Anti-Arabism

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Anti-Arabism is a racist ideology involving prejudice or hostility against Arabs. According to The Guardian, "anti-Arabism" is considered to be the same as anti-Arab racism and the terms are used interchangeably in the media.^[1] Anti-Arabism is commonly associated with "Islamophobia".

Contents 1 Historical anti-Arabism 2 Anti-Arabism in Australia 3 Anti-Arabism in Iran 4 Anti-Arabism in Israel 5 Anti-Arabism in the U.S. 6 In Western media 7 Anti-Arabism in polls 7.1 France 7.2 Israel 8 Groups that fight against discrimination 9 Organizations 10 See also 11 Sources 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Historical anti-Arabism

Middle-eastern expert Edward Said has written that prejudices against Arabs and other Asians in the academia and intelligentsia of Europe rose out of ideas of Orientalism in European society, a philosophy that Said criticizes heavily in his works.

An example of historical anti-Arabism was the writings of Lord Macaulay, who introduced English education into India. He claimed: "I have never found one among them who could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia."^[2] He claimed that Arabic and Sanskrit works on medicine contain "medical doctrines which would disgrace an English Farrier - Astronomy, which would move laughter in girls at an English boarding school - History, abounding with kings thirty feet high, and reigns thirty thousand years long - and Geography made up of seas of treacle and seas of butter".^[3]

[edit] Anti-Arabism in Australia

The Cronulla riots in Sydney, Australia in December 2005 have been described as "anti-Arab racism" by community leaders.^[4]. NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the violence revealed the "ugly face of racism in this country".^[5]

A 2004 report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission said that more than two-thirds of Muslim and Arab Australians say they have experienced racism or racial vilification since the September 11 terrorist attacks and that 90% of female respondents experienced racial abuse or violence.^[6]

[edit] Anti-Arabism in Iran

The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran provides for the teaching of non-Persian languages and non-Persian media and equal rights, without privileging any race, colour or linguistic group (see: Current policy towards ethnic minorities in Iran). Arabs are therefore granted legal equality with other Iranian ethnic groups. However, human rights group Amnesty International claims that in practice, Arabs are among a number of ethnic minorities that are disadvantaged and suffer discrimination by the authorities.^[7] Many, however, contend that this is a result of the Arabs of Khuzestan trying to separate from greater Iran. How far the situation facing Arabs in Iran is related to racism or simply a result of policies suffered by all Iranians is a matter of debate (see: Politics of Khuzestan). + Iran is a multi-ethnic society with its Arab minority mainly located in the south (see: [[Arabs of

It is claimed by some, that Anti-Arabism in Iran may be related to the notion that Arabs forced Persians to accept Islam in 7th century AD (See: Islamic conquest of Persia). Author Richard Foltz in his article "Internationalization of Islam" states "Even today, many Iranians perceive the Arab destruction of the Sassanid empire as the single greatest tragedy in Iran’s long history.^[8] (See also: Anti-Persian sentiments) Following the Islamic Conquest of Persia, many Iranians (also known as "mawali") came to despise the Umayyids due to discrimination against them by their Arab rulers. The Shu'ubiyah movement intended to reassert Iranian identity and resisting attempts to impose Arab culture while reaffirming their commitment to Islam.

More recently, Anti-Arabism has arisen as a consequence of aggression against Iran by the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. During a visit to Khuzestan, which has most of Iran's Arab population, one British journalist, John R Bradley wrote that despite the fact that the majority of Arabs supported Iran in the war, "ethnic Arabs complain that, as a result of their divided loyalties during the Iran-Iraq war, they are viewed more than ever by the clerical regime in Tehran as a potential fifth column, and suffer from a policy of discrimination."^[9] However, the role Iran's Arab population played in defending Iran during the Iran-Iraq War and the fact that most refused to heed Saddam Hussein's call for an uprising and instead fought against Iraq is known to many.^[10] Furthermore, Iran's former defence minister Ali Shamkhani, an Ahwazi Arab, was chief commander of the ground force during the Iran-Iraq War as well as serving as first deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In a report published in February 2006, Amnesty International claimed that the "Arab population of Iran is one of the most economically and socially deprived in Iran" and that Arabs have "reportedly been denied state employment under the gozinesh criteria". Furthermore, it states

land expropriation by the Iranian authorities is reportedly so widespread that it appears to amount to a policy aimed at dispossessing Arabs of their traditional lands. This is apparently part of a strategy aimed at the forcible relocation of Arabs to other areas while facilitating the transfer of non-Arabs into Khuzestan and is linked to economic policies such as zero interest loans which are not available to local Arabs.^[11]

However, critics of these reports have pointed out that such reports are often based on sketchy sources and are not always to be trusted at face value (see: Criticism of human rights reports on Khuzestan). Furthermore, critics contend that Arabs do have social mobility in Iran, with a number of famous Iranians from the worlds of arts, sport, literature and politics having Arab origins (see: Famous Iranian Arabs) illustrating Arab-Iranian participation in Iranian economics, society, and politics. Khuzestan province where most of Iran's Arabs live is actually one of the most economically advanced provinces of Iran, more advanced than many of the Persian-populated provinces.

