The names of about 840 Middle Eastern men living in Michigan have been distributed on a list created by the U.S. Justice Department as part of a terrorism investigation.
But some Michigan residents say the questioning lacks validity and constitutes racial profiling, which has been a concern among Arab Americans since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Michigan has one of the nation’s largest Arab American populations, with 350,000 people.
An excerpt from the letter says: “Your name was brought to our attention because, among other things, you came to Michigan on a visa from a country where there are groups that support, advocate, or finance international terrorism. We have no reason to believe that you are, in any way, associated with terrorist activities. Nevertheless, you may know something that could be helpful in our efforts. In fact, it is quite possible that you have information that may seem irrelevant to you but which may help us piece together this puzzle.”
Wendy Wagenheim, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan, said her Detroit-based organization wants to ensure the men involved in the investigation are aware of their rights.
“We are very concerned that people may not understand what their rights are,” she said. “We are suggesting that people cooperate and understand exactly what they have to tell law enforcement and what they don’t have to tell.”
Wagenheim said she thinks the investigation is a form of racial profiling.
“They are only looking for Middle Eastern men from the ages of 18 to 33,” she said. “They have clearly picked a particular group to target.”
And Wagenheim said she isn’t sure the efforts of Attorney General John Ashcroft, who made the announcement two weeks ago, will be successful.
“We all want to ensure that we live in a safe country and that any future attacks are prevented,” she said. “(But) are we letting others go unquestioned because we are concentrating our efforts on one population?”
Finance sophomore Salman Ateequi said he thinks the reasoning for questioning needs to be justified.
“For anyone to be selected, there should be a certain criteria, not just someone of Arab or Muslim descent,” the MSU Muslim Students’ Association vice president said. “I don’t think it’s necessary, and it’s rather unfair that they would be selected in that format.”
Fareeha Shuttari, a medical technology sophomore, agrees the interviewing seems unjustified.
“These 5,000 people have no criminal background and haven’t been suspected of doing anything and have nothing to hide,” the Muslim Students’ Association secretary said. “We are just going to go along with it, answer questions and waste their time just to keep Americans happy and safe.”
Shuttari said there isn’t much that can be done to ease the tension toward the Arab American community.
“If this is going to put everyone’s mind at ease - to question 5,000 people who had nothing to do with it, then that’s fine. It’s a time when our nation is scared of anything and everything. But instead of picking at people, improve our security system at the airport.”
But the U.S. Justice Department investigation isn’t the only action making Arab Americans feel uncomfortable.
Faiz Rehman, spokesman at the American Muslim Council in Washington, D.C., said he has experienced random checking in airports while he was traveling, causing him to feel he was a victim of racial profiling.
Rehman said many Americans are basing such incidents on guilt by association.
“Because you happen to be a Muslim, and someone who did a terrible crime also happens to be one, you’re as guilty as the other guy,” he said. “That is a fallacy, and that is wrong. They pick people based on appearance and race. This is unacceptable.”
In regards to the investigation, Rehman said he is worried the men will be ostracized by having their names on the list.
“By making those names public, they are helping the enemy,” he said. “By publicizing their names in papers and broadcasting them, it would forever make them an object of hatred.”
But overall, Rehman said he has noticed a higher level of acceptance among all Americans since Sept. 11.
“I think I appreciate that the country as a whole has been very tolerant,” he said. “We have seen some incidents of violence and backlash, but it wasn’t on a large scale. Most people behaved rationally.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Camille Spencer can be reached spenc105@msu.edu.
