Erik Love - Islamophobia and Racism in America

Erik Love

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

New York

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

New York

www.nyupress.org

2017 by New York University

All rights reserved

References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

ISBN : 978-1-4798-0492-4 (hardback)

ISBN : 978-1-4798-3807-3 (paperback)

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For Aurora,

looking toward a bright future

• Figure 3.1. Sample PowerPoint slide from bigoted FBI counterterrorism training materials
• Figure 5.1. Photo of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) volunteer, ca. 1980. (ADC. Used by permission.)
• Figure 5.2. Photo of ADC co-founder James Abourezk at an anti-Apartheid event, 1980. (ADC. Used by permission.)
• Figure 5.3. Photo of Rev. Jesse Jackson speaking at the ADC Convention, 1984. (ADC. Used by permission.)
• Figure 5.4. Photo of Arab American Institute (AAI) volunteers, 2012. (AAI. Used by permission.)
• Figure 5.5. Photo of National Capital Immigration Coalition rally, 2013. (South Asian Americans Leading Together. Used by permission.)

• Table 2.1. Numbers of Immigrants Admitted to the United States from Selected Middle Eastern Countries, 19652014
• Table 2.2. Percentage of All US Immigrants from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen, 19652014
• Table 2.3. Numbers of Immigrants Admitted to the United States from Selected South Asian Countries, 19652014
• Table 2.4. Percentage of All US immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, 19652014
• Table 2.5. Percentage of All US immigrants from Selected Middle Eastern and South Asian Countries, 19652014
• Table 2.6. Population Size of Selected Middle Eastern American Groups, with Percentage of Foreign-Born, 2014
• Table 4.1. Selected Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian American Advocacy Organizations with Founding Dates and Approximate Annual Budgets
• Table A.1. List of Interviews

AAI: Arab American Institute

AAUG: Association of Arab American University Graduates

ACCESS: Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services

ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union

ADC: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

CAIR: Council on American-Islamic Relations

DHS: Department of Homeland Security

DOJ: Department of Justice

EEOC: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation

ICE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ICIRR: Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

INS: Immigration and Naturalization Service

ISNA: Islamic Society of North America

JACL: Japanese American Citizens League

LCCR: Leadership Council on Civil Rights

MALDEF: Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund

MPAC: Muslim Public Affairs Council

MSA: Muslim Students Association

NAAA: National Association for Arab Americans

NNAAC: National Network for Arab American Communities

NSEERS: National Security Entry-Exit Registration System

RWG: Rights Working Group

SAALT: South Asian Americans Leading Together

SALDEF: Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

SMART: Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce

Over the many years that I spent researching and writing this book, I was fortunate enough to receive extraordinary support from many institutions, colleagues, and friends. Any success that this project may enjoy is shared with everyone who contributed to it, and all the shortcomings in this work are entirely my responsibility. Completing this book has been the most rewarding professional experience of my life, and it would not have been possible even to begin without the generosity and patience of the sixty-two advocates who, despite the tremendous demands on their time, agreed to meet with me for lengthy interviews. Without exception, these dedicated, impassioned civil rights advocates trusted in me and engaged in sometimes-challenging conversations. My greatest hope is that they find what Ive written here somehow useful.

The roots of this project extend back to the year 2000, when I traveled on a study abroad program to Jerusalem under the direction of my mentor and dear friend, Len Berkey. I met Len a few years earlier in his Introduction to Sociology course, where he encouraged me to study race and ethnicity. He eventually recruited me to join the Great Lakes Jerusalem Program, an innovative and unique course of study in Israel/Palestine developed by the late Tony Bing. During my time in the Holy Land, I realized that, despite seriously studying race for years, I had never encountered any scholarly work specifically written about Arab Americans or Muslim Americans. This struck me as odd, because of course these communities have long dealt with bigotry and discrimination. Upon my return to the US in December 2000, I resolved to learn more. On Lens advice, I started reading the work of scholars like Michael Suleiman, Suad Joseph, and Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad. This only whet my desire to better understand the way that race and racism affect these communities, and that is what led me to pursue graduate study in sociology a few years later. Thank you, Len.

At the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), I had the good fortune to have Howard Winant, a scholar who needs no introduction, as my mentor. He graciously took me under his wing, and over many hours of discussion and debate, the ideas that form the foundation of this manuscript began to emerge. Howie was patient and kind, and he was a dedicated advisor who always went out of his way to make sure I was making the most of every opportunity. His leadership is the only reason this project got off the ground and stayed in the air for more than a decade. Thank you, Howie.

I am also deeply indebted to many other professors at UCSB who advised me and guided the development of this research. In particular, I want to thank Lisa Hajjar, John Mohr, Kathleen Moore, and G. Reginald Daniel for their thoughtful guidance and advice over many years.

Thanks to everyone at New York University Press, most especially to Ilene Kalish for her patience and trust in this project. Special thanks also to Caelyn Cobb for her dedication and expertise, Jodi Narde for her careful and thoughtful attention to detail, and to Dorothea Halliday for bringing it all together.

I must also thank the institutions that gave financial support to this research. This project would not have been possible without the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation. I also thank the Richard Flacks Fund for the Study of Democratic Possibilities, the UCSB Graduate Division and Sociology Department, the University of California Center for New Racial Studies, and the Dickinson College Research and Development Committee for their generous support. Thanks also to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding for allowing me to serve as a fellow. Of course, my analysis and opinions as expressed herein do not reflect in any way upon these institutions.