Surveys the experiences of the Arab-American community in the year following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Among the key findings were that: (1) violent incidents targeting Arab Americans significantly increased, compared to most years in the past decade; (2) employment discrimination against Arab Americans increased four-fold over previous annual rates; (3) discriminatory immigration policies included secret hearings and indefinite detention of foreign nationals without appeal; (4) civil liberties violations increased, including suspension of constitutional rights of U.S. citizens without due process; (5) overt ethnic and religious bigotry were prevalent in schools and on college campuses; and (6) hostile mainstream-media commentary against Arab culture steadily increased in intensity and frequency. Arab Americans continue to suffer from increased levels of discrimination from their fellow citizens, and immigrants from the Arab world have become the primary focusof new government powers that restrict individual freedoms and protections. To counter this situation, Arab Americans should redouble their efforts to build bridges to other communities and engage in civic life at all levels of American society, and schools should make every effort to ensure that their students have access to basic and accurate information on Arab culture.
