero. And an ArabAmerican served as agrief counselor tosupport the familiesof Pentagon crash vic-tims.

Dr. Taufik Kassis, amedical resident at Jersey CityMedical Center across the HudsonRiver from the World Trade Centersite, treated many of those woundedon September 11. “It's important tospeak out so people understandthere is a huge difference betweenthe terrorists who committed theseattacks and other Muslims andArabs or Arab Americans,” he said.

FundraisingThe American Red Cross was therecipient of the largest concentra-tion of funds nationwide in themonths after the tragedies ofSeptember 11, and this was reflect-

ed in the giving patterns of ArabAmericans.

Among those giving to the RedCross were many members of theArab American community ofOrlando, Florida, under the leader-ship of the Arab CommunityCenter. They raised $50,000 by the15th of September - 21 percent ofthe total donations received by the

Orlando Red Cross up to thatpoint. The National Arab AmericanMedical Association brought in$100,000 in support of nationaland local American Red Cross 9/11relief efforts. In Tarrant County,Texas, the Arab American andAmerican Muslim communitiesraised $20,000, while the Al AqsaMosque of Philadelphia, Pennsyl-vania donated $15,000 to the RedCross Disaster Relief Fund.

Arab American restauranteurshosted numerous fundraisers acrossthe country for 9/11 disaster relieffunds. Talal Chahine, owner of theten-restaurant La Shish chain inDearborn, Michigan, donated the

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photo: Max Ortiz,The Detroit News

Many groups held candlelight vigils,rallies and blood drives to demon-strate their support for the victimsof the attacks and their families.

The American Muslim PoliticalCoordination Council (AMPCC)organized its national membershipto donate blood for the wounded inWashington, DC and New York.“We are here to first of all give ourcondolences to the families of thevictims of this heinous crime and togive our support. This is the time togive our charity and help those inneed because we are feeling the painof everybody,” said Aly Abyzaakouk,Executive Director of the AmericanMuslim Council. (5)

Vigils, Rallies, and Blood Drives

Individual EffortsIndividual contributions towardsthe healing of the nation were often

“We as Americansexpress in the strongestmanner possible ourutmost outrage at thesenseless and barbaricact of terrorism thatoccurred today aroundour nation.

We condemn this actof violence.

We express our grieffor the loss of life thathas taken place as aresult of this cowardlyact of terrorism.

Our deepest sympathygoes out to all the vic-tims and their families.In a sense, we as anation are also victimsof this tragedy...

We urge our commu-nity to join in volunteer-ing in every possibleway, including by par-ticipating in blooddrives and other human-itarian needs to helpreduce the suffering.”Statement from the Coalition of Chicago Arab Organizations,September 11, 2001

The Iraqi Center of Nashville,Tennessee held a rally on September22 in front of the U.S. Courthousein Nashville to condemn the terror-ist attacks as well as to show solidar-ity with their fellow Americans. Thegroup collected donations, held ablood drive, and made other plansto join in the relief effort.

Dearborn, Michigan communityleaders sponsored a prayer vigil onSeptember 12 to remember the vic-tims, and the Muslim community of

G r e a t e rChicago con-ducted a spe-cial prayer serv-ice at theM o s q u eFoundation inB r i d g e v i e w,Illinois for thevictims of the

attacks and their families.And for Arab Americans living in

New York, the grief and fear in theweeks following the terror attackswere overwhelming. Like all NewYorkers, shock and anger were pal-pable. In the heavily Arab neighbor-hood of Brooklyn's AtlanticAvenue, a candlelight vigil broughttogether generations of mourners,some holding the photos of theirsons on duty at Ground Zero.

Thanks to the steady leadershipand stamina of the Brooklyn-basedArab American Family SupportCenter, hundreds of immigrantswere able to find counseling andlegal services to cope with trauma ofthe attacks, as well as the detentionsand the extra scrutiny placed onArabs and Muslims. Despite modestresources and staff, the AAFSCunder the direction of EmiraHabiby Browne stayed on the frontline as a vital link to the media, gov-ernment, and the general public.

Islamic Center, which raised close to$5,000.

The Arab Bankers Association ofNorth America (ABANA) was ableto raise $100,000 in the ArabBankers Association of NorthAmerica Disaster Relief Fund.Contributions, which came fromdozens of Arab American individu-als and companies, were donated tothe New York City Firefighters 9/11Relief Fund. Geoffrey Milton,ABANA Vice President andGeneral Managerof Arab BankingCorporation, saidthe funds were col-lected through “theefforts of dozens ofindividuals andorganizations inthe Arab Americanbusiness world whoare dedicated to aiding those fami-lies in their community sufferinglosses resulting from these horribleevents.” (3) As ABANA President Dr.Hani Findakly said, “This effort ispart of our responsibility to our com-munity and larger family.” (4)

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“We are here to firstof all give our condo-lences to the familiesof the victims of thisheinous crime.”

the most powerful and uplifting. Even as the fires continued to

burn at the Pentagon, KamalNawash, an attorney in private prac-tice in the Washington, DC area,enlisted the help of Arab Americanattorneys to assist the families ofthose who did not survive thePentagon attack.

Author Ray Hanania set up a spe-cial section on his website whereArab Americans could post mes-sages of support for the families ofthose who died in New York City,in order to demonstrate that “weare not responsible for the killings,we do not support the murder ofinnocent people and we do not sup-port the terrorists who were behindthis act.” (6)

One of the largest providers ofAmerican flags is the Alamo FlagCo. in Falls Church, Virginia. Theowner and founder of Alamo isFawaz “Tony” Ismail, an Americanof Palestinian descent. Ismail's com-pany has sold millions of Americanflags since September, with a por-tion of the company's earningsgoing to assist the families of the vic-

“We condemn in nouncertain terms the hor-rifying attacks on theWorld Trade Centerand the Pentagon onSeptember 11. We areshocked and angered bysuch brutality and shareall the emotions of ourfellow citizens againstthese attacks, which tar-geted all Americanswithout exception.”

“[We] condemn thehorrifying series ofattacks on the WorldTrade Center towers inNew York and govern-ment buildings, includ-ing the Pentagon inWashington, DC...ArabAmericans view theseattacks as targeting allAmericans withoutexception.”

Statement from a meeting of ArabAmerican and American Muslimleaders in Washington, DC,September 12, 2001

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

tims of the terrorist attacks. “It's notall about the money,” Ismail said.“The freedom that we have here,you can't take it for granted.” (7)

The Utah National Guard, hometo the 300th Military IntelligenceBrigade, was in need of Arabic andFarsi translators after September 11.After soliciting the help of ArabAmerican groups to get the wordout to their communities, theGuard was “overwhelmed” by thenumber of Arab Americans volun-teering as translators, according toCapt. Chris Patterson. "We are get-ting an outpouring of support fromArab Americans everywhere, onethat I've heard has been duplicatedat recruiting centers throughout thecountry.” (8)

Similarly, the response to theFBI's appeal for Arabic translatorswas enormous. FBI Director RobertS. Mueller said that after the initialcall for linguists on September 17,“the Arab American communityand others immediately over-whelmed our telephone switch-board.” (9)

Arab American members of the New York City Police Department who took part in therescue effort were honored at the Arab American Institute Foundation’s 2002 KahlilGibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards gala.

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Early and forceful statements byPresident Bush put the federal gov-ernment on record that acts of vio-lence against any Americansbecause of their skin color, religiousaffiliation, or ethnicity would not betolerated and would be punished to

Government Efforts

Phoenix, Arizona: On Sept. 15th, Frank Silva Roque shot todeath Balbir Singh Sodhi. Roque allegedly killed Sodhi aspart of a multiple-incident shooting rampage that includedshootings at a Lebanese-American clerk who escaped injury,at another gas station in Mesa, and at the home of an Afghanfamily. (Arizona Republic, Sept. 18)

Reedley, California: Abdo Ali Ahmed, a Yemeni grocer, wasshot to death in his shop over the weekend. Family memberssaid the day before he was killed, death threat that includedanti-Arab statements was found on windshield of Ahmed'scar. It is being investigated as a hate crime. (WashingtonPost, Oct. 3)

Fresno, California: Rien Said Ahmed was shot and killedwhile at work. Witnesses saw four males speed from thestore in white sedan. No money or merchandise was stolen.Ahmed had received threats since mid-September. (TheFresno Bee, Oct. 2)

Cleveland, Ohio: Ford Mustang driven through entrance ofOhio's largest mosque. Mosque unoccupied at time; onlydriver injured. (Estimated damages: $100,000) (AP, Sept. 13)

BACKLASHAND THENATION’SRESPONSE

ithin hours of theSeptember 11 attacks,the tragedy and violence

of that terrible day was compound-ed by personal attacks on Americansof Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and SouthAsian heritage. Even HispanicAmericans were singled out forattack because of their physical sim-ilarities to Arabs.

But it was just a tiny minority ofAmericans who carried out theseactions; the vast majority was dis-gusted by and ashamed of such actsof hatred and misdirected anger.Americans of all persuasions tookproactive steps to come to the aid ofArab and Muslim Americans andoffer their sympathy and support ata time when all Americans weredealing with the shock and traumainflicted upon the nation.

From government officials to com-munity and religious leaders to ordi-nary citizens, Americans rallied to

support those of Arab heritage inthe United States.

Americans from all walks of lifemade sincere and sustained effortsto stand in solidarity with their ArabAmerican neighbors. Dialogueswere started, various faiths empha-sized their common principles, andfunds were donated to assist in therepair of damage from acts of van-dalism. The point was repeatedlymade that the diversity of Americais what makes it strong and the fos-tering of such diversity will onlymake the United States stronger.

CHAPTER II

W

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“Be it resolved that theCongress-

1) declares that in the questto identify, bring to justice,and punish the perpetra-tors and sponsors of theterrorist attacks on theUnited States on September11, 2001, that the civilrights and civil liberties ofall Americans, includingArab-Americans, AmericanMuslims, and Americansfrom South Asia, should beprotected; and

(2) condemns any acts ofviolence or discriminationagainst any Americans,including Arab-Americans,American Muslims, andAmericans from SouthAsia.”

Concurrent Resolution of the U.S.Congress, September 12, 2001

Wisconsin, setting fire to a restau-rant in Utah, attempting to set fireto a mosque in Seattle, assaultingmanagers of a hotel in Tennessee,among many others. Also, IrvingDavid Rubin and Earl Leslie Krugelof the Jewish Defense League havebeen indicted for conspiring tobomb a mosque and the Californiaoffice of Rep. Darrell Issa, an ArabAmerican member of the U.S.Congress. In Des Moines, Iowa, theMidwest Federation of AmericanSyrian-Lebanese Clubs was prohibit-

ed from holding a con-vention at a Marriotthotel. Marriott agreedto pay a fine and devel-op a training programto educate employeesabout Arab Americans.

In all, about 70 stateand local criminal civilrights cases have beeninitiated, and ten moreon the federal level.

Among the penalties forthese crimes are time in jail, proba-tion and community service; someof those convicted were ordered todo service for the Arab CommunityCenter for Economic and SocialServices (ACCESS) in Dearborn,Michigan.

Within weeks of the September11 attacks, U.S. Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission (EEOC)Chair Cari Dominguez initiatedmeetings with leaders of major ArabAmerican and Muslim organizatiosto receive community feedback onhow the backlash was impacting theworkplace. By the summer, over 600complaints had been filed by work-ers alleging mostly religious discrim-ination, predominantly dischargesand harassment.

Given the serious increase inbacklash related complaints, theEEOC issued in May fact sheets forboth employers and employees thataddress frequently asked questionsabout the employment of Muslims,

the fullest extent of the law.On the day of the terrorist attacks,

Arab American and MuslimAmerican leaders were already inWashington, DC for a previouslyscheduled meeting with PresidentBush to discuss the use of “secretevidence” in certain immigrationproceedings and racial profiling ofArab Americans at the nation’s air-ports and security checkpoints.

In the immediate aftermath of theattacks, these leaders set two goals:to give President Bush clear supportfor his response againstthe terrorist attacks, andto stave off the backlashagainst Arab and MuslimAmericans.

“As soon as the eventhappened, we kicked intoaction,” said AAIChairman George Salem.“We anticipated theinevitable.” From theWhite House to the FBIto the Justice Depart-ment, it was emphasized early andoften that hate crimes and discrimi-nation would not be tolerated.

Congress also helped reassure theArab American population that thecountry stood with them and sup-ported them after the attacks. TheU.S. Senate Democratic leadershipinvited Arab American and MuslimAmerican leaders to the Capitol inOctober to discuss ways to promotetolerance and acceptance of diversi-ty and to ensure the security of theUnited States. The meeting was alsoan opportunity to show that just asall Americans were united againstpunishing those responsible for theterrorist attacks, Americans are alsounited against acts of hate againstinnocent Arab and MuslimAmericans.

