Arab Americans support war on terrorism

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- One month after the horrific Sept. 11 attacks, a picture is clearly emerging of how Arab Americans feel in light of the tragedy.

"They are angry, embarrassed, upset and fearful," Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said Thursday, at a news conference. "But they are overwhelming supportive of President Bush's performance and handling of the current crisis and approve a worldwide war on terrorism."

He is backed up by a poll conducted by Zogby International, a firm run by Jim's brother, John.

More significantly, almost 70 percent say they support an all-out war against countries that aid or harbor terrorists -- countries from which they or their families might have emigrated.

Arab Americans give President Bush an 83 percent positive, 15 percent negative, job approval rating and a 88 percent positive, 11 negative, rating for his handling of the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the Zogby International sampling of 508 likely Arab American voters nationwide.

The Arab American Institute commissioned the poll.

More than half of those polled (56 percent) say they support such a war even if it involved "substantial" American casualties.

The sample was heavily Christian at 63 percent, reflecting its largely Lebanese origins. (Eighty-eight percent of the sample came from Lebanon and Syria alone.) Only 24 percent of Arab Americans are Muslims. The poll listed the religion of 13 percent as "other."

Bush's support is strong in all religious sub-groups. A whopping 90 percent also say they have been reassured by the president's comments and conduct toward Arab Americans since the attacks.

But since the Sept. 11 attacks, many Arab Americans say they have been targeted for discrimination. Incidents included being ushered off airplanes, fired from jobs, harassed in schools, stoning of shops and mosques, bomb scares and threatening phone calls. Five people have been killed, two of which were not Arabs, and one -- a Sikh -- was not even Muslim. The other was Pakistani.

"There are 150 active FBI investigations and already three indictments and commitments to prosecute," said Jim Zogby.

Arab American support for the all-out war against those who have attacked the United States rises to 78 percent among those who live in the South and among union members.

Support declines slightly with age. It is favored by 71 percent of those between the ages of 18-29 and 66 percent of seniors 65 and older.

Syria is on the U.S. government's list of states that sponsor terrorism and exerts great influence in Lebanon, where Hamas and the Islamic Jihad operate against Israel.

Arab Americans with family ties to Lebanon and Syria (74 percent average) are likely to say they support an all-out war against countries that harbor or aid terrorists. Those Arab Americans whose families originated in Palestine are somewhat more likely to say they oppose such a war.

Members of all sub-groups hold the opinion that the terrorist attacks will damage the U.S. economy. Despite fears for the country's economic well being, Arab Americans are less likely to think their personal finances will be affected, the poll indicated.

A very high percentage of Arab Americans, particularly among the young, say they are very proud or extremely proud of their heritage. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) say their ties to their family's country of origin are very strong or somewhat strong.

A substantial 83 percent of Arab Americans say the issue of securing the rights of Palestinians is very important or somewhat important to them. This rises to 99 percent among Muslims and those whose country of origin is Palestine.

Seventy-eight percent of the respondents agree that a U.S. commitment to settle the Israeli-Palestinian dispute would help President Bush's efforts in the war against terrorism. Among Muslims, this figure rises to 87 percent.

Although most of those polled (53 percent) oppose any policy that singles out Arab Americans for special scrutiny at airport check-ins, a significant 41 percent favor such measures. A sizable minority (28 percent) agrees that the Islamic religion encourages fanaticism, and 8 percent consider the United States to be at war with Islam -- not just with a small group of terrorists.

More than two-thirds of Arab Americans say they have not personally experienced discrimination. Those most likely to answer "no" are Southerners (76 percent), Catholics (74 percent), men (70 percent) and those born in the United States (70 percent).

Although 20 percent of Arab Americans say they have experienced some form of personal discrimination since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, they are much more likely to say they are aware of an Arab American other than themselves who has experienced discrimination.

"It's the fault of the 19 bastards who created this problem," said Zogby, referring to the 19 hijackers who forced the airplanes to crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "Those responsible are the evil doers.

"Arab Americans are proud of their heritage," said Zogby. They come in second in that respect after African Americans.