CHICAGO, Illinois, 14 August 2004 — Since the Sept. 11 attacks, there has been an unprecedented interest in the learning about Arab and Muslim culture in an effort to heal the wounds of that historic day. Some, however, engage in the backlash against Arab-Americans. In his new book, Silent Victims: The Plight of Arab & Muslim Americans in Post 9/11 America, Aladdin Elaasar presents an eye-opening, comprehensive book about the unjustified hate that has been direct toward innocent citizens.
After the terrorist strikes, millions of Arab-and Muslim Americans became targets for random hate and violence. They became the latest ethnic group to be singled out in an American time of crisis. Irish immigrants in the 1850s, Germans during World War I, Japanese citizens in World War II and people of Eastern European decent during the Cold War were all treated unfairly because of world events, says Elaasar. America’s legacy of nativeism, the intense opposition to an internal minority because of its foreign connections, reared its head again and directed its hate toward those perceived to be “un-American”.
“There are about three million Arab-Americans in the United States and about seven million Muslim-Americans,” Elaasar writes. “9/11 has negatively impacted the lives of millions of people in the US in terms of the hefty price they have been paying daily, manifested in discrimination at schools, at the workplace and even senseless and brutal hate crimes.” Elaasar’s book is a thought provoking, highly detailed account of the Arab and Muslim experience since Sept. 11. He exposes misconceptions and offers the historical background that has led to a misguided perception of this group. In addition to an interview with Professor Jack Shaheen, the world’s foremost authority on stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims, Elaasar also includes interviews with prominent Arab-American figures.
Packed with statistics and facts, as well as personal stories of those who live in a cloud of fear, Silent Victims is a powerful book that describes the manifestation of hate of these ethnic groups sometimes endure while trying to achieve the American dream. This book is the first and only book so far which tackled the aftermath of 9/11 and how it impacted the lives of millions of people in the US negatively. The book is an attempt to educate the nation on these issues, as an effort to heal and reconcile our communities. More than eight hundred of the victims of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 happened to be Arab and Muslim Americans. Arab, Muslim and Mid Eastern communities in the United States have been the collateral damage of 9/11.
9/11 has negatively impacted the lives of millions of people in the United State; (Asians, Africans, Hispanic, Arabs, Muslims, citizens and non-citizens, immigrants: Both legal and illegal).
“Silent Victims” is the first book to meticulously report on these events through the collaboration of many expert efforts of researchers at legal, law enforcement agencies and human rights organizations. The book is the first source to give the average reader a detailed account of these events. It also tells the stories of brave men and women who contributed to the rescue efforts from these communities.
Very few books have tried to answer the questions of: Who are the Arabs? Who are the Muslims? Who are the Arab-Americans? The stereotypes around Arabs, and how did they evolve? Arab and Muslims in the United States, where do they live and how many are them? Do Arabs have a shared religion? When did Arab people come to the United States? Are Arabs a minority group? Are Arab-Americans more closely tied to their country of origin, or to America? Arab contributions to civilization, if there is any?