The United States Capitol build-ing was also the site for a BipartisanInterfaith Event held ten days afterthe terrorist attacks. The ceremonyincluded speakers from the Muslim,

Sikh, Christian and Jewish faiths, aswell as the Speaker of the House,the Minority Leader, and theMinority Whip and was attended bymembers from the House ofRepresentatives.

Among the federal agencies thattook early and proactive steps todeal with the backlash was the CivilRights Division of the Departmentof Justice. Assistant AttorneyGeneral Ralph F. Boyd Jr. statedthat “Any threats of violence or dis-crimination against Arab or Muslim

Americans or Americans of SouthAsian descents are not just wrongand un-American, but are alsounlawful and will be treated assuch.” (10) The Civil Rights Divisionestablished a special initiative tocombat post-9/11 backlash, headedby Joe Zogby, which faciliates refer-ral of civil rights complaints, edu-cates communities about hate back-lash, and coordinates efforts withother government agencies.

The Department’s vigilance incombating backlash has affectedAAI directly. It tracked down andprosecuted a man who had threat-ened AAI President James Zogbyand his family. This is just oneexample of the numerous cases inwhich guilty pleas have beenobtained in the wake of theDepartment’s increased focus on9/11-related abuse.

Other cases involve the convic-tion of a individuals telephoning abomb threat to a family in

“Our nation should be mindful that there arethousands of Arab Americans who live inNew York City, who love their flag just asmuch as [we] do, and...that as we seek to winthe war, that we treat Arab Americans andMuslims with the respect they deserve.”President George W. Bush, in a telephone conversation with New YorkMayor Rudy Giuliani, September 12, 2001

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Local communities came up withmany ways not only to denouncehate crimes, but also to demonstratethat Arab Americans are an integralpart of their social fabric.

In the northern Virginia suburbs,county officials in Arlington andFairfax counties moved swiftly toconfront the backlash by holdingemergency press conferences thatfeatured the board of supervisors,police chief, chairman of the schoolboard, and human rights commis-sioners.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daleyand Illinois Governor George Ryandeclared November to be ArabHeritage Month as a salute to thecommunity's contributions to socie-ty. More than 500 Arab Americansjoined Mayor Daley and theChicago Human RelationsCommission at the inaugural cele-bration. Marwan Amarin, AdvisoryBoard Chairman of the AdvisoryCommission on Arab Affairs,thanked Mayor Daley, “who was oneof the first elected officials to formal-ly recognize in public the culturaluniqueness of the Arab Americancommunity in Chicago…We areproud Americans. We will continueto be proud Americans even in themost challenging of moments thatwe face.” (12)

In Paterson, New Jersey, MayorMartin G. Barnes and other offi-cials joined local Arab Americanleaders for a joint press briefing onSeptember 14. The briefing fol-lowed a series of meetings in whichthe Arab and Muslim communityreported incidents of harassment.All Paterson officials presentemphasized that the communitywould not tolerate any discrimina-tion or hate crimes.

The Human Rights Commissionof the City and County of SanFrancisco adopted a resolution twodays after the attacks that had been

Community Efforts

“Vigilante attacks andthreats against Arab-Americans will not betolerated. Such acts ofretaliation violate feder-al law and, more partic-ularly, run counter tothe very principles ofequality and freedomupon which our nationis founded. The FBI andthe Department ofJustice are committed toaggressively investigat-ing and prosecutingviolations of the federalhate crime laws. We, todate, have initiated 40hate crime investiga-tions, involving report-ed attacks on ArabAmerican citizens andinstitutions.”

FBI Director Robert Mueller,September 17, 2001

Arabs, South Asians and Sikhs.The commission also posted as spe-cial “September 11 Information”section with materials and resourceson its website.

Secretary of Education Rod Paigecalled on educators to take a leadingrole in the prevention of harassmentand violence directed at studentsperceived to be Muslim or ArabAmerican. “We are all committed tomaking sure our children acrossAmerica can attend school in a safeand secure environment free fromharassment and threats,” Paige said.The Secretary also stressed to educa-tors that when assemblies, class-room discussions, and other schoolactivities to honor victims of thetragedy are held, they do not inad-vertently foster targeting Muslim orArab American students for harass-ment. (11)

State governments as well madeit clear that all citizens are equalunder the law and that any unlawfulacts directed against fellow citizenswould be dealt with promptly andappropriately.

The Pennsylvania HumanRelations Commission (PHRC),which enforces Pennsylvania's civilrights laws, played a major role inlooking after the rights of ArabAmericans in that state after theSeptember 11 attacks. ThePennsylvania Inter-Agency TaskForce on Civil Tension, a body with-in the PHRC, has focused specifical-ly on bias- or hate-related incidentsin Pennsylvania. In much demandsince September 11, the PHRC hadlogged sixty hate-related incidents inPennsylvania as of late October.

The State of California created ahotline to aid targets of harassmentand hate crimes after September 11.Staff members answering the calls,including interpreters, took reportsand helped callers fill out forms toaid criminal investigators.

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introduced by the Arab Americancommunity there. The resolutioncondemned “all discrimination andracism directed against ArabAmericans, Muslim Americans, andpeople of Middle Eastern descent,”and “supports the use of all legalauthority, and release additionalresources as necessary, to preventand respond to discrimination, hatecrimes, and harassment in allforms.” (13)

Redford Township,Michigan, hosted a three-daydiversity workshop inOctober entitled “DifferentPeople, Common Ground,”part of a series of workshopsthat have taken placethroughout Michigan since1999. The discussion sessionsincluded origins of stereotyping,effects of prejudice on the commu-nity, subtle ways prejudice is prac-ticed, and creating inclusive commu-nities. “This program is a great wayto strengthen relationships andbuild new ones,” said RedfordTownship Supervisor Kevin Kelley.(14)

In Philadelphia, the human rela-tions commission worked withMarwan Kreidie of the ArabAmerican Community Develop-ment Corporation to set up anArab American “control center” onthe day of the attacks to monitorthe needs of the community. Theymade sure the police knew whereArab American areas were locatedand that mosques would be protect-ed. They held meetings with theFBI and the Attorney General'soffice, offering assistance and mak-ing sure that Arab Americansweren't going to be targeted.

The Orange County, CaliforniaCommission on Human Relationsadopted a plan entitled “OrangeCounty Together: United WeStand” to respond to the increase inhate crimes after September 11. Theplan involved responding to hate

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC),in addition to its fundraising andpublic education efforts post-September 11, expanded its networkof attorneys doing pro bono work toaid victims of hate crimes and dis-crimination, in cooperation withthe National Lawyer's Guild and theAmerican Immigration LawyersAssociation.

Organizations

crimes, building understanding,and raising awareness.

In Indiana, Pennsylvania, postersand flyers in several languages weredistributed stating: “Our communi-ty is a hate-free zone.” And: “Everylanguage on this poster is spoken bymembers of the Indiana Countycommunity, as are many other lan-guages. We have posted this sign toshow our commitment to keeping

Indiana a community that treats allits members fairly and with respect,regardless of race, nationality, orreligion.” (15)

A direct response to fears of back-lash in the Louisville, Kentucky,area was the implementation of theGreen Armband Project, whichbrought together volunteers whoagreed to escort people who wereafraid to venture out in public, tospeak out against harassment and topatronize businesses owned byArabs or Muslims. Similarly, theMennonite Church in Boise, Idahooffered to accompany members ofthe Muslim community, particularlywomen who wear hijab, to shop, toschool, or to pray.

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In an effort to promote racial andreligious tolerance, the Afghan-American community in theWashington, DC area, in collabora-tion with several other organiza-tions and the American Red Cross,organized an Interfaith Memorialon September 23 to show supportfor the victims of the attacks and forAmerica itself. Speakers includedMuslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, and

Christian leaders. The Korean American

Coalition (KAC) lent its supportto Arab Americans, encouragingits members to support theideals of American democracyby contacting mosques orIslamic schools to offer support.As the KAC National ExecutiveDirector, Charles Kim, stated,

“Any attack on someone of perceivedArab ancestry is not only an attack onhis or her civil rights, but also an attackon our country's sense of justice andequality.”

A lunchtime rally organized by agrassroots group of South Asian andAsian Pacific Americans was held atthe National Japanese AmericanMemorial to Patriotism inWashington, DC on September 13.The gathering drew around 200people to show solidarity with Araband Muslim Americans.

Antonia Hernandez, presidentand general counsel of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense andEducational Fund, stressed that it“remains incumbent on allAmericans to ensure that no ethnicor religious group is targeted” andthat “our communities, the ArabAmerican and the Latino, wouldstand to suffer a great deal if anywidespread xenophobic reaction isnot checked.”

The Asian American JournalistsAssociation urged the news mediato maintain responsible newsreporting of Arab Americans. In apress release issued by the AAJA,they reminded the media that “Arab

“We have posted this sign to showour commitment to keepingIndiana a community that treatsall its members fairly and withrespect, regardless of race, nation-ality, or religion.”

Americans, along with all of us, arevictims of this attack.”

One aspect of the response to theSeptember 11 attacks was the cre-ation of new organizations. One ofthese is Solidarity USA, based inWashington, DC, which is a civilliberties and human rights advocacytask force. It monitors human rightsand civil liberties violations ofMuslims, Arabs, South Asians andanyone else who has been affectedby the post-September 11backlash. The group hasalso worked to refer thosein need of humanitarianaid and legal consulta-tion to appropriate legaland humanitarian organ-izations.

Neighbors for Peace,too, was founded inresponse to theSeptember 11th tragediesby a group of concernedcitizens in the Chicagoarea. Stirred to action byescalating hate violence,the group, under the leadership ofAnya Cordell, formed theCampaign for CollateralCompassion, a grassroots move-ment petitioning the majorSeptember 11th charities to includeas beneficiaries families of victims ofthe racist backlash. AmberAmundson, whose husband waskilled at the Pentagon, and five oth-ers who also lost family in theattacks, endorsed the group'sefforts, saying that “As members ofSeptember Eleventh Families forPeaceful Tomorrows, and friendsand relatives of 9/11 victims, wesupport ways of helping those whohave been victims of 9/11 hatecrimes. They too are victims of ter-rorism, just like those who died onSeptember 11.”

Several philanthropic organiza-tions awarded grants to support thevictims of the backlash and the com-munities most affected by it.

The California Endowment ofSouthern California focused ongranting millions of dollars in fund-ing to grassroots organizationsthroughout the region that werecommitted to combating intoler-ance. “One of the things we wantedto do was reach into communitiesand support programs that focusaround reducing hate and increas-ing understanding - particularlyunderstanding the culture of Arab

Americans and Muslims,” accordingto Gwen Foster, program directorfor the California Endowment. (17)

The Open Society Institute madegrants to 29 frontline organizationsnationwide to meet the post-9/11challenges to civil rights and liber-ties. More than $2.5 million wasdonated in April to promote thesafeguarding of civil liberties andimmigrant rights and monitor hatecrimes and racial profiling. SeveralArab American organizations,including AAI and ADC, wereamong those awarded by OSI. TheAtlantic Philanthropies also fundedwork to support affected communi-ties, and in January the New York-based Grantmakers Concerned withImmigrant Rights cosponsored abriefing for funders on policychanges and direct needs in theaftermath of the attacks.

In February, the Maryland-basedAmeriDream Charity, Inc. awarded

$25,000 to assist families and organ-izations who were victims of hatecrimes in the aftermath of the ter-rorist attacks. Partnering with theArab American Institute Foun-dation, AmeriDream establishedthe Arab American RebuildingFund to assist Arab Americans andothers who were victims of biasattacks.

“All Americans were deeply affect-ed by the attacks in New York and

Washington lastSeptember. It is unfor-tunate that certainAmericans were fur-ther victimized byhate crimes simply asa result of their her-itage,” said SteveSmith of Ameri-Dream. The Fundprovided grants tothose who sufferedproperty damage onor after September 11.Eight Arab, Muslim,and Sikh American

families and two religious institu-tions from ten cities across theUnited States were assisted by thisprogram.

One recipient of the AmeriDreamgrants was the Islamic Center ofGreater Toledo, after an unknownassailant fired one shot onSeptember 12th at the Center'sstained glass window. CenterProperty Chair Mr. Hider Naserdin,in accepting a $1,000 AmeriDreamgrant, commented: “It has been adifficult time for a lot of MuslimAmericans, feeling pain with therest of the nation and at times feel-ing ostracized. But when we beganfeeling like we didn't belong, ourcommunity embraced us with loveand support.”

