The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has sent out a press release, dated October 16, 2000, titled "Pattern of Hateful Anti-Arab Remarks Must be Condemned". And high time, too! The German American community, vilified since 1914 in the US media, could learn from this one!
In yet another disturbing example of the pattern of anti-Arab hate speech that has developed in recent days, Rev. Franklin Graham, vice chairman of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and son of noted evangelist Billy Graham, made a series of extraordinarily racist remarks at a televised revival in Kentucky on Oct. 14.
Franklin Graham, who is his father's designated successor as head of one of the largest evangelical associations in the United States, said "The Arabs will not be happy until every Jew is dead. They hate the state of Israel. They all hate the Jews. God gave that land to the Jews. The Arabs will never accept that. Why can't they live in peace?"
These remarks were broadcast to a huge television audience.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today called on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to repudiate these shockingly racist comments which condemn each and every Arab as a genocidal bigot and suggest that Palestinians have no rights in their own country because "God gave that land to the Jews."
These comments from a noted American religious figure come in the wake of several hateful and racist anti-Arab remarks in recent days from prominent figures in many sectors of American society. This outpouring of anti-Arab hatred follows two weeks of protests against the 33 year Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Over one hundred Palestinians, mostly unarmed civilians and many of them children, have been killed by Israeli occupation troops in bloody attempts to suppress the protests. On Oct. 7, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1322, which "condemns acts of violence, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinians, resulting in injury and loss of human life."
Anti-Arab sentiments proliferating in recent days are too numerous to list, but several instances illustrate the pattern.
* On Oct. 14, columnist Scott Shuger in Microsoft's online publication Slate called one of the Palestinians who had participated in the killing of two Israeli soldiers "a piece of shit posing as a human being" and other Palestinians as "the other turds."
* Ric Keller, the Republican nominee for the House of Representatives from central Florida said on Oct. 12 "I think Palestinians are lower than pond scum."
* In a speech on Oct. 14, former Secretary of Education William Bennett said "there is no moral equality between Israel and the Palestinians, one is a nation of violence and terrorism and the other is one of democracy and peace."
ADC President Hala Maksoud said "This pattern of anti-Arab hate speech from otherwise respectable religious, journalistic and political figures is shocking and deeply disturbing. It seems that many people in our country now feel entitled to defame and disparage any and all Arabs in a manner that would be unthinkable with regard to most other groups. I am not sure that any American community has endured an outpouring of raw hatred as vicious, flagrant and widespread as this in several decades. These are the sentiments that lead to hate crimes and serious abuse of Arab Americans and Arabs in the United States. Organizations such as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Slate and Microsoft, and the Republican National Committee must promptly and unequivocally repudiate the anti-Arab hate speech that has spewed from their officials or employees. It is high time our national leaders condemn the outpouring of hatred against our community and help to restore a sense of decency and civility to our country."
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ADC is the largest Arab-American grassroots organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. To receive membership information, please send us your name and mailing address or visit their website. To receive or stop receiving ADC's email updates, send a message to <majordomo@adc.org> with the following in the body: to subscribe type "subscribe updates" to unscubscribe type "unsubscribe updates"
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Thought for the Day:
"Having covered that war both in the Golan and in the Sinai desert, I am appalled to read that the Israeli army is now using helicopter gunships firing armor-piercing missiles against children throwing stones. It is an outrage, and the jingoistic politicians and tabloids of this city should be ashamed of themselves. The Palestinians did not start this. Ariel Sharon did, and Israeli arrogance is out of control.
"As an Israeli told my friend Emma Williams writing in The Spectator, "He threw stones, he gets shot. So?"
"The Israelis may pretend to deplore the killing of children and ambulance drivers rushing to their aid, but after 52 years of oppressing the Palestinians, one day -- alas, not in my lifetime -- the chickens will come home to roost.
"We wonder: Is this how Holocausts start?"
(Credited to British journalist Taki in an article titled "Mailer & Nixon" dated October 12, 2000, no publication source given)
Back to Table of Contents of the Oct. 2000 ZGrams