Discrimination Against Middle Eastern Americans

After September 11, racial profiling against Middle Eastern Americans began to intensify. Not only was discrimination, harassment and hate crimes being perpetuated by United States citizens, but institutionalized discrimination began to take effect. Middle Eastern Americans could not believe that the country who had welcomed them and helped them had begun to take such severe measures that humiliated them. The United States began the implementation of the National Security Entry – Exit Registration in September 2002 as part of the War on Terror strategy. This system required that individuals from the Middle East but specially from Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Libya have their finger prints taken, photographed along with registration every time they

entered or left the country as a measure of knowing who enters and leaves. This was also to inform the airport officials if the travelers belonged in the high threat category and if they posed a national security threat. If Middle Eastern Americans failed to visit the INS office and register, they would be added to the wants and warrants list of the Department of Justice (Department of Justice 2002). This discriminated Middle Easterners because it was only aimed at them and those specific targeted countries by the government as they believed those countries had terrorists. This government action made the United States citizens become more suspicious of people from those countries and caused them to discriminate too.
The United States also established the Operation Liberty Shield. This consisted of increasing security at the United States coasts, borders and passenger ships. More Coast Guard patrols were sent to monitor who entered and left the coasts. This new law also included more security at the airports by increasing the presence of law enforcement and checking carriers’ identifications. This measure also involved any asylum seeker coming from the nations of al – Qaeda by crossing the United States coast or border would be detained for the whole process as measure that they may be possible terrorists (FEMA 2003). This measure is implying that anyone coming from the Middle East needs to be checked and monitor as they may be terrorists - another act of institutionalized discrimination.
The Patriot Act was also created due to the September 11, 2001 acts. The Patriot Act focused on enhancing the FBI and CIA abilities to find out who are terrorists and to persecute them. This Act consisted of granting authority to the government and immigration agency to wire trap conversations and any information they may find abnormal. It allowed the Secretary of Treasury to mandate that banks created a system that could identify the names of their customers in order to match them with a list of terrorists so they could then prevent money laundering (The Center for Immigration Studies). It also granted the establishment of more agents at the border and the coast and made officials conduct a long history background check on the criminal history of anyone with a visa (The Center for Immigration Studies 2004). This Act allowed the government to be able to watch anyone it wanted or anyone it had in mind as being a threat.
Recently this year, President Trump has imposed an anti-Middle Eastern American Travel Ban on any Middle Easterner who tries to enter the country. Trump has ban seven countries of the Middle East who he believes are the greatest dangers to us. Trumps travel ban stops the refugee arrival from those countries for 120 days until it is reviewed by the Justice Department. It also enforced requirements for those who want to come to the United States such as having a deep criminal background check and the motive for their travelling. Citizens of Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya with visas will not be allowed to travel for 90 days until the Justice Department decides how to manage this situation. Luckily, this travel ban has been halted by federal judges because they know this is discriminatory and racial profiling. This is another example of institutionalized discrimination reently done by our own government (Thrush 2017).
The acts created by the government not only discriminated Middle Eastern Americans but also caused concern and fear in the Middle Eastern community.

These acts began motivating and causing isolated and small group discriminations against Middle Eastern Americans. The media also contributed to spreading panic as it would cover the events in a biased way and would mention that everyone should be careful and watchful when being around these individuals. In the first nine weeks after the terrorist attacks there were 700 violent crimes against Middle Eastern Americans just because they “looked” Muslim due to their race or ethnicity (Conan 2011). While in 2015 there were 91 aggravated assaults and 120 intimidation crimes that physically injured individuals; in total for the year 2015 there were 257 hate crimes against Middle Easterners (Kishi 2016) . This discrimination was fueled by islamophobia and caused individuals to act against this specific group of people. One act of discrimination happened in Florida in a church where a pastor on a September 11 anniversary burned Korans in front of Middle Easterners as a signal of discrimination against them (The NPR Analysis 2011). Other cases were reported where Middle Eastern Americans who were working in stores, restaurants or any public place would have customers approach them and yell at them telling them to leave and go back to their country, they would be insulted and told that they and their families should die too