The Sikh Cultural Society ofWashington, DC was another oneof the grant recipients. The societywas attacked with spray paint andeggs in late October. A flag and

“It has been a difficult time...feeling pain with the rest of thenation and at times feeling ostra-cized. But when we began feelinglike we didn't belong, our com-munity embraced us with loveand support.”

10

Members of the Islamic House ofWisdom in Michigan held a specialprayer for the victims of the Sept. 11attacks. They invited members of localChristian churches, shown here seatedin the background, to attend. (photo:Millard Berry, Dearborn Press & Guide)

Media EffortsSome of the widest-reaching effortsto stem the tide of hate violence andintolerance after September 11came from dedicated media profes-sionals. Taking a leading role, theNew York-based Ad Councillaunched a powerful series of print,radio, and television public serviceannouncements against hate, theirlargest single advertising campaignsince World War II.

The campaign against hate beganwith a series of “I am an American”television spots that featured facesrepresenting the diversity ofAmerica's racial and ethnic back-grounds, including Middle Eastern,South Asian and other groups mostvictimized by the backlash.

The Ad Council then collaborat-ed with the Arab AmericanInstitute to produce a series of fourradio spots that spoke forcefully and

Sikh banner were also vandalized.AmeriDream awarded $2,750 to thesociety. An appreciative SatwantKaur Bell, board member of thesociety, stated that “We must workin unity, we are all Americans,together we become one. United weare one.”

“While a few have chosen to useviolence to drive Americans apart,many more have decided that ourdiversity is the basis of Amercia'sstrength. The partnership betweenAmeriDream and the ArabAmerican Institute in theRebuilding Fund is one that provesthat, in the aftermath of September11, when we come together, we canturn adversity into prosperity,” saidAAI President James Zogby. (17)

11

frankly against hate violence. MaryBerry, Chair of the U.S.Commission on Civil Rights,Attorney General John Ashcroft,Arizona Senator John McCain, andpop music superstar Mandy Mooreacted as the spokespersons for thefour spots, which were also promot-ed on AAI's website. Meanwhile, in the Cleveland, Ohio

offices of advertising agency Brokaw,Inc., Bill Brokaw and his staff weretrying to come up with a way to con-tribute to the nation's healing.Afterhearing from a Pakistani employeethat his wife was so afraid of beingattacked as a Muslim that sherefused to leave the house, Brokawknew the direction his agency wouldtake. The agency created a print adentitled “Twin Towers,” featuringthe anti-hate message of the ad form-ing the image of the fallen WorldTrade Center towers.

In an effort to gain a wider audi-ence, Brokaw submitted his idea tothe Ad Council which, in coopera-

tion with AAI, ran it as a print pub-lic service announcement in over10,000 newspapers and 1300 maga-zines across the United States. AAIconverted the ad to a full-colorposter (see box on the next page)and began distributing it to schoolsand community groups as part of itsown public information campaign.The powerful message of the posterresonated so well that AAI hasmade it available for shipping costsonly via Amazon.com.

Meanwhile, Starz Encore Group,the leading provider of cable andsatellite delivered premium moviechannels in the United States, wasalso looking for a way to help thevictims of intolerance. Its founderand president, John Sie, himself animmigrant, empathized deeply withthose being targeted for hate sinceSeptember 11.

They decided to produce a televi-sion spot conveying the message of“Tolerance” and working with AAIand Brokaw, a version of the “Twin

Sometimes it is the smallest acts ofsupport and friendship that makethe biggest statement.

In the small town of Ephrata,Pennsylvania, two Egyptian broth-ers, Osama and Muhamad “Mike”Mansour, immigrated to the UnitedStates in 1987 and opened a newdiner at a location that had seen twoother eateries come and go. Theyfound success, until Sept. 11.Shortly after the attacks, rumorsbegan to circulate that the two weresomehow connected to the attacks,and business plummeted. After alocal newspaper reporter wrote oftheir plight, business not onlypicked up, but exceeded its previousbrisk pace. “The people who startedthese rumors should be manenough to come in and apologize,”said Dave Brossman, a regular.Another longtime customer, ElroyStauffer, said, “these are just twogreat guys. The rumors got out of

control, and it hurt them.” (18)

Adisra Jittipun, a Muslim womanwho wears a headscarf, and two non-Muslim friends had just sat down toeat at the Chason's Country Buffetin Winchester, VA when a waitressapproached them. The three expect-ed trouble, but instead the waitressreturned their money, explainingthat the restaurant wanted to givethem a free meal. “She knelt by ourtable and was very sympathetic,” saidJittipun, “saying that she didn't wantus to go to war” and that “she wasvery proud that I had the strength towear the Islamic attire.” (19)

An attorney from Columbus,Mississippi offered his legal assis-tance to Arab Americans living inMississippi and Alabama. InRockville, Maryland, Linda Jasper,an English teacher at Rockville'sMagruder High School, and somefriends stood guard at night for aweek outside the Islamic Center ofMaryland to make sure it was undis-turbed. “The idea of someone being

“I wish to extend my apologies to Arab Americans everywhere for the unconscionable acts committed by some against you at this sad time in our country.” - Arlene Rosso-Baron

Individual Efforts

“Will hate bring it all back? Will it bring backthe innocence? The sense of security? Will itbring back the husbands and wives and sonsand daughters? Will hate make us betterthan those who hate us? Or merely bring uscloser to them? Will hate help us destroy ourenemies? Or will it laugh as we destroy our-selves? There are those who say we don'tknow who our enemy is.

“But we do. Our enemy is a neighborhoodmosque defaced by vandals. An Arab-American storekeeper in fear of reprisal. Ascared Muslim child bullied because she isdifferent. Hate is our enemy. And when westart to hate other Americans, we have losteverything. Hate has taken enough from usalready. Don't let it take you.”

The Brokaw Inc./Ad Council/Arab AmericanInstitute anti-hate poster “Twin Towers.”The text reads:

Towers” print ad was converted intoa television spot featuring the narra-tion of “Family Ties” star MichaelGross. In addition to airing the spot on its

own ten cable channels, StarzEncore enlisted the support of thesix largest cable operators in thenation, among them Comcast andTime Warner, to run the publicservice announcements in all oftheir markets. The total number ofhouseholds exposed to the ads was64 million.

The campaign was announced inDecember at the largest ArabAmerican press conference ever,which was held at the NationalPress Club in Washington, DC. Thepress conference featured StarzEncore CEO John Sie, MotionPicture Academy of Arts andSciences President Jack Valenti,Secretary of Energy SpencerAbraham, and Secretary ofTransportation Norman Minetta.

12

AAI received an outpouring ofsupport, in the form of emails,from individuals around thecountry in the days and weeksfollowing September 11:

“I know that you aresuffering with allAmerica because ofthe events of the pastfew days, and arebeing forced by someto endure even moresorrow because ofyour ethnicity. Pleaseknow that your pain isnot going unnoticedand that the wholecountry is not againstyou.”- Joe Borghi

“My heart and thoughts are with you and all Arab and Muslim Americans. I am sickened at the misdirected anger of our fellow citizens.” - Alison Locke

“What is done to anyAmerican, regardlessof their background, isdone to all of us, andthose who persist inexpressing their igno-rance and hatred onlyhelp those that meanto do us harm. We aredeeply sorry that youhave to have suchburdens added to analready overwhelmingsense of violation.”- Gregg Ferencz and Barbara Taylor

afraid to pray is crazy to me,” she said.The Islamic Center in Athens, Ohio,reported being mailed a $100 checkfrom a non-Muslim couple whowrote that “we are all one people.” (20)

In Falls Church, Virginia, PatriciaMorris organized a candlelight vigiloutside the Dar al-Hijrah mosquethe Friday after the attacks to showneighborhood support. In apprecia-tion, Muslims who had been atevening prayers distributed whiteroses to the vigil's participants.

George Chiplock, principal ofCorpus Christi, a Catholic elemen-tary school in Falls Church,Virginia, brought more than 450cards made by students to the near-by Dar Al-Hijrah mosque. “Weteach respect, tolerance, and love ofneighbor here,” he said, “andthought it would be a good idea tocontact our neighbors and let themknow we are thinking of them.” (21)

Houses of worship across the reli-gious spectrum including Muslims,Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus,and others participated in ecumeni-cal services across the nation in sup-port of tolerance and diversity. InOrlando, Florida, religious leadersheld such a service a week after theattacks to express solidarity withArab Americans of all faiths.“There's a feeling among a group ofreligious leaders that we need tomake a public witness of solidaritywith our Arab American brothersand sisters,” said the Rev. FredMorris, executive director of theFlorida Council of Churches.

In Berkeley, California, InkworksPress created window signs with thecaptions “Justice, not Vengeance/Let us not become the evil that wedeplore,” and “Hate-Free Com-munity/Stop Racist Attacks,” forfree distribution.

A group of Chicago businessmenpledged $7000 to the families ofthose who were murdered in hatecrimes after September 11, afterconsultations with the Campaign

13

for Collateral Compassion.After severe damage to Columbus,

Ohio's oldest mosque and onlyIslamic school at the hands of van-dals, the First CongregationalChurch volunteered its facilities asthe new temporary home of theIslamic school. It was chosen by theIslamic Center's leaders due to itssize and proximity to the school'sregular home. A number of otherhouses of worship offered theirsites, including a synagogue. TheRev. Tim Ahrens, First Congre-gational's senior minister, noticedhow similar the children were to hisown students, remarking that whenhe asked if they liked being back inschool, all the girls said ‘yes’ and allthe boys said ‘no’, “just like myschool.” Mahmudur Rahman, theIslamic school's director, felt com-fortable holding classes in thechurch, pointing out that Muslimsbelieve in Jesus as a prophet. (22)

A number of people set up soli-darity websites where web surferscould post messages of support forthe Arab American community.Among the most immediate ges-tures extended to the ArabAmerican community were thethousands of personal email mes-sages sent to AAI and to otherorganizations.

A fitting close to this focus on thecompassion of Americans towardsAmericans in the face of hate is theexperience of Pakistani-bornRichmond, Virginia doctor AbidKhan. Upon seeing members of aPresbyterian church outside hismosque one Friday holding up ban-ners of unity, he encapsulated thebeauty of the American spirit whenhe said: “You have to give the creditto the people who are keeping a pos-itive, friendly attitude. That's whatmakes America great. It's not its mil-itary or its advances in science. It'sthe kindness, affection, helpfulness,and tolerance which is found in thelarge majority of people here.” (23)

In TheirOwn Words

Naomi Shihab Nye, the acclaimed Arab American author andpoet, heard from a man who said that he was afraid for hisdaughter to admit that she is half-Arab.

Her response was: "never deny it. Maybe Arab Americansare twice as sad as other people. But we are still proud ofeverything peaceful and beautiful that endures. Then speakbeauty if we can - the beauty of culture, poetry, tradition,memory, family, daily life.

“Because men with hard faces do violent things, becausefanaticism seizes and shrinks minds, is no reason for the restof us to abandon our songs. Maybe we need to sing louder."

From a poem by Suheir Hammad:

fire in the city air and ifeared for my sister’s life ina way never before. andthen, and now, i fear for therest of us.

first, please god, let it be amistake, the pilot’s heartfailed, the plane’s enginedied.then please god, let it be anightmare, wake me now.please god, after the secondplane, please, don’t let it beanyone who looks like mybrothers.

i do not know how bad a lifehas to break in order to kill.i have never been so hungrythat i willed hungeri have never been so angryas to want to control a gunover a pen.not really.even as a woman, as apalestinian, as a brokenhuman being.never this broken.

thank you to the womanwho saw me brinking mycool and blinking back tears.she opened her arms beforeshe asked “do you want ahug?” a big white woman,and her embrace was thekind only people with thewarmth of flesh can offer. i wasn’t about to say no to any comfort. “my brother’s in the navy,” i said. “and we’re arabs.”“wow, you got double trouble.”

"In My Own Skin: The Complexity of Living as an Arab inAmerica," a documentary film directed by Jennifer Jajeh andNikki Byrd, sheds light on the complexities of the ArabAmerican experience through candid, in-depth interviews withfive young Arab American women living in post-September 11New York:

“In high school, my friends who think it's just a joke or theydon't mean to hurt my feelings say, 'You Arab terrorist,' in ajoking way. But to me it was always hurtful because it's what alot of people believe - it's the general perception thatAmericans have of who an Arab is.”“Recently, because of what happened on September 11th, Iwas afraid to walk out on the street with my regular headwear.So I tied it around the back, so I don't look Muslim or Arab or Idon't get too many stares.” - Rabyaah

Dearborn, Michigan,September 2001 (photo: Millard Berry,Dearborn Press &Guide)

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ARAB AMERICANSREACH OUTTO EDUCATEAND INFORM

t was not only the support of theAmerican people that kept theArab American community

strong in the face of hate crimes, butalso the proactive stance taken bythe community itself. Both individ-uals and groups recognized the needto educate fellow Americans aboutArab culture and the Muslim faith -and recognized the desire of manyAmericans to learn more abouttheir Arab and Muslim neighbors.

