Do All Arabs Really Look Alike? Prejudice and the U.S. 'War' on Terror
Wayne Law Review, Vol. 50, No. 69, 2004
Washington University in St. Louis Legal Studies Research Paper No. 21-02-02
11 Pages Posted: 2 Mar 2021
Abstract
This timely Article draws attention to disparate treatment of Arabs and Muslims as compared to other ethnic and religious minorities. It analyses multiple statements by prominent public figures, which illustrate both a hostility to, and an ignorance of, Muslims. This results in draconian measures against Muslims based in prejudicial assumptions, such as Guantanamo Bay and racial profiling at airports. These measures in turn lead to poor policy outcomes for the United States by exacerbating distrust of the United States in the Arab world. The Article calls for a shift in public discourse, as well as a realignment of domestic and international policy, to focus on treating Muslims as people rather than as a collective.
Keywords: Guantanamo Bay; Islam; Arab; Muslims; public policy; war against terror; discrimination; racial profiling; terrorism; islamophobia; international law
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