Anti-Arab Attacks Escalating

In Canada, there have been several reported cases of attacks against people of Arab descent and Moslems, including the stabbing of a Muslim man in Toronto; fires set at mosques in both Montreal and St. Catharines; the assault of three Muslim students at a high school in Oakville; and many death threats directed against religious, cultural and social organizations.

In the U.S., the situation is much more grave. In three days, 210 incidents directed against Arabs and Muslims have been reported to the Council on Islamic-American Relations. These incidents include:

• six bullets fired into the windows of a Dallas-area mosque;
• an attack on a mosque in a Chicago suburb by a mob of 300 chanting "USA" and "Death to Arabs";
• a Muslim bookstore vandalized in Virginia;
• a deliberate attack on a woman in Wisconsin wearing the hijab who was nearly run over in a grocery store parking lot;
• a bag of animal blood left on the steps of the Islamic Centre in San Francisco.

The Arab-American Family Support Centre in Brooklyn received over 500 calls in two days from people who have received threatening phone calls or experienced other forms of intimidation. The Centre has also documented reports of physical assaults on Arabs in an area of Brooklyn which has a large population of people of Lebanese and Yemeni descent.

According to media reports, political leaders have been quick to condemn these attacks. Indeed, U.S. President George Bush declared that "Our nation must be mindful that there are thousands of Arab-Americans who live in New York City who love their flag ... and we must be mindful that as we seek to win the war that we treat Arab-Americans and Muslims with the respect they deserve." The threat is implicit - all "loyal" Arab-Americans and Muslim must prepare to line up behind whatever war the U.S. launches against the people of the Middle East. Or they will get what they deserve.

For over a decade, the U.S., along with its Western allies, has consistently engaged in what can only be described as Arab and Muslim baiting. From the calculated mispronunciation of Sadam Hussein's name by George Bush Sr. during the Gulf War, to the declarations of defence and foreign policy officials that Islam represents the new "threat" to the American way, a culture of deep distrust and hatred of Arabs and Muslims has been carefully prepared. This culture has been reinforced every step of the way by the mainstream media, who have written reams about "Muslim fundamentalists" and "Arab terrorists".

Now, in the wake of the terrible attack against the U.S., these same political leaders throw up their hands in surprise as they stand by and watch the racist hysteria spread.