Regarding

Site Search

Media Inquiries

Model Arab League

Events

Heritage Commission

Government Affairs

Newsletter

NJ Arab Community

Activities

Take Action

Imam Qatanani and America's Justice. More

The Arab American National Museum

Survey: Arab and Jewish Americans

Human Rights in the US

Sharia and Secularization

| Bild:

"Islam and the Rule of Law" is the title of a new monograph published by Centre for Modern Oriental Studies, Berlin, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Click here, to down the the PDF file...

Regarding "Thwart the port deal" (Editorial, Feb. 21), Salaheddin Mustafa, AAF Executive Board

The editorial board could have saved plenty of space by using one sentence instead of 13 paragraphs to convey its message: "BOO!!! The Arabs are coming to take over our ports and to destroy our country."
But in an attempt to thwart the inevitable cries of racism the board adds the qualifier, "While no one should equate Arabs with terrorists." But that is exactly what it does.
The board could have added some factual context:

Reminding the public that security is and will continue to be the domain of the federal government, not the port manager.

A good percentage of our ports are run by private foreign firms and foreign-government controlled firms.

While some 9/11 terrorist financial and operational planning occurred in Arab countries, the majority took place in European countries.

Dubai Ports manages ports all over the world, including in Germany, Australia and Hong Kong.
A good percentage of the containers coming to our shores originates from these ports.

Regardless of who manages the port facilities, the issue of safeguarding and inspecting 100 percent of containers still remains. The editors instead took a "strong on security" position and piled on just like nearly every politician. After all, which politician or editor would not want to say they fought the "Arabs" by denying them the chance to harm our nation? Tapping into the growing anti-Arab and anti-Muslim fear is a tactic the Bush administration has used well. Now because of this success everyone is using it.

Salaheddin Mustafa

Clifton, Feb. 23

The writer is a member of the American Arab Forum's Executive Board.