(The NPR Analysis 2011. Other cases where reported where Middle Easterners who were walking alone in daylight or night would be approached and beaten and in some cases, would be killed. In the year 2002, there were 481 hate crimes against Middle Easterners when usually there were just 21 per year. These group discriminations included physical assault, harassments, vandalism, and verbal disputes. In the year 2002 there were five murders due to these hate crimes. Most of these isolated acts of discrimination where perpetuated by Caucasian males who identified themselves as having a strong resentment against Middle Eastern Americans. These acts where committed in the streets, campuses, and public transportation (Human Rights Organization 2010). Some of the victims of these violent acts where not Middle Eastern Americans and had been hurt because the aggressor believed the victim “appeared” to be Middle Eastern; this case demonstrates that aggressors where focusing on physical appearances, racial profiling, and the way the victims dressed to decide if they were Middle Eastern or not (Human Rights Organization 2010). Islamophobia continued to spread causing more discrimination and fear. Middle easterners where afraid for their lives and many stopped going outside and living their regular life.
Government officials and police officers also did discrimination against Middle Eastern Americans not just citizens. The police became more active and vigilant in the communities of Middle Eastern Americans and used racial profiling to accomplish their patrol. On October 4, a Middle Eastern American was pulled off the road by an officer who approached him with his gun he then threatened him and told him to leave (Leadership Conference of Civil Rights Education Fund 2008). On December 5 in Burbank Illinois, a woman who was wearing a veil was stopped by an officer for driving with a suspended license plate. The officer asked her when Ramadan would be over, pushed her and made negative comments about her hair. On October 8 in Virginia two officers stopped a car and question them about the Koran and asked for their identifications. The officers then left in their police car without explanation and ten minutes later came back saying they had receive another call (Leadership Conference of Civil Rights Education Fund 2008)
In airports, officials began to search more intensely the belongings of those who looked Middle Eastern and conducted a background check of their criminal history. These officials would then pull the individuals who looked Middle Eastern from the airport lines in front of everyone to conduct a search. In other cases that have been confirmed Middle Eastern Americans were forced to leave a plane due to their ethnicity. The Muslim Advocates and NAACP Legal Defense Fund mentioned that this type of discrimination is illegal and that it would conduct further investigations. These officers are basing their discriminations on how these people look and their beliefs and it is not right (Mchugh 2016). In other incidents students who have applied to universities have been denied admission as the decision is based on their names and demographics. Some universities have been caught taking these discriminatory admission decisions. Student Mehreen Shafaq tells the story how she applied the GC University Lahore. She took the entrance exam, paid the fee and received an appointment for an interview as she qualified. Before the interview, she was told to take off her veil or she would not be interviewed. Shafaq did not take off her veil and was rejected admission along with some discriminatory comments she was told (Tee 2015)
These sudden acts of racial profiling have brought tremendous change into the lives of Middle Eastern Americans as many have tried to hide their ethnicity and appear to be someone completely different.

Many have changed the style of how they dress; the women have stopped wearing veils or loose long clothing. They have stopped talking their native language, Arabic, in public places. They have stopped attending mosques or any activity related to their religion. (Quamie 2010) . Not only did they change their physical appearance for fear that they may die but because busineses were not employing Middle Easterners any more. Successful business where afraid of Middle Easterners and were rejecting anyone who applied for a job. Even graduates like doctors, teachers and nurses where being discriminated due to their race (Quamie 2010). The Ontario Human Rights Commission also reported an increase in depression, anxiety, and psychological problems within the Middle Eastern Community. This rise is associated with the traumatic discriminatory events Middle Easterner Americans have had to live through. A study done by the American Psychological association that was published in the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology studied 600 Middle Eastern Americans post September eleven. These individuals were tested and monitored for depression, anxiety. It was found out a quarter of them reported back they had from moderate to severe depression and anxiety. These results were higher

than before and from any other minority. Psychologist associated an increase in these results with the September eleven attacks and the racial profiling against Middle Easterners (Clay 2011).