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Arab-American Political Involvement Expanding
At a seminar held by the Echaab Centre for Strategic Studies in Algiers on Tuesday (September 21st), experts and academics discussed the role played by the Arab-American community in public policy and decision making.
Arab-American political activist Maram Abdelhamid addressed the issue of Arab participation in American policy-making, speaking of the positive role that Arab and Muslim communities have played in America since September 11th. She noted that the attacks motivated the Arab-American community to become more involved in public life, whether through participation in voting, support of prominent political figures, or defence of issues dear to them.
“The participation of Muslim Arabs in drafting US policy, whether on the domestic or external levels, is still below the levels of participation in other immigrant communities,” she said.
Abdelhamid linked the political weakness of Arab-Americans to the absence of a desire on their part to co-operate with non-Muslims in searching for solutions for some of the decisive issues, such as peace and security in the Middle East.
“We haven’t been able to reach what we aspire to,” Abdelhamid said. “Therefore, we have to adopt consistent, clear positions and not suffice with reactions, especially given the current significant numbers of the community, as the Arab Americans are now estimated at 3.5 million people, and about 94% of them are based in big cities.”
She also addressed the role played by the Arab American Institute, which works to encourage voter participation. In this regard, she reviewed a report of the stances of various members of congress on issues of concern to the Arab and Muslim communities in America, such as Iraq and Palestine. The report will be distributed to the community to advise them on how congressmen voted.
Abdelhamid also displayed a number of pictures highlighting the role of Arab and Muslim communities in US policy, including pictures of Arab immigrants in the elections, pictures taken in the state of Virginia during Ramadan, and pictures showing the strong participation of Arab women in electoral campaigns.
Abdelhamid also displayed pictures of 55 Arab candidates running in next November’s elections, and pictures of Arabs and Muslims who were elected in US. Hundreds of Arabs were appointed to positions in the government and different departments in America, including the Department of the Treasury and Department of Homeland Security.
She denied that there was any “actual conflict or clash between the Arab and Muslim communities and the American people, given the democratic atmosphere that prevails in America and the presence of several minorities”.
“We confirm that the American people are welcoming the Arabs, through exposure and curiosity to know about different cultures,” Abdelhamid said.
She noted that while fear of Islam has started to appear in America, such attitudes are not nearly as severe as seen in some European countries, given the open dialogue and discussion with Muslims.
“The weakness of the Arab role in influencing US policies is due to the failure of the Arab communities in reaching a high degree of organisation that enables them to impose their opinion on, or at least influence, US policies,” said Mesbah Amenas, a professor of political science at the University of Algiers.
“Mashreq immigrants are more influential than others, especially immigrants of Maghreb origins, who are new in America,” he added. “Therefore, their role is almost non-existent as compared to Europe, especially France, where the Arab elites managed to assume positions that they didn’t dream of.”
Salim Kellala, a professor of international relations at the University of Algiers, said that “the Muslim community should have a proactive policy and should be able to influence the events to come”.
“The Muslim community in the United States has important tools at its disposal to influence public policy,” Kellala added. “The first of these elements is to benefit from the next election in America that will be held in November, enabling the incumbent president who represents a symbol for minorities to continue in office for at least the next ten years.”
Walid Ramzi
Magharebia