The Need to Avoid Arab Stereotyping

Let’s us hope that the war against Iraq doesn’t produce a poisonous spate of hateful aspersions on Arab-Americans whose ancestry is their only connection with the Mideast.

Past U.S. hostilities with other nations have too frequently unleashed ugly sentiments and actions against ethnic Americans, most notably the World War II internment of Japanese Americans. Only ignorant people will use this war as an excuse for hateful acts against Arab-Americans, be they Saudi, Iraqi, foreign or American-born. And even though many Arab countries support Operation Desert Storm, hate crimes against Arab-Americans are on the rise.

Increased sensitivity is in order to counteract negative stereotyping. There are more than 2.5 million Arab-Americans, with roots in some 20 Arab states. Most of them live in California and Michigan and worship as either Christians or Muslims. The immigration, which dates back to the turn of the century, has spawned high-profile, successful Arab-Americans, including White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu, consumer activist Ralph Nader and actor F. Murray Abraham.

In the current crisis, the FBI has been interviewing Arab- American business and community leaders to gather information on possible hate crimes and terrorism. But some questioning appears to have gone astray. National security may warrant continued interviews but the FBI should be careful not to stigmatized Arab-Americans with broad-brush, insensitive questions. The FBI’s job is to protect all Americans.