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This presentation summarizes some of the key findings of a
four-year study
of the post-911
discriminatory
backlash against
Middle Eastern
and South Asian
Americans. This
backlash has
taken at least
two forms: 1)
hate crimes and
biased
incidents; and
2) the USA
Patriot Act, and
the series of
government
initiatives that
followed 9/11.
To effectively examine the effects of the backlash on the
impacted
communities, we
have conducted
60 in-depth
interviews with
the top
officials of
virtually every
Middle Eastern
and South Asian
community-based
organization (CBO)
across the
United States,
supplemented
with 15
interviews with
civil rights
experts and
government
officials. The
immigrant and
ethnic CBOs have
served as
mediators
between their
constituencies
and the broader
American
society. What
sets the
post-9/11
backlash apart
from previous
governmental
retaliation
against
minorities in
times of war
(most notably,
the Japanese
Internment
during WWII) is
that the
citizens were
spared, though
noncitizens were
indiscriminately
targeted.
Middle Eastern
citizens seem to
have bypassed
harsher
treatments
because the
political
climate has
changed.
The civil rights movement has introduced new checks and
balances that
monitor the U.S.
government’s
overreactions
and abuses.
Nevertheless,
there has been a
tangible
negative
cumulative
effect of the
backlash on
Middle Eastern
and South Asian
American ethnic
communities,
resulting in a
chilling
atmosphere of
fear and
intimidation.
Perhaps the only
silver lining of
this crisis is
an increased
awareness of
Middle Eastern
Americans, and a
greater
understanding of
their cultures
and Muslim
religion. |
