Arab, Muslim-American anti-war activists face special challenges because of ethnicity, race

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- When Amjad Obeidat marched at a rally against war with Iraq, his red and white Arab headdress was a reminder of what sets him apart from many other activists.

"I really do feel connected to the people of that region, to the people who are going to die," said Obeidat, with the headdress -- a gift from his Jordanian mother -- draped around his neck at a recent San Francisco demonstration.

With America on the brink of invading Iraq, many anti-war activists feel a sense of frustration. But few have faced the difficulties that Arab and Muslim activists say they've encountered in making their voices heard.

Though their reasons for opposing the war are generally the same as those of other activists, many say they're viewed with suspicion because of their ethnicity and faith.

"Our motives are questioned to a certain degree because of our connection with that part of the world," said Obeidat, a member of American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism, a Northern California advocacy group.

"Somebody might look at us and say, 'Well you're unpatriotic,' but also, 'You're Muslim. You're Arab. You're suspect. Somehow maybe you're a fifth column in this country, maybe you're actually doing this with sinister motives."'

To combat such stereotypes, Shahed Amanullah features a commentary titled "Memo to Osama bin Laden: Go To Hell" on the front page of his Muslim news and discussion Web site.

"Most Muslims I know always have to start off by saying, 'Yes, I know Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator,"' said the Oakland engineer.

"People who are not Muslims can kind of get away with being more strikingly anti-war than Muslims can be," he said. "If we were to say the exact same thing that someone who wasn't Muslim was saying, then somehow our basic Americanness would be questioned."

Ali Abunimah, who last month co-founded Electronic Iraq, a Web site about the U.S.-Iraq showdown, has seen similar sentiments in a handful of racist e-mails he's received.

"They see my name and they assume I'm Arab and Muslim, and that I don't belong here and if I disagree with the government I ought to 'Go home,"' said Abunimah, who is Palestinian and Jordanian and has written anti-war editorials on the site.

Arab and Muslim activists have felt vulnerable ever since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They cite a string of new policies they believe target their communities and discourage people from openly expressing their views, including a requirement that men visiting from mostly Muslim countries register with the government.

"There's this culture of fear that Muslims are living in," said Yusef Daulatzai, a Los Angeles doctoral student studying clinical psychology.

Some think "we're being watched, we're being monitored, phone conversations, e-mails are being monitored. Many people don't want to speak publicly."

With war seemingly closer than ever, some activists are preparing for a return of the backlash violence that struck after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"We are now worried about how to protect our community from the violence we might face during this war, as Arab-Americans in this country," said Tawfiq Barqawi, a member of the Gloucester County, N.J., Human Relations Commission.

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On the Net:

American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism: http://www.amila.org/