An editorial in The Economistremarked that “Rather than railingagainst the Islamic world, mostAmericans are desperate to under-stand it. The best-seller lists are fullof books on Islam, the Taliban andthe Middle East. University studentsare crowding into courses that touchon the current crisis. Washington'sMiddle East Institute reports thatapplications for Arabic courses havedoubled.” (24)

Arab Americans, both organiza-tions and individuals, have helpedtheir fellow countrymen betterunderstand what being ArabAmerican means.

The surge in public interest aboutArab Americans, Islam, and theMiddle East is exemplified by the

volume of requests for informationthat hit every major Arab Americanand Muslim organization and aca-demic center with expertise in theregion. AAI, for example, dedicatedon September 12 a special section ofits website that offered resources,made referrals, and kept track ofbreaking news about the falloutfrom September 11. On September10, AAI had projected reaching fivemillion hits on the website by theend of the year; instead the numberwas ten million.

Media interest in the ArabAmerican viewpoint was obviouslyat its peak after 9/11, and requestsfor interviews from the electronicand print media (local, national andinternational) were heavy and steadythroughout the fall. For AAI’s part,staff members participated in morethan 400 broadcast interviewsincluding television networks suchas ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, CNNI,BBC, Unavision, Al-Jazeera, FOXNews, MBC, MSNBC, Abu DhabiTV, CNBC, Nile TV, LBC, CourtTV, Telemundo, Future TV, CBC,and ANN. In the months followingSeptember 11, AAI responded tomore than 1,500 print interviews

CHAPTER II

15

I

Immediately after the September 11 tragedy, Nour Naciri and hiswife Zainab A. Elberry of Nashville, Tennessee, received calls andvisits of concern, friendship, and support from many members of theircommunity. Both saw not only a tremendous need for understandingand tolerance, but also a desire among those in their community tolearn and come together in a time of crisis.

On October 23, Nour delivered an address entitled "Islam: AnOverview in Context" to around 500 members of the Nashville chap-ter of the Exchange Club, a national business social and volunteerorganization, by invitation of a local church. The gathering spawnedfurther visits and meetings with church and interfaith groups.

Zeinab, who is a board member of the Women's Fund of theNashville Community Foundation, helped organize the Foundation'sannual fundraiser for women and children. Mavis Leno, wife of late-night talk show host Jay Leno, was the guest speaker at the event,and spoke in support of the rights of Afghan women and children. InMay, Zeinab was asked to organize the annual fundraiser for TheLinks, Inc., an African-American civic organization. The event, attend-ed by many members of the local Muslim community, became anopportunity for intercultural and interfaith understanding.

with publications like the New YorkTimes, Washington Post, LosAngeles Times and countless othersacross the nation and around theworld. AAI also responded to regular invi-

tations for speakers from federaland local government agencies, civicgroups, and universities. Not onlydid AAI staff deliver keynotespeeches to conferences and gather-ings regarding Arab Americans andthe impact of September 11, AAIalso addressed numerous publicappearances ranging from testimonybefore members of Congress to pan-els sponsored by the EEOC,Department of Justice, FAA,Department of Transportation,Department of State, U.S.Commission on Civil Rights, stateand local agencies, the NationalAssociation of Attorneys General,the National Newspaper PublishersAssociation, the American Feder-ation of Teachers, NationalImmigration Forum, and similarprofessional associations. AAI Pres-ident James Zogby participated inPresident Clinton’s forum on Islam

and the West featuring many promi-nent scholars and analysts. (Seeappendices.)

Perhaps the most intense appetitefor information came from thenation's educators, who needed totake advantage of the critical teach-ing moment brought about bytragedy and its aftermath. AAI'sFoundation quickly compiled aresource packet for use in class-rooms that answered questionsabout Arab Americans, Muslims,and the Arab world, using its owndemographic profiles and handoutsfrom other publishers. Since theearly fall, several thousand schoolsnationwide have received resourcepackets and poster reprints of the“Twin Towers” anti-hate PSA mes-sage (see page 12). (A complete listof materials available from AAIappears in the appendices to thisreport.)

The Arab Community Center forEconomic and Social Services(ACCESS), based in Dearborn,Michigan, embarked upon an ambi-tious program of educatingAmericans about the Arab world

16

and the Arab American experiencein the aftermath of the attacks. Theprogram will over the next two yearsoffer “cultural competency” trainingand education to those in positionsto influence the attitudes andbehavior of others, such as state leg-islators, teachers, and law enforce-ment personnel in major citiesthroughout the state of Michigan.

Jamal Baadani, a Marine Corpsstaff sergeant and Gulf War veteran,decided to form an organization tohighlight the contributions ArabAmericans have made in the armedforces of the United States, datingback to World War I. “We want toclose that gap by educatingAmericans about our service,because the more Americans under-stand what we do, the more they'llsay, OK, they are Americans.”Baadani's group, the Association ofPatriotic Arab Americans in theMilitary (APAAM), has over 300members from all of the US armedservices. (25)

Various Muslim organizationsopened their doors to the public inan effort to bridge the gaps inunderstanding. The mosque inBirmingham, Alabama hosted anopen house to educate Americansabout Islam. The Prince George'sCounty, Maryland MuslimAssociation is involved in an ongo-ing effort to educate the publicabout Islam.

The Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Centerin Falls Church, Virginia has under-taken a program entitled “ThePeaceful Inter-Community Project”(PIP). PIP's main objective is toimprove relationships among mem-bers of the community near theIslamic Center, across lines of race,ethnicity, class, and age throughworkshops, a youth forum, guestexchange speeches, and a continu-ous mentoring program. TheCenter stressed that this undertak-ing is particularly important in theaftermath of September 11.

New Yorker Debbie Almontaser, aYemeni who came to the US at theage of three, was deeply struck by theSept. 11 tragedy. A teacher with theNYC Board of Education, she wasoverwhelmed with requests by com-munity groups to help foster interfaithdialogue after the attacks, and hasdiscussed her faith and heritage incountless classrooms and panels.

Debbie co-founded Brooklyn Brid-ges, a program in which volunteersescorted students of Arab and SouthAsian origin who feared for their safe-ty. With the help of the ChristianChildren’s Fund, she established theSept. 11 Curriculum Project, a groupof educators who developed materialsand workshops to educate otherteachers about Arab and Muslim cul-ture. And in February, she put togeth-er a multicultural festival and fundrais-er with Arab, Jewish, and South Asianperformers.

Almontaserholds a pictureof her sonYousif, aNationalGuardsmanwho served atGround Zero

After September 11,Samira worked tire-lessly within theMaryland public schoolsystem to combat aresurgence in hatredshe had herself experi-enced during the GulfWar. A few days afterthe attacks, she spokeon a three-hour inter-faith panel on NationalPublic Radio. Sheorganized an iftar mealat a local mosque forpublic school teachersso they could experi-ence Ramadan withAmerican Muslims, and

held a conference for over 400 highschool students to discuss Islam andoversaw the establishment of ArabHeritage Month in July 2002.

For her work as a cultural liaison,Samira has been awarded theDistinguished Service Award by theMontgomery Country Board ofEducation, and in February 2002 shewas recognized in Rosie magazineas one of Rosie O'Donnell's"Extraordinary People." In March2002 she was inducted into theHuman Rights Hall of Fame of theMontgomery County Human RightsCommission.

Individuals across the country spokewith religious groups, schools, busi-nesses, and community organiza-tions about the impact ofSeptember 11 on Arab Americans aswell as what Islam is really about. Aprime example of individuals mak-ing a difference is the case of Dr.Ahmad Abul-Ela of New Castle,Pennsylvania. Besides speakingabout Islam to large groups at vari-ous churches, he started a groupcalled Conflict Resolution with aprofessor of theology fromWestminster College. The groupsponsored a student-faculty talk atthe college, which drew 400 people,discussing Islam and the terroristattacks.

Mona Ismail of Washington, DCposted events organized by ArabAmerican organizations on her web-site. “Educating Americans andguiding them to find the best sourceof information was a priority in myview, as a lot of damage was done toour community and our childrenfrom the bias in the media,” saidIsmail.Mary Kamalick, an Arab American

from Houston, Texas, has been pro-viding information on the customsand traditions of the Arab world,focusing on language, religions,food, customs and traditions. Shetakes her program to middle schooland high school students, churchand civic groups, and companies.

Diversity trainer Lobna Ismail hasspoken on the impact of September11 on Arab and Muslim Americansand on Islam to a wide range ofgroups, including the JewishCommunity Center, an Epis-copalian Church, and the FairfaxCounty Virginia Schools. Virginiaactivist and educator Sharifa Al-Khateeb has also made dozens ofpresentations on Islam to govern-ment and school groups.

The Power of Individual Action

Samira Hussein and her family losttheir West Bank home in the June1967 war and emigrated to Americafive years later.

Growing up in America, Samiraobserved that few people truly under-stood Arab and Muslim culture.During the Gulf War, her family expe-rienced acts of hatred due to this lackof understanding. Samira volun-teered to share her culture and reli-gion at her daughter's school inMontgomery County, Maryland. Soonher work became a full time job ineducating both students and teachersabout the Arab and Muslim worlds.

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On the morning of September 11, Marwan Kreidie,executive director of the Arab American CommunityDevelopment Corporation, was busy making phonecalls. Even before the second plane had stuck theWorld Trade Center towers, Marwan was networkingwith the police and the Human Relations Commissionof Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to establish an ArabAmerican “control center” made up of volunteers whocalled schools, mosques, and area leaders to consolethem and calm fears.

At 2 pm that same day, Marwan held a press confer-ence with Tawfiq Barqawi to mourn the country's lossand call on residents of Philadelphia to avoid hate-relat-ed violence against the Arab community. He met with the FBI and PennsylvaniaAttorney General Mike Fisher to offer assistance and gain assurance that ArabAmericans would not be targeted in backlash after the attacks. To increaseawareness and understanding, Marwan organized a community forum at aPhiladelphia mosque which was attended by many local government officials.

Since September 11, Marwan has turned his attention to long-term outreachand education. He distributes action alerts about Arabs and Islam to publicschool teachers, and recently received over $100,000 in grant money from theSamuel S. Fels Fund and the William Penn Foundation to expand his educa-tional program. He is planning to develop a permanent curriculum guide for pub-lic schools on Arab and Muslim culture.

photo: William Mills

CIVILRIGHTSISSUES INTHE WAKEOF SEPT. 11

CHAPTER IV rab American groups havebeen in the vanguard ofthose fighting to balancethe nation's need for securi-

ty with protection of fundamentalrights and freedoms. Many actionstaken since September 11 in thename of the “war on terrorism” havefar-reaching implications not just forthose of Arab or Muslim descent,but for all Americans.

The USA PATRIOT Act was thelaunching pad for a series ofDepartment of Justice initiativesand executive orders that gave thegovernment even more investigativepower and changed immigrationrules to make them more restrictiveto those coming from MiddleEastern countries.

A growing number of ethnic andreligious groups, immigrant advo-cates, and supporters of civil liber-ties have coalesced to raise aware-ness to the serious threats toAmerican rights and interests posedby these initiatives. These groupshave worked to ensure that therequirements of security are recon-ciled with the demands of liberty,and have warned against enactingproposals in the mistaken beliefthat anything that may be calledanti-terrorist will necessarily providegreater security.

These coalitions have stood bytheir Arab and Muslim Americanpartners in defending constitution-al liberties and working to ensurethat the United States does not

When the USA PATRIOT(“Uniting and StrengtheningAmerica by Providing AppropriateTools Required to Intercept andObstruct Terrorism”) Act passed byan overwhelming majority inCongress and was signed byPresident Bush in October, it pro-vided a legal framework for much ofthe Administration's war on terror-ism and raised immediate alarmswithin the civil rights and civil lib-erties communities. This act gavethe government broad new inves-tigative powers as well as the powerto detain and deport, based on littleor no information, those who arebelieved to pose a special threat.