Some critics of the Iranian government contend that it is carrying out a policy of anti-Arab ethnic cleansing.^[12][13] While there has been large amounts of investment in industrial projects such as the Razi Petrochemical Complex,^[14] local universities,^[15][16][17] and other national projects such as hydroelectric dams (such as the Karkeh Dam, which cost $700 million to construct) and nuclear power plants,^[18] many critics of Iran's economic development policies have pointed to the poverty suffered by Arabs in Khuzestan as proof of an anti-Arab policy agenda. Following his visit to Khuzestan in July 2005, UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing Miloon Kothari spoke of how up to 250,000 Arabs had been displaced by such industrial projects and noted the favourable treatment given to settlers from Yazd compared to the treatment of local Arabs.^[19]

However, it is also true that non-Arab provinces such as Kohkiluyeh and Buyer Ahmad Province, Sistan and Baluchistan Province, and neighboring Ilam Province also suffer high levels of poverty, indicating that government policy is not disadvantaging Arabs alone but other regions, including some with large ethnically Persian populations. Furthermore, most commentators agree that Iran's state controlled highly subsidized economy^[20][21] is the main reason behind the inability of the Iranian government to generate economic growth and welfare at ground levels in all cities across the nation, rather than a state ethnic policy targeted specifically at Arabs; Iran is ranked 156th on the Heritage Foundation's 2006 Index of Economic Freedom.

[edit] Anti-Arabism in Israel

During the latter part of the October 2000 events, thousands of Jewish Israelis rioted in Nazareth and Tel Aviv, throwing stones at Arabs, destroying Arab property and chanting "Death to Arabs".^[22] Haaretz editorialized that that year's "Yom Kippur will be infamous for the violent, racist outburst by Jews against Arabs within Israel".^[23]

The Israeli political party Israel Beytenu, whose platform includes the redrawing of Israel's borders so that about 500,000 Israeli Arabs would be outside them, and under the jurisdiction of a future Palestinian State, won 11 seats in the 2006 Israeli elections. This policy, also known as the Lieberman Plan, has been described as "anti-Arab" by The Guardian.^[24] Labour Party chairman Amir Peretz, referring to Yisrael Beitenu, has said "Anyone who opposes racism must not let the extreme right-wing bloc run Israel"^[25] Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of Israel Beitenu, was later given the position of Minister of Strategic Threats by Ehud Olmert. Guardian columnist Jonathan Steele has described Lieberman's politics as "anti-Arab racism", quoting Arab MK Ahmed Tibi describing Lieberman as "a very dangerous and sophisticated politician who has won his support through race hatred".^[26]

Some Israeli politicians and leaders have used negative language when discussing Arabs and Palestinians. In 2004, Yehiel Hazan, an Israeli member of parliament, declared at the Knesset that "The Arabs are worms. You find them everywhere like worms, underground as well as above." and went on to describe them as "murderers" and "terrorists".^[27].^[28] Raphael Eitan, former Israel Army Chief, said on 12 April 1983 that Palestinians who endanger cars on the road should be treated aggressively and their freedom of movement should be narrowed until they will be like "drugged cockroaches in a bottle". In 2004, then Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim asked "What is it about Islam as a whole and the Palestinians in particular? Is it some form of cultural deprivation? Is it some genetic defect? There is something that defies explanation in this continued murderousness."^[29].

Moshe Feiglin, a Likud activist who lives in a West Bank settlement, stated to the New Yorker: “You can’t teach a monkey to speak and you can’t teach an Arab to be democratic. You’re dealing with a culture of thieves and robbers. Muhammad, their prophet, was a robber and a killer and a liar. The Arab destroys everything he touches.”.^[30]

In Hebron the slogans "Arabs to the crematoria" and "Arabs - sub-humans" were once spray-painted on a wall, and anti-Arab graffiti has been spraypainted in Jerusalem.^[31] Leftists have noted that this graffiti remains for long periods of time, and have therefore painted swastikas beside the graffiti in order to hasten the city to take action.^[32]

A comic strip for children was carried in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish weekly, Sh'a Tova, that negatively depicted Arabs, and made the statement, "Yes, a good Arab is a dead Arab."^[33]

