Arab-American Racism

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the racism directed at Arabs prior to September 11 and relates that the American media was characterized by stereotypical images and there were many incidences of hate crimes against Arab-Americans. The paper then shows how the terrorist attacks of September 11 compounded the problem of racism against Arab-Americans in particular. The paper decries the U.S. government's response of legislation that actually erodes the constitutional protections afforded by the Bill of Rights. The paper concludes that racism against Arab-Americans is not going away anytime soon.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many observers were heard to note that "nothing would ever be the same again," and in some ways they were right. For instance, according to Cole and Dempsey (2002), the terrorist attacks of September 11 have affected the entire world, but especially American society in ways that continue to erode civil liberties without providing the protections of national security that are actually required. Today, threats from Al-Qaeda continue to haunt the American consciousness and it seems that Osama bin Laden will never be captured despite promises from the country's leadership that he was "a dead man walking." The many heads of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization are manifesting themselves in more than 40 countries around the world like so many dragons, and it would seem that an increasing number of Americans are scared that so-called "sleeper cells" comprised of Arab Americans are already amongst them."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abu-Laban, B. (2007). Reflections on the rise and decline of an Arab-American organization. Arab Studies Quarterly, 29(3-4), 47.
• Akram, S. M. (2002). The aftermath of September 11, 2001: The targeting of Arabs and Muslims in America. Arab Studies Quarterly, 61.
• Babbitt, S. E. & Campbell, S. (1999). Racism and philosophy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Chermak, S., Bailey, F. Y., Brown, M. (2003). Media representations of September 11. Westport, CT: Praeger.
• Cole, D. & Dempsey, J. X. (2002). Terrorism and the Constitution: Sacrificing civil liberties in the name of national security. New York: Free Press.

More papers on Arab-American Racism:

• Argumentative Essay # 72293 : "Racial Profiling In American Airports"
• Essay # 51439 : "The Portrayal of Arabs in the American Media"
• Analytical Essay # 16838 : "Arab and Muslim Americans"

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