While recognizing some merits ofthe new legislation, a number ofgroups, including the AmericanCivil Liberties Union (ACLU), theNational Council of La Raza, theNational Asian Pacific AmericanLegal Consortium (NAPALC), theSikh Coalition, and major ArabAmerican and Muslim Americanorganizations, raised concern aboutthe “guilt by association” the Actpromulgates as well as the tenuousterms used to define groups sup-porting terror. The ACLU'sTimothy Edgar warned of the“measures that would allow fordetention of immigrants on thebasis of lawful political associationsand suspicion for a potentially

indefinite period of time; expandthe ability of the government toconduct secret searches; minimizejudicial supervision of federal tele-phone and Internet surveillance bylaw enforcement authorities.” (26)

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) castthe sole vote against the Act in theSenate, saying that it did “not strikethe right balance between empower-ing law enforcement and protectingcivil liberties.” (27) Rep. LynnWoolsey (D-CA) echoed this senti-ment by saying that “the Bill ofRights, civil rights and civil libertiesmust not be the 'other victim' of ter-rorism. As the domestic war againstterrorism continues, my concern isthat increased police power willencroach on our liberties.” (28)

The USA PATRIOT Act and Civil Liberties

Executive Branch Orders (29)

18

A

repeat historical mistakes of theJapanese internment camps or ofthe McCarthy era. WadeHenderson, executive director ofthe Leadership Conference on CivilRights, warned that “History hasshown us that, in past times ofnational calamity, civil rights andcivil liberties fall victim to the crisisjust as surely as the human victimswhose loss we all grieve. We mustnot compound this tragedy byinfringing on the rights ofAmericans or persons guaranteedprotections under theConstitution.”

The detention of hun-dreds of men of MiddleEastern origin shortlyafter the attacks was anoth-er source of serious con-cern. The Department ofJustice justified the deten-tions through the use ofoften questionable legaltactics. On September 20,2001, the Department published aninterim regulation allowing thedetention without charge for 48hours or “an additional reasonableperiod of time” in the event of an“emergency or other extraordinarycircumstance.” This led to thedetention and often rough treat-ment of over 1,100 individuals inthe wake of September 11, some ofwhom are still held to this day,unable to gain regular access to theirattorneys or families.

The day after this detention rul-ing, Chief Immigration JudgeMichael Creppy added another levelof secrecy when he issued a memostating that “the Attorney Generalhas implemented additional securityprocedures for certain cases in theImmigration Court.” These proce-dures “require” immigration judges“to close the hearing to the pub-lic….”

The Arab American communitycontinues to work diligently as advo-cates for the civil rights of those who

have been held in indefinite deten-tion since September 11. Workingwith the ACLU and other civilrights advocacy groups, ArabAmericans are closely monitoringthe activities of the federal govern-ment regarding the welfare of theseveral hundred individuals stillbeing held.

In addition, the questioning bythe FBI of many thousands of indi-viduals due to their country of ori-gin caused much unease.

On November 9, 2001, the

Attorney General issued a memoauthorizing interviews with a list of5,000 men, ages 18-33, who enteredthe United States legally on nonim-migrant visas since January 2000,and who came from countries whereal-Qaeda has a “terrorist presence oractivity.”Said one of those who received the

letter requesting a meeting with theFBI, a Lebanese chemistry studentat the University of Michigan, “I wasshocked. I was asking myself, ‘Why?’There's no reason to have this let-ter.” AAI President James Zogbyexpressed concerns that “the kind ofbroad net-casting that was doneright after September 11 may havebeen excusable, but at this pointthere has to be a better way of con-ducting this investigation...I don'twant to give up our freedoms.”

From the outset, some local lawenforcement agencies took issuewith the mass questioning.According to Chief RichardWilliams of the Madison,

Investigation andIndividual Rights

Wisconsin Police Department, theforce “will not engage in randominterviews of any person solely basedon their country of origin, race, reli-gion, or any other characteristicsunless there is specific evidencelinked to that person for a criminalact.” (30) Many police departments,who have since been asked to alsotrack down visa violators, object tothe strain those functions place onrelations of trust they have built withimmigrant communities.

Uncomfortable comparisons havebeen made to the treatmentof Japanese Americans afterthe attack on Pearl Harbor.The National Asian PacificAmerican Legal Consortium(NAPALC) has pointed outthat the “solidarity betweencommunities identified as'the enemy' has in some casesforged a new alliancebetween Japanese Americansand Arab Americans and

Muslims.” In the words of NAPALCPresident Karen Naranski, “Let ustake to heart the lessons of WWIIwhen … Japanese-American familieswere herded behind barbed wiresimply because they looked like theenemy...No one should be pre-sumed to be any less loyal to ourcountry just because of the color oftheir skin, their national origin,their immigration status or the reli-gion that they follow.” (31)

Arousing particular alarm in thelegal profession was the October31, 2001 Bureau of Prisons interimregulation that allowed eavesdrop-ping on attorney/client conversa-tions wherever there is “reasonablesuspicion…to believe that a particu-lar inmate may use communica-tions with attorneys to further orfacilitate acts of terrorism,” with the

Many actions taken sinceSeptember 11 have far-reaching implications notjust for those of Arab orMuslim descent, but for all Americans.

19

regulation requiring written noticeto the inmate and attorney, “exceptin the case of prior court authoriza-tion.” Further constitutional ques-tions arose when President Bushissued an executive order inNovember authorizing the creationof military tribunals to try non-citi-zens alleged to be involved in inter-national terrorism.

While the rights of foreign nation-als remained of primaryconcern throughout thisperiod, the treatment ofAmerican citizens andorganizations added anew dimension to theimpact on the communi-ty of the government'sinvestigation. U.S.Muslim charities legallyoperating in Texas,Chicago and Michiganwere the first to be target-ed for scrutiny, resultingin freezing of assets,seizure of records and insome cases charges filedagainst officers accusedof aiding, even indirectly,groups defined by theU.S. as terrorist.

In mid-March, theoffices and homes ofindividuals related tofourteen U.S. Muslimorganizations were raid-ed. In the latter cases,none of the offices wereclosed, no arrests weremade, and no assets werefrozen. As victims ofthose raided are prominent mem-bers of their communities, theshock was severe. Federal officialsentered homes at gunpoint, hand-cuffed residents during the raids,carted off boxes of materials, anddestroyed some property, all thewhile using affidavits which were“secret and sealed,” giving the vic-tims no idea why these events hap-pened, what was taken, and what

they were hoping to find.An announcement in August

2002 that the FBI would targetsmall businesses owned by personsof Arab or Muslim descent to searchfor money trails to terrorist groupswas another chilling reminder ofhow widely the government's drag-net is being cast. The ramificationsof this investigative strategy, both onthe affected business communities

and on the credibility of the anti-ter-ror investigation, remain to be seen.

Although racial profiling againstArabs was a concern well before theterror attacks, its scope and impacthave expanded dramatically. A May2002 poll commissioned by the AAIFoundation found that 78 percentof Arab Americans surveyed thinkthere has been more profiling ofArab Americans since September

Impact onImmigrationPolicy

Immigration has longbeen a contentious issue in theUnited States, and followingSeptember 11, some lawmakersbegan using immigration policy as ascapegoat for the terrorist attacks.Members of Congress introducedlegislation that restricts admissions,particularly from Arab countries.The Administration has followedsuit with a string of policiesdesigned to screen and keep closer

20

11, and that close to two-thirds arevery or somewhat worried about thelong-term effects of discrimination.

Airline passenger profiling hasbecome a common complaint ofArab and Muslim Americans, rang-ing from extra security screening toremoval from commercial flights.Among those removed from flightshave been a U.S. Congressman anda U.S. Secret Service agent on the

President's detail, aswell as others who havefiled discriminationsuits against the air-lines. Community lead-ers continue to bringthese concerns to theattention of theDepartment of Trans-portation and otheragencies charged withprotecting passengerrights. Leaders stressthat while allAmericans, includingthose of Arab andMuslim descent, sup-port in-creased airlinesafety, profiling meas-ures that rely on ethnicor religious attributesalone, rather than sus-picious conduct, donot promote security.

photo: Max Ortiz,The Detroit News

Dangerous Directions atthe Department of Justice

tabs on those entering the country.Among the more troubling

changes to immigration policy isthat visitors from certain countriesor those designated "threats" forother reasons must register at thepoint of entry, thirty days afterentry, and at one-year intervalsthereafter. As of September 11,2002, the government will begin totake fingerprints, photographs, andother information from selectednationals upon arrival in the U.S.These policies have a particularimpact on those from Arab andMuslim countries.

Commenting on the potentialrepercussions of this regulation,Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)said, “This is a troubling and poorlythought-out regulation. It was pro-posed without any consultation withCongress. It does little to providereal protection against terrorism. Ifear this proposal will open a shame-ful chapter in our history that we asa nation will come to regret.” (32)

Other measures against immi-grants include the StateDepartment's November 2001 deci-sion to impose new security checkson visa applicants. Those applyingfor visas from such countries asAfghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia,Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen amongothers received a statement saying:“Effective immediately, the StateDepartment has introduced a 20-day waiting period for men fromcertain countries, ages 16-45, apply-ing for visas into the United States.”And in April 2002, theImmigration and NaturalizationService issued a proposed regulationestablishing a presumptive limita-tion on visitors to the United Statesof 30 days, or a “fair and reasonableperiod” to accomplish the purposeof the visit.

Of all visa holders impacted bypost-September 11 regulations, for-eign students are on the front lines.As mentioned, the lion's share of

The Attorney General's decision tolift guidelines on FBI operations,placed by Congress in the 1970s tocurb widespread abuses by agents inthe Hoover era, has been criticizedby politicians and civil libertariansalike. Safeguards against the infiltra-tion and harassment that character-ized surveillance practices duringthe McCarthy era and against civilrights leaders like Martin LutherKing, Jr. and others engaged in law-ful political dissent are now beingremoved, and activists in theMuslim and Arab American com-munities are not alone in theiralarm.

“These new guidelines say to theAmerican people that you no longerhave to be doing something wrongin order to get that FBI knock atyour door,” said Laura Murphy,director of the Washington nationaloffice of the ACLU. (33) The rankingmember of the House JudiciaryCommittee, John Conyers (D-MI),commenting on the plan to use thenew guidelines to target mosquesand Islamic organizations, said,“Threatening the private practice ofreligion constitutes a war on free-dom, not a war on terror. I hope itis clear to all that taking it uponhimself to institute new rules towiretap religious organizations,including places of worship, theAttorney General will do little tohelp us battle terrorism. Instead itwill simply further alienate theAmerican Muslim community, acrucial ally in our efforts.” (34)

21

persons approached by the FBI forquestioning in the fall of 2001 wereArab and Muslim students inAmerican universities. Some stu-dents, particularly those from Gulfcountries, were so intimidated inthe weeks following the attacks thatthey returned home in the middle ofthe school year. It is expected thatthe strong preference by Arab elitesfor American higher education, atrend that has persisted since the1960s, will be diminished by the cur-rent barriers and climate.

One of the procedures imposed bythe Attorney General is a new stu-dent reporting system, SEVIS,which will require schools to reporton foreign students such data asenrollment, start date of next term,failure to enroll, disciplinary actionby the school, and early graduation.Schools are required to notifyauthorities if a foreign student dropsunder full-time status, at which timethe student is deportable. Like manyof the tracking measures proposedsince September 11, those taskedwith collecting the data are ques-tioning its efficacy. Some collegeadministrators recall a similar track-ing system set up in the 1970s thatwas abandoned as cumbersome andunproductive.

Beyond the burden and question-able value of some of the visa-relatedrestrictions was the highly publi-cized announcement in January thatthe INS would begin to locate themore than 300,000 persons whohave overstayed their visas or other-wise qualify for deportation underexisting law, under a new programknown as the “AbsconderApprehension Initiative.” The INSstated that the priority for locationwould be persons from “Al-Qaedaharboring countries” - estimated atabout six thousand people - whosenames would be entered first intothe National Crime InformationCenter database.

Immigrant rights supporters have

been alarmed at the government'sconflated message to the publicthat places all immigrants, especial-ly those from the Middle East,under suspicion in the anti-terror-ism campaign.

In spite of grave civil liberties con-cerns and diminishing confidenceof Arab Americans in the govern-ment's commitment to protecting

their rights, community leaders arein regular contact with federal agen-cies, law enforcement, and civilrights commissions to keep openchannels for dialogue and feedback.They are also informing their com-munity members of expandingopportunities for participation, aslinguists and analysts, in the unfold-ing investigation.

Whereas early deliberations withofficials were dominated by issues ofhate crimes and discrimination, thefocus has since shifted primarily tothe treatment of people of Arabdescent by the government itself.One response to community con-cerns has been the Department ofJustice's decision to streamline com-plaints of civil rights violations bygovernment entities via a hotlineadministered by the USCommission on Civil Rights.

