This abuse of Arab-Americans and Muslim-American follows the ritualized sacrifice of the pharmakos, which involved the projection of a specific set of characteristics onto the scapegoated victim, who was then sacrificed in order to restore the health and unity of the community" (p. 165). As Taslitz (2002) emphasizes, such hate crimes and stereotypical portrayals of Arab-Americans represent a firmly entrenched set of beliefs held by many Americans that contribute to the government's ability to increase its power at the expense of the civil rights afforded the ordinary citizenry. "The most serious threats to our freedom often advance in small steps," Taslitz notes, and, "The risks we assume are, in large part, reflections of laws that encourage certain customs and values" (p. 125).
This step-by-step erosion of civil liberties can be best understood as a response to the demonizing of Arabs in America as far back as the late 1800s (Akram, 2002). In fact, the hypocritical aspects of a nation that countenanced slavery and the notion of separate but equal education for millions of Americans are not lost on many observers today. For example, Craig-Henderson and Brown-Sims (2004) emphasize, "As a nation, the U.S. has touted the fact of its diversity as an aspect of its strength and relative superiority in the global community. Although somewhat paradoxically, at the same time that the U.S. symbolically embraces the notion of diversity, there have always been Americans who vociferously denounce those they perceive to be different" (p. 511).
The terrorist attacks of September 11, though, have added an enormous amount of fuel to this already smoldering racist fire when it comes to Arab-Americans. For instance, Craig-Henderson and Brown-Sims emphasize that, "Since September 11th 2001 and the ensuing American attack on Iraq, Americans who appear to be either Arab or Muslim or in some way Middle Eastern are not only regarded as different, but they are sometimes singled out for misplaced retaliatory aggression. Many Americans currently view a person's association with a Muslim or Middle Eastern identity as in some way causally related to the events of September 11th" (p. 512). Despite efforts by many in the Arab community to counter these misplaced perceptions, emotions run high when it comes to national and personal security and the problem remains firmly in place. As Abu-Laban (2007) emphasizes, "Even in 2007 the representations of Arabs and the Middle East the American media remain stereotyped and often racist" (p. 47). While the mainstream media in the United States continues to provide plenty of ammunition for those who would make these racist assumptions, the fact remains that American civil liberties are in jeopardy and Arab-Americans have been used to justify these increased oversight powers by the government (Sachs, 2002).
Conclusion
References
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.
Craig-Henderson, K. & Brown-Sims, M. (2004). An investigation of African-American college students' beliefs about anti-Middle Eastern hate crime and victims in the wake of September 11th. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 28(4), 511-512.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (2002). Hate crime statistics. United States Department of Justice. Washington, DC in Craig-Henderson & Brown-Sims at p. 512.
Fox, H. (2001). When race breaks out: Conversations about race and racism in college classrooms. New York: Peter Lang.
Gokay, B. & Walker, R.B. (2003). 11 September 2001: war, terror, and judgment. London: Frank Cass.
Jacobs, J.B. & Henry, J.S. (1996). The social construction of a hate crime epidemic. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 86(2), 366-391.
Michael, G. (2003). Confronting right wing extremism and terrorism in the U.S.A. New York: Routledge.
Sachs, L. (2002). September 11, 2001: The Constitution during crisis; a new perspective. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 29(4), 1715-1716.
Shaheen, J.G. (1984). The TV Arab. Bowling Green,…
Bonilla-Silva focuses on black-white relationships, but such styles are also seen in the actions of groups like Asians Against Affirmative Action. Many members of this group profess sympathy for minorities like African-Americans and Hispanics, but their lawsuits against school admissions committees that look at race as a decision factor belie their claims of color-blindedness. The naturalized style is evident in arguments of groups that look at supposed natural abilities and
(Davis, 2001) That number is sure to have risen dramatically since Davis did her research. The debates surrounding both the efficacy and the morality of racial profiling have created a lot of disagreement from many communities of color. Kabzuag Vaj is an organizer with the Asian Freedom Project in Madison, Wisconsin. The Asian Freedom Project has garnered hundreds of accounts of racial profiling of Southeast Asian youth over the past
He also observes the poignant problem of racism that arises here, which is also his reason for calling the new cult "white" Buddhism: in spite of the fact that the White Buddhists may adopt all the traditional Asian customs- from their name to the food they eat or to the rituals as such, they will still be part of the "mainstream of the white culture." (Allitt 1999, 459). That
Racism in America: Where do we stand? From the time of the New World's discovery in the year 1492, racism has remained at the forefront of U.S. history. Even in the present day, it is reported that in America, one Black man dies from police confrontations every 28 hours. A majority of these incidents even fail to show up in local newspapers and news channels. It is only occasionally that these
Racism and Various Forms How does an understanding of racism in its various forms inform the counseling professional practice? Racism is regarded as the negative feelings exercised by one ethnic group towards other individuals belonging form a different group. The brutality and attitude towards the group is observed in the behaviors and attitudes of individuals and members of certain group causing major issues in terms of their religious, social, color, or descent.
In additon, there is the sustenance of a certain sense of uniformity in accordance with the economic accomplishments of the American society. Besides, given the continued electoral progress of the far-right parties that formally eschew anti-Semitism, and the lack of progress made by the radical, neo-Nazi or extremist groups that are often openly anti-Semitic, maintaining the distinction between these two types of groups (although the boundaries are occasionally blurred)
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now