Positive attitudes toward Arabs, Muslims are up; so is hate in US
Are anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments on the rise in the US? And what are the best ways to combat them? These were some of the questions we discussed at the 2017 “Global Peace and the Fear of Islam” Forum held this past week in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Based on our most recent Arab American Institute (AAI) survey of American public opinion, conducted in conjunction with Zogby Analytics (ZA), I was happily able to report to the Forum that negative attitudes toward both communities appear to be in decline. I also noted that in charting a way forward it was important to consider that since much of the hostility toward both communities has been politically manufactured, part of the solution must be political.
A bit of history is in order. Going back to the 1990s, the public’s views of both Arabs and Muslims were somewhat favorable. Both communities were not well known. Popular culture, fed by pro-Israel propagandists, had created negative stereotypes of Arabs and this had taken a toll. But, on the whole, attitudes toward both Arabs and Muslims were stable and more positive than negative.
Things did change in the aftermath of 9/11 but not as badly as some had feared. While there were those who deliberately fanned the flames of hate and suspicion, they were countered by push-back emanating from the White House, the creators of popular culture in Hollywood, and a wide range of religious, ethnic, and civil rights organizations. It was, nevertheless, a difficult period for both communities.
Despite President Bush’s admonitions, some Republican political figures, think tanks, and funders perceived that there might be an electoral advantage in propagating and exploiting anti-Muslim sentiment. With the nomination and then election of Barack Obama, these purveyors of hate felt they had an ideal target. Preying off of both the widespread economic insecurity created by the economic downturn of 2008 and the perceived “foreignness” of Obama (his race, his name, and his Kenyan father’s religion), a conservative group spent millions of dollars producing and widely distributing a hate-filled film that warned of Muslim efforts to take over America - with the - presumption being that with the election of Obama they were getting closer to their goal.
Lasting mark
On one level, this effort to undercut Obama failed since he was twice elected. The campaign of hate did, however, leave a lasting mark on Republican attitudes toward Islam and Muslims. And it continued to grow. First came the “birther movement” - spreading the notion that Obama was secretly a Muslim, wasn’t born in America, and therefore wasn’t legally entitled to serve as president. As late as our 2015 poll we found that over 60 percent of self-identified Republicans believed Obama wasn’t really born in the US and was secretly a Muslim.
During this same period, funded by conservative donors, a nation-wide effort was launched to get states to pass legislation banning Sharia law. The effort was ridiculous - since no one had ever proposed introducing sharia law in the US. Ridiculous or not, the effort ultimately was considered by 27 state legislatures raising the specter of the Muslim take-over of America. These same groups sponsored “studies” purporting to demonstrate that Muslim groups, with Obama’s support, had succeeded in infiltrating the government. This effort was repudiated by a host of political leaders and organizations. While it spread fear in the Muslim community, it failed to dislodge loyal Muslim Americans from government service.
In 2010, Republicans, joined anti-Muslim hate groups in opposing the proposed construction of an Islamic community center in Manhattan about 10 blocks away from Ground Zero. Led by former Congressman Newt Gingrich, they termed the center a “Victory Mosque”, claiming it was intended by Muslims as a declaration of victory over America. Based on this theme, the Republican congressional campaign committee produced TV ads for use in 17 congressional races. The ads warned about the dangers of the “Victory Mosque” and challenged Democratic candidates to declare opposition to this “Muslim insult to America”.
While this GOP effort also failed, since in only one of the 17 races did their candidate win, once again damage was done in promoting hatred and fear of Muslims among Republicans. Exploiting anti-Muslim sentiment was also a feature of the 2012 and, of course, in the 2016 Republican presidential contests. It failed in 2012 when it was repudiated by the GOP’s nominee, Mitt Romney, but it won in 2016 with the victory of Donald Trump.
As candidate and then as president, Trump worked hard to promote and exploit fear of Muslims. The arguments he made in defense of his Muslim ban, his disgraceful behavior toward the Muslim Gold Star parents who spoke at the Democratic Convention, and the Islamophobes he appointed to serve in the White House - all had an impact on the public’s attitudes. But the impact has not been what Trump may have expected.
NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the Arab American Institute