In the article "The Arab Image in Hebrew School Textbooks" by professor Dan Bar-Tal of the Tel Aviv University makes a study of 124 textbooks used in Israeli schools and reports that "over the years, generations of Israeli Jews were taught a negative and often delegitimizing view of Arabs." The two main traits of Arabs in the textbooks are "primitiveness, inferiority in comparison to Jews" and "their violence, to characteristics like brutality, untrustworthiness, cruelty, fanaticism, treacherousness and aggressiveness.". In the 1980s and 1990s "Geography books for the elementary and junior high schools stereotype Arabs negatively, as primitive, dirty, agitated, aggressive, and hostile to Jews … history books in the elementary schools hardly mention Arabs … history textbooks of the high schools, the majority of which cover the Arab-Jewish conflict, stereotype the Arabs negatively. Arabs are presented as intransigent and uncompromising."^[34]

Bedouin claim they face discrimination and have submitted a counter-report to the United Nations that disputes the Israeli Govrnment's own official state report. They claim they are not treated as equal citizens in Israel and that Bedouin towns are not provided the same level of services or land that Jewish towns of the same size are and they are not given fair access to water. The city of Be'er Sheva refused to recognize a a Bedouin holy site, despite the high court recommendation.^[35]

Israeli Arabs complain of racism and discrimination and community leaders have said they will draw up a blacklist of grievances. The decision to draw up this list was taken after the terrorist attack of Eden Natan Zada. "This was a planned terror attack and we find it extremely difficult to treat it as an individual action," Abed Inbitawi, an Israeli-Arab spokesman, told The Jerusalem Post. "It marks a certain trend that reflects a growing tendency of fascism and racism in Israeli society generally as well as the establishment towards the minority Arab community," he said.^[36]

Often Israeli-Arab soccer players face racist chants from the crowd when they play such as "No Arabs, No Terrorism".^[37]

Abbas Zakur, an Arab Member of the Knesset, was stabbed by a gang speaking Russian-accented Hebrew who shouted anti-Arab chants. The attack was part of a "stabbing rampage" and was described as a "hate crime".^[38]

Opponents to the claims of Anti-Arabism explain that it's the Arab leaders who try to segregate from Israel's society, symbols and basic loyalty. Arab leaders who travel to Syria and express support of Hamas and Hizballah and some Arab citizens who have also expressed support for anti-Israel and anti-Jewish behaviour helped encourage that. As summarised:^[39]

The leaders of the descendants of the 1948 refugees who are scattered in the Arab states and elsewhere, and of the Arabs who remained and became Israeli citizens, are trying to repeat in a different way the failed attempt of the 1948 generation, with terror from outside and by nurturing a separatist Palestinian narrative from within. The result will be a deepening of the rift and a heightening of the hostility between Jews and Arabs in Israel. The leadership and the liberal Jewish public accept Israeli Arabs as citizens with equal rights, with the exception of certain areas that touch on Israel's essence as a Jewish state (such as the Law of Return and the Law of Citizenship). All would agree that, over the years, the Arab minority has suffered discrimination in certain areas and that this must be remedied. But the leaders of the Arabs in Israel are trying to show that their loyalty is not given to the State of Israel in its present incarnation, but only to a binational Jewish-Arab state on the territory of Israel, or to a Palestinian state on all the territory of the Land of Israel.

See also: Israeli Arab Discrimination

[edit] Anti-Arabism in the U.S.

According to a 2001 poll of Arab Americans conducted by the Arab American Institute, "32% of Arab Americans reported having been subjected to some form of ethnic-based discrimination during their lifetimes, 20% reported having experienced an instance of ethnic-based discrimination since September 11. Of special concern, for example, is the fact that 45% of students and 37% of Arab Americans of the Muslim faith report being targeted by discrimination since September 11.^[40]

According to the FBI and Arab groups, the number of attacks against Arabs, Muslims, and others mistaken as such rose considerably after the 9/11 attacks.^[41] Among the victims of the backlash was a Middle Eastern man in Houston, Texas who was shot and wounded after an assailant accused him of blowing up the country^[40] and four immigrants shot and killed by a man named Larme Price who confessed to killing them as revenge for the 9/11 attacks.^[42] Although Price described his victims as Arabs, only one was from an Arab country.