Arab American and AmericanMuslim groups worked with theDepartment of Justice to set upmonthly meetings hosted by RalphBoyd, Assistant Attorney Generalfor Civil Rights. The meetingssought to create a partnershipbetween the major Arab andMuslim organizations in the UnitedStates and the federal governmentoffices involved in the investigativeaspects of the war on terror, prima-rily the Department of Justice andthe FBI. Both agencies solicitedcommunity feedback on violationof rights that might occur in inter-views and investigation practices. Inseveral cases, local field offices ofthe FBI met regularly with commu-nity representatives who providedadvice on cultural sensitivities and

Committed to Dialogueand Advocacy

Another initiative of the AttorneyGeneral is the Terrorism Infor-mation and Prevention System(TIPS) program, that would askAmericans with access to privateproperty, such as mail carriers andutility workers, to become informerson “unusual events.” As envisioned,it would have opened up the doorto “prying, racial profiling and sub-tle violations of the FourthAmendment.” (35) TIPS has beenscaled back to involve truckers, dockworkers, bus drivers, and otherswho are in positions to monitorplaces and events that are obviouslypublic.

In an even more blatant appealto citizen vigilance, the FBI issuedan advisory this spring that warnedproperty owners, public housingofficials and landlords to watch outfor terrorists renting apartments.This warning has Arab Americansunderstandably worried about dis-crimination. In the words of AslamAbdallah with the Islamic Center ofSouthern California, “I fear theseterrorist warnings will only makematters worse, mostly for MiddleEastern people because of theirappearance. The community is real-ly scared. Today it’s apartments,tomorrow it's the neighborhoodwhere people won't sell their housesto us.” (36)

how to minimize the intimidatingaspects of the government's infor-mation gathering.

While the concerns raised in thischapter illustrate how Arab andMuslim Americans have beendeeply affected by governmentscrutiny since September 11, thesematters threaten to fundamentallychange the civil rights and freedomsof all Americans.

Recent immigrants to the UnitedStates from the Middle East havebeen especially vulnerable to securi-ty policies enacted by the federalgovernment in the wake of the ter-ror attacks.

Newly arrived immigrants fromthe Arab and Muslim worlds are, inthe words of AAI President JamesZogby, “the weakest link in the civilrights chain,” and that places themsquarely on the front line in thedefense of civil liberties and free-doms that have defined the UnitedStates for centuries. How the nationresponds to this continuing strugglebetween security and constitutionalrights will be a lasting legacy ofSeptember 11.

As Anthony Lake, formerNational Security Adviser toPresident Bill Clinton, observed, “Ifwe are fighting for freedom - and weare - then we need to respect thefreedom of all Americans to believeand live as they wish. As we arefighting for our civilized values, weneed to be civil to all of our citizens.If we are fighting against those wholive and act on their hatred, and webecome like them - then we are los-ing the war.” (37)

Immigrants from the Arab and Muslim worlds are “the weakest link in the civil rights chain,” and that places themsquarely on the front line in the defense of civil liberties.

22

ne year later, the terrorist attacks ofSeptember 11, 2001 are still at the fore-front of the nation’s mind as we continue toovercome grief, remember those who were

lost, and fight to ensure the safety and well-being ofthe nation.

“Healing the Nation” is one small part of the his-tory of this past year - a year that has been amongthe most difficult many Americans have experi-enced. This title was chosen because, from thosefirst terrible moments of this tragedy, Americansstepped forward to help each other in any way theycould. September 11 will forever be rememberednot just as a tragedy, but as an example of how thecountry can pull together in a time of crisis.

Arab Americans not only joined in the rescueefforts, but have been able to start to heal some ofthe deeper wounds that became apparent in thedays and weeks following the attacks. They havejoined fellow Americans in developing bonds of edu-cation and understanding, combating stereotypes,and taking messages of cooperation into class-rooms, community centers, and places of worship.And just as the response of the Arab American com-munity was immediate and strong, the response ofAmericans of all backgrounds toward the communi-ty was, overwhelmingly, one of support.

One year later, as the nation continues its heal-ing, we look back at the experiences of the ArabAmerican community not just to honor their contri-butions to the recovery efforts and remember thosewho were lost, but also as a reminder that thestrength of the United States lies in our ability, be itin personal interactions or government policy, tofight hatred and suspicion with understanding andinclusion. As the country continues to deal with theaftermath of the September 11 attacks, we mustensure that we fight for both the safety of the coun-try as well as to protect the civil and constitutionalrights of all Americans.

O

23

(1) MSNBC, September 15, 2001

(2) "Loyalty at La Shish: Owner of the PopularRestaurant Chain Expresses Concern for Terrorism'sVictims and Love for His Adopted Homeland,"by SylviaRector, Detroit Free Press, October 10, 2001

(3) ABANA press release, March 6, 2002

(4) ibid

(5) American Muslim Council press release, September12, 2001

(6) mass e-mail from Ray Hanania

(7) "Hail to The Flag," Arab American Business online,October 12, 2001

(8) "Arab-Americans Use Language Skills in TerrorismWar,” by Judy Peet, The Star-Ledger online, September18, 2001

(9) "Arabic Speakers Answer FBI Call for Translators,"Richard Willing, USA Today online, April 24, 2002

(10) Department of Justice press release, Sept. 13, 2001

(11) U.S. Department of Education News, Sept. 19, 2001

(12) "Arab Heritage Month Salutes Community'sAchievements," Arab News

(13) The Human Rights Commission of the City andCounty of San Francisco, CA, press release, September13, 2001

(14) "Redford to Host Diversity Workshop," by DeloresPatterson, The Detroit News, October 5, 2001

(15) Report entitled "Positive Community Response toBias Incidents Directed Toward The Middle Eastern andMuslim Community Since September 11"

(16) "Peace: In Reaction to 9/11 People Are ReachingOut to Diverse Groups," by Scott Martelle, The LosAngeles Times, April 21, 2002

(17) Arab American Institute press release, "AmeriDreamFights Hate with Arab American Rebuilding Effort,"February 21, 2002

(18) "Ephrata Rallies to Egyptians' Restaurant Hurt byRumors," by Timothy D. May, the Associated Press,October 20, 2001

(19) "For Muslims, Benevolence Is Prevailing OverBacklash," by Caryle Murphy, The Washington Post,October 6, 2001

(20) ibid

(21) ibid

(22) "Support Buoys City's Displaced Muslims," by DaveGhose, The Arab-American News, January 19-26, 2002

(23) "For Muslims, Benevolence Is Prevailing OverBacklash," by Caryle Murphy, The Washington Post,October 6, 2001

(24) "America the Sensible: The Country is More Rock-Ribbed than Outsiders Think," the Economist, October27, 2001

(25) "Up in Arms Against Bigotry: Arab-American MarineForms Group to Send Patriotic Message,” by JeannetteSteele, San Diego Union-Tribune, July 4, 2002

(26) http://www.aclu.org/congress/l101201b.html

(27) See http://thomas.loc.gov/

(28) See http://thomas.loc.gov/

(29) Much of the information in this section comes fromthe American Immigration Lawyers Association; seewww.aila.org

(30) "Madison Cops Won't Screen Muslims," by StevenElbow, The Capital Times (Madison, WI), December 12,2001

(31) "Asian Pacific Americans Display Support for Arab,Sikh Americans: Praise Bush, Others for DenouncingProfiling, Hate Crimes," by Rita M. Gerona-Adkins, AsianFortune, October 2001

(32) “100,000 Foreign Visitors to Face Fingerprinting,” byWayne Washington and Robert Schlesinger, the BostonGlobe, June 6, 2002

(33) “In Terror Fight, FBI Eases Domestic Spying Rules,”by Don Van Natta Jr., the International Herald Tribune,May 31, 2002

(34) See www.cair-net.org

(35) “Just the Facts, Mr. Ashcroft," by Jean AbiNader andKate Martin, The Washington Post, July 25

(36) “Arab Americans Wary of Warnings,” the DetroitNews, May 28, 2002

(37) "Bigotry's High Price," by Anthony Lake, USA Today,September 19, 2001

Notes

24

APPENDICES:

Resources onArab Americansand theSeptember 11Aftermath

A. Submission to The United States Commission on CivilRights, Testimony of Dr. James J. Zogby, October 12,2001 (excerpt)With an Appendix of Selected Hate-Based Incidents Sept. 11to Oct. 10, 2001, October 12, 2001

B. Arab American Perspectives on the International WarAgainst Terrorism (excerpt)Remarks to the Secretary's Open Forum by Dr. James J.Zogby, December 5, 2001. United States Department ofState

C. Commissioners Meeting Open Session, "EmploymentDiscrimination in the Aftermath of September 11”Remarks by AAI Managing Director Jean AbiNader,December 11, 2001. U.S. Equal Employment OpportunityCommission

D. Arab American Institute Materials:I. Select AAI Press Releases

II. AAI Publications and Reports

III. AAI Educational PacketIn light of the high demand for information after Sept. 11, AAI put togethera resource packet on Arab Americans, Islam, and the Middle East. Thepacket is available in electronic format on the AAI website atwww.aaiusa.org/educational_packet.htm, where there is also an orderform to request print copies.

E. Other ResourcesLinks to information from the US Department of Justice,Department of Transportation, EEOC, and other sources

25

In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks onthe World Trade Center and the Pentagon (even beforeit became clear that the perpetrators were from Arabcountries), Arab Americans found themselves the targetsof incidents of hate and bias. It was something that wehad come to expect.

For a number of decades now, Arab Americans haveexperienced similar "backlashes".

During the Iranian hostage crisis, for example, despitethe fact that Iranians are not Arabs, Arab Americanswere targeted. The same was true in the days followingthe terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City and the tragicexplosion of TWA flight 800.

Part of the reason why Arab Americans have come tobe scapegoated in times of crisis is because for manydecades, my community has been defined by negativestereotypes propagated by the popular culture. ArabAmericans are not known as the complex and diversecommunity that we are.

Compounding this is the fact that, in recent years,these destructive stereotypes have been fed by the out-rageous and condemnable acts of terror committedagainst the United States by some extremist groups withroots in Arab countries.

The result of this confluence of preexisting negativestereotypes with actual terrorist acts has created, witheach of these crises, a dangerous situation where, in theminds of some, blame was generalized and collectiveguilt was assigned to the entire Arab American commu-nity.

In just three days after the Oklahoma City bombing,for example, more than 200 serious hate crimes wherecommitted against Arab Americans and AmericanMuslims. The same was true in the days followingSeptember 11.

I have attached to this statement a selection of suchinstances of hate crimes and acts of bias that werereported to my organization and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) during the period ofSeptember 11 to October 10, 2001. The list is not com-plete, but represents a state-by-state selection, organ-ized by type.

Let me review, for a moment, the types of cases weare reporting.

First, there have been assaults. Among them,there have been seven deaths which may be theresult of hate crimes. We also list about 90 otherphysical assaults, either shooting, beatings, or stab-bings that have been reported. Next we list over 85incidents of vandalism to property. Special targets forvandalism include mosques and Arab-owned busi-nesses that have Arab signage out front. Threats andharassment are next. These include death threats orpersonal threats. Although we list a large number ofthese types of incidents, I believe that the numbersmust be much higher. While direct assaults and actsof vandalism are reported to law enforcement, mostvictim communities hesitate to report threats. Theyall too frequently accept this form of hate crime asexpected behavior and are afraid to create moreproblems by reporting the offense and offenders.

We also have had a few job-related acts of dis-crimination, though not as many as I might havefeared. So far, six cases have been reported to uswhere people have been fired and been told the spe-cific reason for their dismissal was that their fellowemployees didn't want "an Arab in the workplace."This is an area of concern that bears watching, sincethere are signs that it may grow in the future.

Another area of discrimination that is very trou-bling is the matter of airplane profiling. We've had 11specific instances reported to us involving over 20passengers where people have either been taken offa plane or not allowed to board a plane because oftheir ethnicity. Since there is no provision, in law, fora cooperating passenger who has passed securityscreening to be removed from a flight because "thepilot won't fly with someone named Mohammed", or"because other passengers are nervous to fly withyou on board" (these were actual reasons given), wefeel that there is a very dangerous form of vigilantismat work here. It must be stopped. We have raisedthis matter with the Secretary of Transportation andhave pressed the Department of Transportation toissue a clear policy statement to the airlines.

The key to understanding the gravity of this entiresituation for Arab Americans is that no segment ofmy community has been exempt.

