Arab-Americans Claim "Islamophobia" To Blame For UAE Port Deal Controversy

A grievance a week, like clockwork:

Arab-Americans contended on Tuesday that bias and bigotry, not security concerns, lay behind the uproar over a deal that would place commercial operations at six U.S. ports in the hands of an Arab company.

The furor centers around the $6.8 billion acquisition by Dubai Ports World, owned by one of the United Arab Emirates, of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. P&O had been running operations at shipping terminals in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami, and Philadelphia.

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"I find some of the rhetoric being used against this deal shameful and irresponsible. There is bigotry coming out here," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.

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Rabiah Ahmed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said members of her organization also believed anti-Arab bigotry was driving the debate.

"The perception in the Arab-American community is that this is related to anti-Arab sentiment," she said.

The idea that a large number of Americans would have any suspicions about Arab Muslims controlling ports is just absurd.

Why, it's almost as ridiculous at feeling anxiety about such people taking unauthorized control of airplanes.

posted by Ace at 04:57 PM

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