Arab Americans also experienced backlash as result of other terrorist attacks including the bombings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and even in events where Arabs were not involved like the Oklahoma City bombing, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the explosion of TWA Flight 800.^[40] According to a report prepared by the Arab American Institute "In just three days after the Oklahoma City bombing...more than 200 serious hate crimes were committed against Arab Americans and American Muslims. The same was true in the days following September 11."^[40]

Eric Boehlert has accused the US media, in particular Fox News, of "pandering to anti-Arab hysteria" by "fudging the facts and ignoring the most rudimentary tenets of journalism in their haste to better tell a sinister story about lurking Middle Eastern dangers".^[43] John F. Sugg has accused prominent media terrorism expert Steve Emerson of persistent anti-Arab prejudice and of rushing to accuse Arab-Americans after the Oklahoma City bombing.^[44]

Prominent conservative commentators in the United States have voiced hostility towards Arabs. Bill O'Reilly has described Iraqis as a "prehistoric group" and "primitive".^[45] Michael Savage described Arabs as "non-humans" and "racist, fascist bigots" and advocated a nuclear attack on a "major Arab capital".^[46]

Earl Krugel and Irv Rubin, two members of the Jewish Defense League, classified by the Department of Homeland Security as a terrorist organization,^[47] planned to bomb Arab-American Congressman Darrell Issa's office and the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California. The two were arrested as part of a sting operation when they received a shipment of explosives at Krugel's home in L.A. and both met their end in prison.^[48] The group was also suspected in the 1985 bombing of ADC leader Alex Odeh, though no arrests were made.^[49]

[edit] In Western media

Main article: Stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims

Hollywood has been accused of using a disproportionate number of Arabs as villains and of depicting Arabs negatively and stereotypically. According to Godfrey Cheshire, a critic on the New York Press, "the only vicious racial stereotype that's not only still permitted but actively endorsed by Hollywood" is that of Arabs as crazed terrorists.^[50].

The 2000 film Rules of Engagement drew criticism from Arab groups, described as "probably the most racist film ever made against Arabs by Hollywood" by the ADC.^[50] Paul Clinton of the Boston Globe wrote "at its worst, it's blatantly racist, using Arabs as cartoon-cutout bad guys".^[50]

Jack Shaheen, in his book Reel Bad Arabs,^[51] surveyed more than 900 film appearances of Arab characters. Of those, only a dozen were positive and 50 were balanced. Shaheen writes that "[Arab] stereotypes are deeply ingrained in American cinema. From 1896 until today, filmmakers have collectively indicted all Arabs as Public Enemy #1 -- brutal, heartless, uncivilized religious fanatics and money-mad cultural "others" bent on terrorizing civilized Westerners, especially [Christians] and [Jews]. Much has happened since 1896... Throughout it all, Hollywood's caricature of the [Arab] has prowled the silver screen. He is there to this day -- repulsive and unrepresentative as ever."^[52].

Some feel the obese oil sheik has become the new fat, grotesque Jewish banker or merchant as a negative stereotype in Western media^[53]

[edit] Anti-Arabism in polls

[edit] France

In March 1990, according to a poll reported in Le Monde:

• 76% of those polled said that there were too many Arabs in France (46% said there were too many blacks);
• 39% said they had an "aversion" to Arabs (21% to blacks).^[54]

[edit] Israel

A recent poll conducted by an Israeli research institute^[24] found widespread mistrust of the Arab population in Israel.

• 41% were in favour of segregation
• 40% believed "the state needs to support the emigration of Arab citizens"
• 63% believed Arabs to be a "security and demographic threat" to Israel
• More than two thirds would not want to live in the same building as an Arab
• 36% believed Arab culture to be inferior
• 18% felt hatred when they heard Arabic spoken

[edit] Groups that fight against discrimination

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is a group founded to counter anti-Arab discrimination.^[55]

The Anti-Defamation League, (ADL) dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry, gave this response shortly after the terrorist attacks on 9-11. "We are disturbed that a number of Arab Americans and Islamic institutions have been targets of anger and hatred in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks."^[56]

During July 2003 the Anti-Defamation League urged the Speaker of the United States' House of Representatives to approve a bill condemning bigotry and violence against Arab-Americans and American Muslims. (The bill was resolution 234.) The American Jewish Committee, and American Jewish Congress have issued similar responses.^[57]

[edit] Organizations

• American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

[edit] See also

• Eurabia
• Killing an Arab
• Anti-Persian sentiments

[edit] Sources

• J. G. Shaheen, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood vilifies a people, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 588 (July 2003), 171-193. Also see an interview with the author.
• Testimony of Dr. James J. Zogby to the US Commission on Civil Rights October 12, 2001. With an appendix of hate-based incidents, Sept. 11 to Oct. 10, 2001.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• An October 2001 report on civil liberties in the U.S. including an appendix of some anti-Arab hate-based incidents
• The American Gulag - A record of anti-Arab bigotry in America
• ADL statement against Anti-Arab prejudice
• ADL Urges House of Representatives to Consider Resolution Protecting Arabs, South Asians, Muslims and Sikhs
• Al Jazeera article: What do Israelis say about the Arabs