Arab-Americans complain discrmination

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 29 (UPI) -- Fifteen percent of Arab Americans in the Detroit area say they have experienced harassment or intimidation since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

A University of Michigan report released Thursday said derogatory remarks such as "go back where you come from" or "are you a member of al-Qaida" were the most common form abuse. Some complained of job discrimination but only a small number reported physical abuse.

Forty-two percent of Muslim Arabs said most Americans do not respect their religion. Nearly 60 percent said their worries about their future in the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks have increased.

The survey was based on in-person interviews with 1,016 adults of Arab or Chaldean descent in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. Interviews were conducted between July 2003 and December and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The companion survey of 508 adults in southeast Michigan was conducted at the same time and had a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

The Detroit area has one of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans in the United States.