An Arab American Congressman was excludedfrom a flight. Arab American churches as well asmosques were attacked. And, in many instances,bigots struck out at anyone whom they suspectedwas Arab, victimizing Sikhs, South Asians andHispanics.

My own family, for example, has been dramatical-

A. Submission to The United States Commission on Civil Rights, Testimony of JamesJ. Zogby, October 12, 2001 (excerpt)(With an Appendix of Selected Hate-Based Incidents September 11 - October 10, 2001)

Full transcript of this testimony, as well as the hatecrimes appendix, is available on the Arab AmericanInstitute website at www.aaiusa.org/publications.htm

26

Rights Division and the Assistant Attorney Generalfor Civil Rights, Ralph Boyd. He has brought ustogether, early on and frequently, to discuss both theproblem of backlash and our concern with variouslaw enforcement agencies. Mr. Boyd has also madehimself available to us in several important outreachefforts to the Arab American community.

Finally, I want to mention the support we receivedfrom the FBI. From the Director on down, the FBIhas responded to each and every complaint of hatewe have brought to them. They have met with ourcommunity's leadership in Washington and in sever-al centers across the US.

While we still have some concerns with somereports we have received of overzealous investiga-tive techniques used by some FBI agents, we havehad the opportunity to raise each of these concernswith officials from the Bureau.

At the same time, we are gratified that the FBI hasaggressively pursued our reports of hate crimes. Atthe time of this testimony, they have opened 130investigations and actually brought 3 federal indict-ments against perpetrators. I understand that theyhave already identified the individual who made thedeath threat against my family.

I would like to close with a few recommendations.The first deals with the problem of reporting hatecrimes. Immigrants, especially those from some Arabcountries, have a fear of law enforcement. For exam-ple, if the FBI is investigating hate crimes, recentimmigrant Arabs may fear reporting a hate incidentbecause they are concerned that it may compromisetheir stay in the US. This fear is compounded by thefact that the past history of the FBI's relationship withour community has not always been the kind thatencourages people to go to them and report a prob-lem. I therefore believe that there is a need for notjust an improved system for hate crime reporting butalso for a mediating presence between victim com-munities and law enforcement so that victims canhave more confidence in reporting problems.

Since this Civil Rights Commission is receivingreports of hate crimes, I recommend that you seek arole in suggesting how those hate crimes actuallythen become investigated. I have noted that whilethe FBI Director and the community relations side ofthe FBI have been very responsive, there still is afear. And many people remain afraid to report hatecrimes.

There have been recommendations that the U.S.Attorney's offices be involved, or that the Civil RightsDivision at the Justice Department be involved, orthat the FBI set up a special Hate Crimes Unit that isonly involved in hate crime investigations. These areonly some suggestions, but I do urge you to look intothis matter and help us address this concern.

ly impacted. The morning after September 11, Ireceived a harrowing death threat at my office. Thecaller left this message: "Jim, you towelhead, allArabs must die. We will slit your throats and kill yourchildren." My daughter, a college student, receivedtwo threatening phone calls. My nephew, also a col-lege student, was affected. My brother, John,received two bomb threats at his office.

The problem was widespread. A poll of ArabAmericans we conducted from October 6 to October8, 2001, showed that while 32% of Arab Americansreported having been subjected to some form of eth-nic-based discrimination during their lifetimes, 20%reported having experienced an instance of ethnic-based discrimination since September 11. Mostaffected were the vulnerable parts of my community.Of special concern, for example, is the fact that 45%of students and 37% of Arab Americans of theMuslim faith report being targeted by discriminationsince September 11.

Let me note here that however serious this peri-od has been, I dread to think how much worse itmight have been had our nation's leadership notacted as quickly and proactively as they did.

The President took the lead in cautioning againstthis backlash and was joined by the Secretary ofState, the Attorney General, and the Director of theFBI. Their repeated statements, I believe, helped tostem the wave of backlash.

Also worthy of note were the actions of the U.S.Senate and House of Representatives who passedresolutions decrying hate crimes against ArabAmericans and American Muslims. IndividualSenators and Representatives also took immediateaction to shine a light on this problem.

Equally impressive was the effort by the AdCouncil which worked with us to produce public serv-ice radio and newspaper ads that focused on warn-ing against anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate and bias.

The constant repetition of this positive messageon TV and radio and in print media has helpedrestrain the hands of the bigots. The hate has notgone away, but the hate crimes have been greatlyreduced. Now we must begin the long and difficulttask of addressing the negative stereotypes. And inthis area we have also been blessed by the supportof several national organizations and parts of theAdministration. The Community Relations Service ofthe Department of Justice has assisted us in reach-ing school districts that have asked for materials onArab Americans, Arab culture, and Islam. TheDepartment of Education and school boards acrossthe U.S. have also been helpful, as have the nation'sunions representing America's teachers.

While noting the role of the Department of Justice,I must single out, for special commendation, the Civil

27

The first time I addressed the Open Forum was in1978. I was a wee lad who was very concerned withhow my message would be read, whether it wouldcome through. It's funny, many years later, and aftermany years of this work, I'm just as concerned as Iwas the first time I spoke here. I appreciate thisforum; it's an opportunity that I certainly know is auseful and important one. I hope to communicate toyou as best I can the Arab American perspective onthe international war on terror.

I'll begin with a personal note. September 11 andit's immediate aftermath produced complex emotionsin me and I know in many in my community. First ofall was the horror and the shock. There was some-thing quite unique about what happened onSeptember 11, possibly because of the magnitude,possibly that we saw it in real time, possibly that ithappened in New York, as opposed to anotherAmerican city. We don't know what it was exactly,but unlike other tragedies, both domestic and inter-national, that we have seen and followed, this wasreally quite different because we didn't merely watchit, we lived it. We didn't just suffer for the victims, wesuffered with the victims. It became our tragedy, itaffected us all. There was not only horror and shock,as planes that we were so used to seeing in the skyall of a sudden became weapons of mass destruc-tion. And the consequences of it, of the attack, leftnone of us untouched.

It affected us in very different ways, but we wereall affected. There was grief, of course. Grief, as wewatched, in the days after the attack, family mem-bers holding pictures of loved ones whom we knewin our heart of hearts they would never find. Wewere touched by that, and some of us even felt guiltybecause we had not lost anyone. My daughter, I'llnever forget, cried one night because she was get-ting married in two weeks and felt a tremendoussense of guilt because she was feeling joy at a timewhen she was also really feeling enormous sadnessand had just heard a young woman talking about los-ing her fiancé. Universes were lost and destroyedand would never be the same, not only those wholost families would never be the same but in a veryreal sense, none of us will. I still can't look up, see aplane, and think of it in quite the same way as I didbefore September 11.

But for Arab Americans, while all of this was true,something quite different also happened and hap-pened within hours. I was in my office and we were

ordered to evacuate. Because our office is a blockaway from the White House, they closed our buildingdown. I said we couldn't leave because we werereceiving phone calls from people around the coun-try and I didn't want to leave. Then the first deaththreat came and was followed by others. By the nextmorning they had reached a rather frightening pitch.Actually it had become quite gruesome and frighten-ing. Even before the perpetrators of the terror attackswere identified as Arabs, we were pulled away fromthe collective mourning. This was very similar towhat happened to us after Oklahoma City. In effect,we were told that we couldn't suffer with the rest ofAmerica because there was an assumption of collec-tive guilt.

This backlash intensified as it became clear thatit was in fact Arabs who perpetrated these acts. Butthen as the expected hate came, something quitesurprising and extraordinarily gratifying alsooccurred and that was statements of compassionand concern. I used the word gratuitous at one pointto describe these statements of support. I used it ina theological sense, as an act of grace, an unearnedbenefit. So it was surprising and quite stunningwhen [Senator Edward] Teddy Kennedy called mewithin 36 hours of the attack to ask what can he doto help. And then [Senator Joseph] Joe Leibermancalled, then [former Congressman] Jack Kempcalled and became quite emotional over the phoneand told me if my wife and I needed protection thatwe could stay with his family. Then Senator Feingoldand Senator Edwards and others called... By 48hours after the terrorists attacks more than a dozenmembers of the U.S. Senate had called. GovernorJeb Bush of Florida also called and the Presidentissued a very strong message followed by AttorneyGeneral Ashcroft and the director of the FBI.Extraordinary as they were, those statements of pro-tection, those statements of concern, were, in fact,very American.

I said to myself at one point, only in America doesthat kind of immediate and almost spontaneous pro-tection and support come at that kind of time. It actu-ally reminded me of the story that one hears in gradeschool of the barn that blows down and the neigh-bors come over with potluck dishes. My office hadpolice protection because of the death threats wereceived, neighbors in the building started making uslunches. A woman came by the very first day afterthe attacks with brownies and said, "I think I burnt

B. “Arab American Perspectives on the International War Against Terrorism” (excerpt)Remarks to the Secretary's Open Forum by James J. Zogby, December 5, 2001. UnitedStates Department of State

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them but I hope they are okay." I was very touchedand continued to be touched although I did gainsome weight because Ben & Jerry's gave us a partyand Mrs. Fields brought over a box of cookies. As Isaid it was gratuitous.

Then after the unexpected kindness and gracious-ness came the anger, our anger. We had beenbrought back into the fold, we were embraced by thePresident on down, told to come mourn with the restof the country and it sunk in. It sunk in just as itbecame clear to us that the perpetrators were Arab.We shared not only the national outrage but feltanger in a very special way because they had comefrom Arab countries and taken advantage of theopportunities and the openness of America, takenadvantage of the American people, and murderedour fellow Americans. In the process they createdsuch enormous pain, such enormous loss, and cre-ated fear of Arab Americans. For that I will never for-give them. My daughter called me one day to tell methat I was quoted in Newsweek referring to them as'those bastards who did this.' She said does thatmean that we can say "bastard" now? I said in cer-tain special instances you can, this is one of them.

By the time the President launched the war, theattack against al-Qaida we were in the field pollingArab Americans to find and get an accurate measureof their attitudes. When I give you the results you willsee that my personal stories are not just anecdotalbut actually are a measure of the way the communi-ty felt. But before I give you those results, let megive you a bit about the Arab American community,its demographics, which I think are important. It is anemerging community; it is of recent vintage. ArabAmericans have been here for a hundred years buthave only recently, within the last three decades,begun to organize on a national level. It is a verydiverse community. Our members have roots inmore than twenty countries. We are diverse not onlybased on country of origin, the first waves wereLebanese and Syrian but have been followed in thelast fifty years by large groups of Palestinians,Egyptians, Iraqis, Lebanese, and now Gulf Arabs,North Africans and Jordanians, etc. The fact is thatyou can't go to a restaurant here in town without find-ing among the wait staff or valets very recent immi-grants. The service trades are stepping-stones formany immigrants. We're continually being refreshedand revitalized by new immigrants who work theirway very quickly into the economic mainstream ofthe country and have become involved in the activi-ties of the community.

There is also diversity in political outlook. Wehave Democrats and Republicans, we have SocialConservatives and we have Social Liberals. Wehave the very assimilated and the not so assimilated.

There are differences based on generation. Eightypercent of Arab Americans are born here but evenwithin the generation born here there are still differ-ences, particularly between the children of veryrecent immigrants and the children of those whoarrived from the 1920's. There's a difference basedon religion. There are Arab Americans who areChristians and Arab Americans who are Muslim anddifferent Christian denominations and Muslim vari-eties.

In polling, we say that if the answer to a questionis in the range of 70%, we consider that a consen-sus, because if the numbers are that high then all thesubgroups will also be in a majority. So what we seein the polling is that that a clear consensus exists onmany issues. There are some issues on which con-sensus doesn't exist. For example, on the questionof Iraq, there is no consensus among ArabAmericans on what our policy should be. There's asplit. On the question of Palestinian statehood, thereis no split; the numbers are well over 90% support-ing a state. It may be surprising to some but supportfor recognition of the right of Israel to exist is alsoover 90%. There is a consensus, in other words, onmany key policy issues that shows the emergence ofthis community. Despite differences internally withinthe generations or the countries of origin or religionor political outlook, there are many things on whichwe agree. Just one day after the war was launched,we asked Arab Americans the question, "do you sup-port an all out war against countries that harbor theterrorists who attacked America," and 69% agreed.

Now, to understand that number, on the sameday, the national poll asking the very same questionof the country as a whole showed 67% agreed. Sothe fact is that Arab Americans were slightly moresupportive than the country as a whole. When askedthe question did we support the President's handlingof the war on terror, we got 88% support, 11%opposed -- again, identical to the country as a whole.When we asked if Arab American's were reassuredby the President's support for Arab Americans andMuslim Americans, 90% said yes.

