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Arabs recent victims of racial profiling in land of equal
opportunity
Home News Tribune Online 02/23/06
The latest battle in the war on terror:
New Jersey plans to file actions in federal and state courts seeking to
stop an Arab company from taking over operations at Port Newark.
Makes sense. We know what Arabs do? They blow up school buses, fly
planes into buildings and kill people over a cartoon. Except for those
who don't.
"America has a long history of doing this, judging people as one,"
said Sami Shaban of Laurence Harbor, a student at Seton Hall University
Law School. "They did it with the Irish. The Jews. The Japanese with the
internment camps. Every people has to go through this."
Now it's the Arabs' turn to be victims of racial profiling.
Few Americans could find the United Arab Emirates on a map. Michael
Jackson did. He lives there. David Beckham bought a home there, and if
you don't know David Beckham you don't know the most famous athlete on
the planet.
Sami Shaban's mother knows how to find the UAE. She visited relatives
there in December and came home with pictures taken in its malls.
"The malls were loaded with Christmas decorations. Starbucks. Nike.
All our stores are there," said Shaban.
Travel writer Maura Madigan, a resident of Dubai, writes: "Since the
population is so varied, English is the common language. All signs and
menus are in English. Even Arabs speak English at restaurants and in
shops. Some Americans who've lived in other countries say they feel like
they're living in the U.S. This might be a drawback, however, if you're
looking for a true "foreign' experience."
Until last week if you asked me what Peninsular & Oriental Steam
Navigation is my first guess would be something from an Agatha Christie
novel. They are the company that sold port terminals to Dubai Ports
World. The Peninsular people are based in Great Britian.
Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, was British. So, too, were the
terrorists who blew themselves up in the London Underground. Since when
is everything British good and anything Arab bad?
"I find some of the rhetoric being used against this deal shameful
and irresponsible. There is bigotry coming out here," said James Zogby,
president of the Arab American Institute. "Bush is vulnerable so the
Democrats jump on it. The Republicans feel vulnerable so they jump on
it. The slogan is, "If it's Arab, it's bad. Hammer away,' " said Zogby.
Hammering Arabs sells well in Trenton, Washington and elsewhere and
crosses party lines. The last time Republicans and Democrats had such a
Kumbaya moment in Washington was when they sang "God Bless America" on
the steps of Capitol Hill on 9/11, when the United States was attacked
by, that's right, Arabs, one of whom, Marwan al-Shehi, lived in United
Arab Emirates, before he lived in Florida. If we hold that against the
UAR should we blame Buffalo for Timothy McVeigh?
The shipping world is international. Twenty-four of the 25 largest
ports in the United States have terminals operated by foreign countries
or foreign companies. Ten percent of international cargo flies under
Liberian flags. Do a Google search on Liberia. Are you OK with that?
The United Arab Emirates is becoming a major player on the high seas.
They are to the Middle East what Hong Kong is to the Pacific. It is in
their self-interest to assure the high seas, and the world's ports, are
safe.
The United Arab Emirates also is our best friend in a rough
neighborhood. Our military uses their air space and their seaports, and
they are not shy about turning over bad-guy terrorists to friendly
allies.
"They are one of our important allies," said Hesham Mahmoud of East
Rutherford who is active in an Arab-American group. "What type of
message are we sending to our enemies if this is what we're doing to our
friends?"
By disrespecting them as we are, we run the risk of creating new
enemies. But then again, they're Arabs. Who cares?
Rick Malwitz's column appears Sundays and Thursdays. His blog appears
weekdays at www.thnt.com.
Rmalwitz@thnt.com, (732)
565-7291.
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