Top Candidates Ignoring Crucial Ehtnic Group

There has been extra pressure and even racism put on Arab-Americans and Muslims since 9/11. And one ethic group that current presidential candidates seem to be ignoring.

At the recent Arab-American Institutes National Leadership Conference held in Michigan none of the front runners chose to attend, opting instead for recorded messages. Arab-Americans make up 1.3 million voters according to the independent polling firm Zogby International. So, why aren’t candidates focusing more on Arab-Americans?

Top Presidential Candidates are ignoring Arab-Americans because of mass public stereotyping and negative sentiments after 9/11.

“After 9/11, anti-terrorism policies of… profiling have disproportionately affected Arabs and Muslims. Some have been taken off planes or not allowed to board because of their ethnicity”, according to the article “Caught in the Crossfire” on pbs.org.

The current image of Arab-Americans has been tarnished by the acts of terrorist activities. But, the mass population has to realize that these terrorist groups do not represent the whole of Arab-Americans. And, top candidates, who are in the public image, have the power to reverse this mass stereotyping. Top-tier candidates should take advantage of the attention they are getting and restore the image of Arab-Americans. By simply ignoring Arab-Americans they are throwing away hundreds of thousands of potential votes and tarnishing the American image as a whole.

“…in order to win the support of Arab-Americans, candidates on both sides of the fence must at least show a willingness to meet with them in person”, TIME writer Steven Gray stated.

Arab-Americans live, work, study and contribute to this country just like every other ethic group in America. The candidates refusal to not directly address them says a lot about their foreign policy and level of commitment to civil liberties. The Arab world will be the top priority of our nation’s foreign policy for many years to come and Arabs in this country will directly or indirectly be affected by those policies. By not making Arab-Americans a top priority candidates are throwing by the wayside another crucial issue- the right to privacy. This civil liberty was overtly violated after 9/11 such as with the NSA’s eavesdropping program. But, no other group was more directly violated than Arab-Americans. As stated before these people were not allowed on planes and unjustifiably targeted by law enforcement agencies. If you were intentionally arrested or harassed based solely on your ethnicity or religion, wouldn’t you want our next president to do something about it?

Whatever happened to our sacred freedoms that were envied by the rest of the world? If the government deliberately harasses one of us, don’t we all have a responsibility to keep our government in check?

It seems during the last six years we have tried to define what is and is not an American, selfishly excluding many ethnic groups. Who is and isn’t an American relies solely on the individual and their acceptance or denial of the responsibilities that come with being an American.

I guessed the basic message of this column could be summarized by the next quote from a press release on 9/11 by the Arab American Institute:

“We urge our fellow citizens not to rush to judgment and point fingers at their Arab American neighbors and colleagues who are suffering, like all Americans, from these despicable acts.

Regardless of who is […] responsible, no ethic or religious community should be treated as suspect and collectively blamed”

Loyola University Violates Freedom of the Press

A woman is drawn wearing nothing but electrical tape and straps over her naked body. Another drawing shows a woman bent over on high heels with a naked man behind her.

These were the drawings that spurred controversy on the catholic Jesuit campus of Loyola University Chicago last week. The drawings were featured in the student run magazine Diminuendo and caused such controversy among religious leaders that the school pulled the magazine from the shelves. The drawings were among poems, essays, and pictures in the issue devoted to the topic of sex. This was the first time school officials have done this to a student publication.

While the controversy over the issue and its drawings is expected at a religious campus, it still violates our freedom of the press and deters our freedom of expression.

No school, organization, official, church or government has the right to say what is and is not appropriate material for publication. We can draw, write, and published whatever we want in this country- our first amendment gives us the right to do so. The school officials are in violation of this amendment and should be held accountable and punished to the full extend of the law. It makes no difference whether the religious undertone of Loyola frowns down on sexuality. The school has no power over our constitutional rights.

The schools actions vehemently violate the individual’s right to express freely and without fear of persecution- something that is cherished on this country. The school’s officials are deliberately limiting the students’ artistic and intellectual abilities and forcing their views and opinions on the student body. The school’s officials are suggesting that it’s okay to express yourself, just as long as it does not violate their own personal values.

A university should never sacrifice students constitutional rights in order to protect its own image. What is the heart and core of a university if not its students? What does Loyola plan to accomplish by refusing to distribute this student publication? Shouldn’t the university be encouraging free expression and be protecting- not violating- the rights of the individual?

As stated before, the religious atmosphere of the university should have nothing to do with what students publish or write. Some school officials argued- mostly priests- that the content of the issue exhibited aspects of pornography, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. But as one student of the university stated sex is "marketed everywhere''- on TV, movies, and mainstream magazines. So, why should the editors of college student publication be treated differently that the rest of the mass media?

Let’s just hope the school comes to its senses.