Race & Racism:1970 and Beyond

            There was a time in the 1950s and 60s when Arab and Asian Americans were not considered to be threatening and were even considered to be “whites” (Spickard, 425). However, this ideology quickly shifted in the early 70s when Arabs were deemed as nonnative and threatening to the state of the union. Americans could not distinguish who was an Arab and who was a Muslim; They could not recognize that the majority of Arab Americans practice Christianity and are not Muslims. Americans did not know that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. “Arabs, Muslims, and other Middle Eastern and North African peoples all ran together in a blur in the minds of most Americans” (Spickard, 426).

            Arabs became even more threatening when they began messing with American’s oil. In 1974 OPEC, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, began to raise their prices on oil. All Arabs then became the blame for gas stations shutting down due to lack of gas, and long lines just to get gas. This hatred and animosity accumulated over the years continuing through the 80s and 90s. 

Oklahoma City 

Contributing to the belief that Arabs a threat and a danger to Americans safety was the Oklahoma City Bombings in 1995. When the Murrah Federal Building exploded in Oklahoma City, Americans were convinced it was the workings of a Muslim terrorist group. Americans were ready to put Arabs and Muslims in concentration camps, hate crimes were committed all over the country, and a widespread hate for Arabs and Muslims churned in America’s blood. However, Americans were simply dumbfounded when it was revealed that Timothy McVeigh, a White, Christian, veteran, was responsible for the Murrah Federal Building bombing. Americans quickly retracted their pointed finger toward Arabs and Muslims, but their ideology had not changed one bit. 

9/11 & Its Aftermath

            The turning point for Arabs and Muslims and Arab and Muslim Americans was September 11, 2001. At 7:45 on September 11, the American Airlines Flight 11 left for Los Angeles from Boston. The plane had 92 passengers including five terrorists. 15 minutes after take off the terrorists hijacked the plane and veered off course heading toward New York City. At the same time at 7:58 am on September 11, American Airlines Flight 175 took off from Boston also with LA as its final destination. It too carried 5 terrorist among 65 total passengers. Shortly after at 8:14 Flight 175 was hijacked and it too was veered off course and headed toward New York City. The third plane, American Airlines Flight 77 left from Newark, New Jersey also headed for Los Angeles was carrying 64 passengers five of which were terrorists. At 8:21 am the terrorists took control of the plane with weapons such as box cutters and knives. Twenty minutes later at 8:46 am Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the Twin Towers, World Trade Center, and smoke and fire emerged from the buildings. At this point it was conceivable that the crash was in fact an accident and not intended. However at 9:03 when Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the Twin Towers it was clear that America had fallen under attack. Nearly an hour later, both of the towers collapsed due to the fire and fuel from the planes.

            Already angry Americans, later that day President Bush promised in his address to the nation to "find those responsible and bring them to justice" (September 11, 2001). In the following weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks Americans took it upon themselves to avenge Arab and Muslim Americans or any person who “looked Middle Eastern.” Hate crimes committed on these people include; “a Sikh man was shot and killed by a motorist while on a Pennsylvania interstate, a Pakistani grocer was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas, Passengers on an airline refused to take off until an Afghani refugee family was removed from the plane, and an elderly woman was pulled from her vehicle and severely for wearing a hijab in Los Angeles” (Spickard, 452). People all across the country spary painted obscenities and offensive language such as “Arabs Go Home!” and “Bomb Mecca!” on Arab and Muslim American properties. 

In an effort to appease the nation and improve airport security Congressmember John Cooksey stated that “any airline passenger wearing a diaper on his head should be pulled over for questioning…we know the faces of terrorists and where they’re from. Terrorist profiling is essential for our nation’s security” (Spickard, 453). However, those with “diapers on their heads” are not Muslims or Arabs; however, they are Sikhs. Sikhism is not an ethnicity it is a religion. 

Picture Citations

Aftermath. 19 Apr. 1995. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, OK. By Leon Secatero.
Unknown. Inhaling 9/11. 11 Sept. 2001. World Trade Center, New York City, NY.

Dellsam34. "Abc Primetime- How Muslims Are Treated In USA."

Weblog post. "Arab=Muslim= Terror=War. 18 May 2008. 10 May 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nb9275XZNE>.