Civil Rights In Peril: The Targeting of Arabs and Muslims
That Arabs and Muslims would be fair game for harassment and persecution by successive U.S. Administrations should come as no surprise given the global projection of U.S. power, the role of Israel in U.S. domestic politics, and the weakness of most post-colonial Muslim societies. Civil Rights in Peril: Targeting Arabs and Muslims is an important contribution to understanding the domestic side effects of the need for a foreign bogeyman after the dissolution of that other "Evil Empire", the Soviet Union. Of course, this also fits in nicely with the agenda of the Israel Uber Alles elements. The essays in this volume help us to understand the matrix of the new American juggernaut and its impact on the lives of ordinary people. Thankfully, it joins a growing body of critical analysis that is connecting the proverbial dots about the new face of American hegemonism. -- Abdeen Jabara, Civil Rights Attorney, Past President, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Elaine Hagopian, one of the country's most respected analysts of Middle East affairs, has brought together a group of astute commentators, who give us a refreshingly critical view of the current demonization of Muslims and Arabs. What she and the others make clear is the deadly connection between this phenomenon and U.S. behavior in the Middle East. -- Howard Zinn Since September 11, US media and popular culture have treated Arabs and Muslims as fanatics, terrorists, and suspects; this volume treats them as human beings. All those who want documentation and substantiation of the erosion of civil liberties in this country, should read this book. The forgotten victims of September 11 are the Arabs and Muslims in the US, whose rights have been curtailed, and activities monitored, and charities closed down or suppressed. This volume tells their story. The volume is an excellent contribution to the ignored facets of US wars on terrorism; those wars are also fought in US cities and towns, mostly targeting Arabs and Muslims. This is a much needed study of the status of Arabs/Muslim in the US in the wake of September 11, and its subsequent suppression of civil rights and liberties, especially among Arabs and Muslims. -- As'ad AbuKhalil, Dept. of Politics, California State University