When we asked the question, had they experi-enced personally discrimination since the 11 ofSeptember (this was again done on the 10th ofOctober just one month later), 20% said they had,45% said they knew someone who'd experienceddiscrimination based on ethnicity since September11. Of the 20% who experienced discrimination, 49%were between 18 and 29 and 37% of the ArabAmericans were of Muslim faith. When we asked ifthey were proud of their Arab heritage, 88% said thatthey were. That number is identical to the numberthat existed before September 11.

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The Arab American Institute represents the politicaland civic aspirations of our community by promotingits full involvement in the electoral life of our countryat all levels. AAI is also a key voice in the communi-ty for promoting domestic and international policiesthat we believe best serve America's interests athome and in our relationships abroad, particularlywith the Arab world.

We are pleased to have the opportunity to pres-ent our perspectives on how the tragic events ofSeptember 11th have impacted the Arab Americancommunity. You will hear many cases from our col-leagues that illustrate the kinds of challenges that wehave encountered. Overall, we must state that theimpact on the community has fallen most heavilyupon those with the least experience and awarenessneeded to defend themselves.

One of the most interesting phenomena that Ihave experienced since the events of September11th is the largely ignorant level of knowledge aboutArab Americans in this country.

So I'd like to just briefly point out two things. One isthat I've brought some materials that we've placedoutside that talk about who the Arab American com-munity is, our experience in this country since theimmigration started in the 1880s in large numbers,and who we are today in terms of some of the per-sonalities that many of you will recognize.

Some of the factors about the community that areinteresting is that when you look at the stereotype ofwho Arab Americans are, the first two things youhear from people are that we're Muslims, we're immi-grants, and we're largely from Palestine or Egypt.The reality is over 65 percent of us are Christians.We're mostly from Lebanon and Syria. And most ofus are second and third generation Americanswhose parents and grandparents and great-grand-parents came to this country.

So it's extraordinary that people say to us, "Well,then, why do you bother? Why are you botheringwith these immigrants? Why are you bothering withMuslims?" in terms of their issues, in terms of theworkplace. Because they're part of who we are.They're part of the culture that we come from, andthey're part of the legacy that we bring to this coun-try and contribute to the diversity of this country.

Second and third generation Arab Americanshave not noticed significant changes in their workenvironments. The taunts, jeers, inappropriate politi-cal and racial slurs, that some encountered have

largely disappeared, although we note that there isan upsurge in complaints immediately following eachof the warnings issued by the Federal Governmentover the past five weeks.

Yet by and large, those who were born in thiscountry have encountered fewer obstacles thanthose who are immigrants, some of whom have beenin this country for more than 30 years.

The situation is also more difficult for ArabAmericans who are immigrants or are Muslims andpublicly affirm their faith through adherence to guide-lines regarding dress, daily prayers, fasting, and sim-ilar responsibilities that impact the work environment.Just as the Commission has been instrumental inprotecting the rights of Americans of the Jewish reli-gion to dress, dietary restrictions, and observancesof holy days, it is now time to act aggressively toobtain these same protections for Muslims.

It is ironic that Muslims are being singled out bytheir co-workers for practicing their religion faithfully,reminding me how it was when I first worked in anoffice and was kidded for having ashes on my fore-head on Ash Wednesday.

If we could remember our own encounters withwork discrimination, perhaps it might make us pausebefore we reach out to strike verbally at a fellowemployee because we feel a need to personally rem-edy the horrors of September 11th.

The larger question, however, is dealing with thediscrimination, bias, bigotry, and disrespect that havebecome more visible since September 11th. I saymore visible because we must be honest and admitthat there is the latent anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sen-timent in the United States that is reflected in thelabels that co-workers use when they taunt ArabAmericans and American Muslims.Ranging from the innocuous "sandscratcher" and"raghead" to "terrorist," "freak," and "Christian-hater,"this brand of anti-semitism is no more acceptablethan its older sibling. We are Americans. And when itis acceptable for these jeers to dominate the work-place environment, then we are marginalized asmembers of this society.

Cases you will hear about today, whether thesource is Arab American, American Muslim, SikhAmerican, or anyone else, are all concerned witheliminating the sense of intimidation and fear that isroutinely felt whenever events in the Middle East orelsewhere raise the ire of the American public.

Although government leaders, specifically the

C. Commissioners Meeting Open Session, "Employment Discrimination in theAftermath of September 11”Remarks by AAI Managing Director Jean AbiNader, December 11, 2001. U.S. EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission

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President and Secretary and the Attorney General,have cautioned against backlash. Conditions in theworkplace where people are in daily contact with oneanother require a more forceful and long-term solu-tion.

Respect for diversity must move beyond platitudesand formulas to a spirit of tolerance and understand-ing that recognizes that we are all from somewhereelse, and that is the source of America's vitality.

Arab Americans are ready to be part of the solu-tion. Through educational materials available on ourwebsites, participation in panels and seminars, multi-ethnic and interfaith programs, volunteerism, meet-ings, and discussion groups, we have reached out inthe workplace after workplace to raise the level ofdiscourse beyond stereotypes and rancor.

The shop floor, trading floor, restaurant, Wal-mart,manufacturing plant, and service industries areaware the struggle is taking place, and we needallies in management, labor, on state commissions,and the federal level to ensure that we will, as a soci-ety, rise beyond the prejudice of the moment to

achieve a better understanding of ourselves and thatwhich makes the United States so singular.We encourage the Commission to reaffirm its long-standing policies against discrimination and bias,particularly toward Arab Americans, AmericanMuslims, and others affected in the aftermath ofSeptember 11th.

By strengthening your database for collecting andcollating complaints nationally, the Commission canhelp identify trends locally that should be dealt withforcefully. More extensive coordination with state andlocal commissions can help create outreach opportu-nities for training and information disseminationwhile gathering incidents of best practices that canbe offered throughout the country.

While there is no short-term remedy to workplacediscrimination toward Arab Americans and AmericanMuslims, this hearing is an important indicator thatChair Dominguez is committed to ensuring that theCommission continues its vital role in defense ofequal employment.

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I. Select AAI Press Releases

available at www.aaiusa.org/pr/press_releases.htm

Arab American Statement on Terror Attacks.September 11, 2001

Joint Arab-American, Muslim American Statement.September 12, 2001

Justice Department Joins with Arab Americans toCombat Hate Crimes. September 13, 2001

Arab Americans Support President Bush'sApproach. September 25, 2001

Arab American and American Muslim Leaders Meetwith President Bush. September 26, 2001

Media Campaign Encourages Tolerance inResponse to American Tragedy: "Hate is OurEnemy." October 1, 2001

AAI Issues Statement in Support of Administration'sFocused Anti-Terrorism Campaign. October 8, 2001

James Zogby Testifies Before the U.S. Commissionon Civil Rights. October 12, 2001

Support Grows for Civil Rights: AAI Addresses StateDept., EEOC, Rainbow-Push and State Legislators.December 11, 2001

AmeriDream Fights Hate with Arab AmericanRebuilding Effort. February 21, 2002

Sikh and Arab American Communities Fight Biasand Celebrate American Diversity. May 21, 2002

D. Arab American Institute Materials:

III. AAI Educational Packet

In light of the high demand for information afterSept. 11, AAI put together a resource packet onArab Americans, Islam, and the Middle East. Thepacket is available in electronic format atwww.aaiusa.org/educational_packet.htm, wherethere is also an order form to request print copies.

Contents:

American Leaders Speak Out Against Backlash inWake of September 11 Tragedy (Excerpts of speeches by President Bush, mem-bers of Congress, and national organizations) (4pg)

Arab Americans: Making a Difference by Casey Kasem (12 pg brochure)

Quick Facts About Arab Americans and ArabAmerican Population Highlights (2pp)

Demographic Chart on Country of Origin andReligious Affiliation (1p)

Who Are Arab Americans? (from GroliersMultimedia Encyclopedia)(4pp)

Arab Americans: A Century of Political and CulturalAchievement (4pp)

Notes on Anti-Arab Racism (2pp)

Select Bibliography on Arab Americans (2pp)

Select Websites on Arab Americans, the MiddleEast and Islam (1p)

"Are Arab Americans: People Like Us?" ForeignService Journal (May 2000) by James J. Zogby"Arab Americans Attitudes and the September 11Attacks," by James J. Zogby

"Arab Stereotypes and American Educators," by

Marvin Wingfield and Bushra Karaman, from Social Studies for the Young Learner (Mar/Apr 1995),courtesy of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (4pp)

“Teaching About Islam and Muslims in the PublicSchool Classroom” by the Council on Islamic Education (1995) (10pp)

“Discover Islam” color brochure

AMIDEAST 2001 Educational Resources informationcard

AWAIR 2002 Catalog, from Arab World and IslamicResources and School Services

“Who are the Arabs?” Center for Contemporary ArabStudies Teaching Module No. 5, 1999 (12 pg booklet)

"Arab Contributions to Civilization" from The ArabWorld Studies Notebook, reprinted by permission of Audrey Shabbas, ed.

Cobblestone children's magazine, May 2002, "ArabAmericans"

“Profiling and Pride: Arab American Attitudesand Behavior Since September 11.”

A report based on a May 2002 poll commissionedby the Arab American Institute Foundation. The sur-vey found that Arab Americans are concernedabout ethnic profiling and the long-term effects ofdiscrimination, but that the aftermath of Sept. 11 didnot affect their sense of ethnic pride.

II. AAI Publications and Reportsavailable on the AAI website at www.aaiusa.org/publications.htm

“Arab American Attitudes and the September 11Attacks,” by Dr. James J. Zogby, President,Arab American Institute; October 15, 2001

A survey conducted one month following the ter-rorist attacks, examining how Arab Americans per-ceive Pres. Bush’s actions following the Sept. 11attacks, their attitudes toward law enforcement poli-cies following the attacks, and their concerns aboutpersonal discrimination and backlash.

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“Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination:Questions And Answers”http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html

From The United States Department of Justice,Civil Rights Division:-How to File a Complaint -Statements of Federal Agencies-Your Rights and What You Can Do to Prevent orRespond to Discrimination-Other Post-9/11 Information, http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/nordwg.html

Advice to Travelers of Middle Eastern Descent,From the United States Department ofTransportation. November 19, 2001

The Immigration and Naturalization Service'sDetention Operations Manual, which contains

information about the rights of INS detainees:http://www.ins.gov/graphics/lawsregs/guidance.htm.The Pro Bono (For Free) Program in theExecutive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR)works to link volunteer legal representatives withINS detainees who lack legal representation:http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/probono/probono.htm.

Brochure on federal protections against nation-al origin discrimination: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/legalinfo/natlorg-eng.htm

Information about the U.S. Department ofTreasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control,which administers and enforces terrorism sanc-tions: http://www.treas.gov/ofac.

Arab Americans100 Questions and Answers About Arab Americans:Journalist's guide from the Detroit Free Press.Contains background on Arab American culture, lan-guage, and religion. http://www.freep.com/jobspage/arabs.htm

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: Civilrights organization committed to defending therights of people of Arab descent and promoting theirrich cultural heritage.http://www.adc.org/

Arab American Business Journal: A magazine forArab American businesses.http://www.arabamericanbusiness.com/

Arab Community Center for Economic and SocialServices (ACCESS): Includes cultural arts, employ-ment and training, public health, and education.http://www.accesscommunity.org

Cafe Arabica: A place for Arab Americans to discussissues of common interest and find out aboutresources and services available to them.http://www.cafearabica.com

The Middle EastPlanet Arabia - Arab directory of news, entertain-ment and women of Arabia, in the Middle East andArabic world.http://www.planetarabia.com/

Arab Culture & Identity: Articles and links relating toArab culture and the Arab people. Covers history,language, art, music and literature.http://www.suite101.com

Arabji: Pan-Arab Internet guide covering 22 Arabcountries. Arabic portal, search engine and directo-ry, searchable in Arabic and English. http://www.arabji.com/

Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, GeorgetownUniversity - Devoted to the study of the modernArab world. http://www.ccasonline.org/

Middle East Policy Council: Non-profit organizationwhose purpose is to contribute to an understandingof current issues in U.S.-Middle East relations.http://www.mepc.org/

Middle East Institute - Founded in 1946, the MiddleEast Institute's principal objective is to increaseAmericans' knowledge and understanding of theregion. http://www.mideasti.org/

Links of Interestselections from a list which is available on the AAI website at http://www.aaiusa.org/links.htm

E. Other Resources

Links to the following US government agency resources are also available on the AAI website athttp://www.aaiusa.org/aftermath.htm, in the section titled “Information about Discrimination and Tolerance.”

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