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Anti-Arabism is a term that refers to Prejudice or Hostility against people from Arab ic origin. 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 " although there are religious minorities among the Arabs predominantly Arab Christians , and the much smaller Druze community. HISTORICAL ANTI-ARABISM Anti-Arab prejudice has been present in Europe for centuries. In Spain, Arabs have been targeted since the 15th century after the fall of Granada , the last Arab state in Al-Andalus . Arab converts to Christianity, called Moriscos , were expelled by the decree of 1610 from Spain to North Africa after being persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition . The Spanish word "moro" was created to designate Arabs and carries a very negative meaning.2 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 and Arabia ."3 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".4 After the annexation of the Muslim-ruled state of Hyderabad by India in 1948, about 7,000 Arabs were interned and deported from India . British-Yemeni Society: Hadhrami migration in the 19th and 20th centuries The Zanzibar Revolution of January 12, 1964 put an end to the local Arab dynasty. As many as 17,000 Arabs were massacred by the descendants of black African Slaves , according to reports, and thousands of others were detained and their property either confiscated or destroyed. Country Histories - Empire's Children 5 MODERN ANTI-ARABISM Australia in Sydney, Australia in December 2005.]] The Cronulla Riots in Sydney , Australia in December 2005 have been described as "anti-Arab racism" by community leaders.6 NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the violence revealed the "ugly face of racism in this country".7 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.8 France In May 2005, there have been explosive riots between North Africans and Romas in Perpignan , France, after a young Arab man was shot dead and another Arab man was lynched by a group of Roma .910 Iran The constitution of the Islamic Republic of at Austin, 2004 It is claimed by some, that Anti-Arabism in Iran may be related to the notion that Arabs forced '') 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 and the fact that most refused to heed Saddam Hussein's call for an uprising and instead fought against Iraq is known to many.13 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. 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: ) 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 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.http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=48518 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 economy1718 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. 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".19 '' Haaretz '' editorialized that that year's "Yom Kippur will be infamous for the violent, racist outburst by Jews against Arabs within Israel".20 The Israeli political party , 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".22 Some Israeli politicians and leaders have used negative language when discussing Arabs and Palestinians. In 2004, , 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."24 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.”.25 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 . 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. {Link without Title} 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." U.S. Department of State Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2005 - Israel and the Occupied Territories - November 2005 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."2627 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 Bedouin holy site, despite the high court recommendation.28 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.29 Often Israeli-Arab soccer players face racist chants from the crowd when they play such as "No Arabs, No Terrorism".30 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".31 ''See also: Israeli Arab Discrimination '' Ivory Coast In 2004, the Young Patriots of Abidjan, strongly Nationalist organisation, rallied by the State media, plundered possessions of foreign nationals in Abidjan . Calls for violence against whites and non-Ivorians were broadcast on national radio and TV after the Young Patriots seized control of its offices. Rapes, beatings, and murders of white expatriates and local Lebanese followed. Thousands of expatriates and Lebanese fled. The attacks drew international condemnation.3233 Niger In October 2006, Niger announced that it would deport the Arabs living in the Diffa region of eastern Niger to Chad.34 This population numbered about 150,000. 35 While the government was rounding Arabs in preparation for the deportation, two girls died, reportedly after fleeing government forces, and three women suffered miscarriages. Niger's government had eventually suspended the controversial decision to deport Arabs.3637 United States of America During the , 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." 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. 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.http://cfrterrorism.org/policy/hatecrimes.html Hate Crimes against people of Middle Eastern origin or descent increased from 354 attacks in 2000, to 1,501 attacks in 2001. 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" and four immigrants shot and killed by a man named Larme Price who confessed to killing them as a "revenge" for the 9/11 attacks.http://www.aaiusa.org/news/must_read03_31_03ny.htm Although Price described his victims as Arabs, only one was from an Arab country. 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".40 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 .41 Prominent conservative commentators in the United States have voiced hostility towards Arabs. Bill O'Reilly has described Iraqis as a " Pre-historic " and "primitive" group.42 Michael Savage described Arabs as "non-humans" and "racist, fascist Bigots " and advocated a nuclear attack on a "major Arab capital".43 '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.44 The group was also suspected in the 1985 bombing of ADC leader Alex Odeh , though no arrests were made.45 (Kadima), who heads the Israeli board of the WJC. Instead of creating unity among the Jewish people, this organization is just creating division and hatred."Lefkovits, Etgar. Top WJC official makes Arab jibe at EJC chief. Jerusalem Post . May 4, 2007, Available: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1178198609617 Western media See Also: Stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims Parts of Hollywood are regarded as 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.46 Some western movies portray Arab Muslims similar to how Nazi-inspired movies portrayed Jews. Like the image of Jews in fascist Germany, the image of Arabs is that of "money-grubbing caricatures that sought world domination, worshipped a different God, killed innocents, and lusted after blond virgins." 47 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. Paul Clinton of the Boston Globe wrote "at its worst, it's blatantly racist, using Arabs as cartoon-cutout bad guys". Jack Shaheen , in his book Reel Bad Arabs ,48 surveyed more than 900 film appearances of Arab characters. Of those, only a dozen were positive and 50 were balanced. Shaheen writes that " 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 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."49. Some feel the obese oil sheik has become the new fat, grotesque Jewish banker or merchant as a negative stereotype in Western media50 According to Newsweek columnist Meg Greenfield, anti-Arab sentiment presently cause misconceptions about Arabs, and hinder genuine peace in the Middle East. ANTI-ARABISM IN POLLS France In March 1990 , according to a poll reported in Le Monde :
Israel A recent poll conducted by an Israeli research institute found widespread mistrust of the Arab population in Israel.
GROUPS THAT FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is a group founded to counter anti-Arab discrimination.52 In Britain, Greater London Council (GLC) and Labour Committee on Palestine (LCP) have been involved in fighting anti-Arabism through the promotion of Arab and Palestinian rights. The LCP funded a conference on anti-Arab racism in 1989.53 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which is a group founded to combat 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."54 During July 2003 the ADL 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.55 ORGANIZATIONS SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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