Arab - Americans in the U.S.: who are the 3 million Arab - Americans living in the U.S. today? What pressures do they face? (USA).

On the morning of September 11,2001, the Islamic Leadership School in New York City opened its doors for the first time. The school's opening day held the promise that comes with new beginnings. Hours later, however, horrified students, teachers, and school officials watched the terrorist attacks play and replay on TV.

"Those people who carried out the attacks, they are not true Muslims," says Sheikh Moussa Drammeh, the school's principal. Fortunately, people in the community did not associate the school with terrorists. "Mostly everyone knew that we are here to help everyone. If you are not taking care of your neighbor, you are not a good Muslim."

But not everyone in the U.S. shared those feelings of goodwill. Across the nation, many Arab-Americans, Muslims, and those merely mistaken for them, quickly came under suspicion. Some were victims of violence and other acts of retribution (revenge).

According to the American-Arab Anti-Defamation Committee (ADC), more than 700 hate crimes were directed against Arab-Americans, Muslims, and Asians in the year after the September 11 attacks. That's a huge increase from the previous two years, when the ADC recorded a total of 18 such attacks.

In the days after September 11, President George W Bush said that people who tried to intimidate Arab-Americans and Muslims "to take out their anger, don't represent the best of America. They represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior."

Another Round of Prejudice

Today, as the U.S. wages a war on Iraq and continues to hunt for terrorists, many Arab-Americans fear another round of prejudice.

U.S. authorities have detained Arab-Americans on little or no evidence of their having committed crimes. Last December, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) ordered male citizens and foreign nationals from 24 predominantly Muslim countries to register with the government. This "special registration" resulted in hundreds of arrests, overnight detentions, and deportations-some for actual crimes, but many for minor violations or mere suspicion.

The registration also caused hundreds of Muslims to flee to Canada. Some of these are families who have been in the U.S. for years, earned a living, and put down roots, but who do not have proper residency papers. Also included in these families are dozens of children who, because they were born in the U.S., are American citizens.

Many people of Arabic heritage feel that they they have been treated unfairly in the past 19 months. Aiat (eye-YACHT) Baidas, 11, a student at the Islamic Leadership School, is one example. Aiat says that she feels the anger some people have toward Arab-Americans when she wears her hijab (a head scarf traditionally worn by Arab women).

"Sometimes people look at me with an evil stare," she says. "It makes me sad."

Her classmate, Arafaat Mimiko, 11, is from Nigeria. He says that he and other Muslims have been judged unfairly because of Islamic extremists.

"Good Muslims would not do such a thing [as commit terrorist attacks]," he says. "Most Muslims are good, caring people."

Next-Door Neighbors

How can future misunderstandings and hostile acts be prevented? One way, says the ADC, is for people to accept Muslims and Arab-Americans for who they are.

"Arab-Americans are your next-door neighbors," says Marvin Wingfield, education director of the ADC. "Arab-Americans are people like everyone else. They are likely to be your doctors and lawyers and college professors."

More than 3 million Arab-Americans live in the U.S. today. But who are they? Pop stars Shakira, Tiffany, and Paula Abdul have Arabic roots. Actress Salma Hayak is Lebanese-Mexican, and Shannon Elizabeth is of Lebanese and Syrian heritage.

The list of famous Arab-Americans is long. It includes names from all professions, from supermodels (Yamila Diaz-Rahl) to political activists (Ralph Nader) to scientists (Dr. Michael B. DeBakey, who invented the heart pump).

Regrettably, the achievements of these famous people are not enough to undo the stereotypes held by some U.S. citizens. Wingfield says that people ought to dismiss the notion that Arab-Americans are terrorists and instead focus on the diversity within the Arab community.

"Arab-Americans come from 22 countries in the Arab world," he says. "Some are Christians. Some are Muslims. Some are nonreligious. They embrace every imaginable national and political view--just like other Americans. There is no one formula used to summarize the Arab-American community, which is why stereotyping is so absurd."

More Alike Than Different

Throughout U.S. history, countless people have suffered from discrimination because of their race or religion. In one of the most notorious cases, Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were taken from their homes during World War II and forced to live in "internment camps," for no other crime than their ancestry.

Today, as many Americans fear another terrorist attack, the line between legitimate protection and prejudice is often hard to distinguish.

Most Arab-Americans dislike being associated with extremists, a minority within the Islamic community. Arab-American and Muslim leaders believe that a continued exchange between their communities and other Americans will help overcome some feelings of prejudice and intolerance.

Arafaat Mimiko has hope for a greater understanding of Muslims and Arab-Americans. Islam teaches him to be a good neighbor, a tenet (law) that all religions share.

"To be a good Muslim is to help everybody," he says. "Everyone is the same in a different way."

Your Turn: THINK ABOUT IT

What do you think can be done to promote greater understanding of Arab-Americans?

American-Arab Anti-Defamation Committee: www.adc.org