Posted on 02/21/2006 12:30:45 PM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - 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.
Citing what they say are fears of lax security, politicians from both parties called on President George W. Bush to cancel the deal and several began drafting legislation to block it. The issue was also increasingly being aired on conservative talk radio stations and in Internet blogs.
"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.
He said politicians were exploiting fears left over from Sept. 11 to gain advantage in a congressional election year.
"Bush is vulnerable so the Democrats jump on it. The Republicans feel vulnerable so they jump on it. The slogan is, if it's Arab, it's bad. Hammer away," Zogby said.
According to some industry analysts, the change in management would have no real effect on security, which would still be carried out by American workers to international standards. The UAE, whose government owns Dubai Ports World, is an international financial hub and close U.S. ally.
"The Emirates have been very pro-active partners in helping our security. They have a solid track record of cooperation," said Peter Tirschwell, publisher of the Journal of Commerce.
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.
Despite the UAE's close ties to the United States, some critics say lax controls allowed some of the Sept. 11 hijackers to exploit its banking sector to transfer funds to support the attacks. Others have suggested its commercial links with Iran are a cause for worry.
"It is obviously an emotional, political and security issue, but I don't see xenophobia involved in this," said Peter Brookes of the conservative Heritage Foundation.
CHINESE PRECEDENT
The opposition was reminiscent of a similar controversy last year when China National Offshore Oil Company Ltd. tried to purchase Unocal, a U.S. oil services company. The Chinese company ultimately withdrew its offer in the face of fierce political opposition.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham said Americans were not against foreign acquisitions as such but were suspicious when they involved security infrastructure.
"Americans right now want free trade, but when it comes to national security issues, we want to maintain the infrastructure ourselves," he told Fox News Sunday.
"I don't think now is the time to outsource major port security to a foreign-based company," he said.
Daniel Griswold of the libertarian Cato Institute said opposition to the Emirates acquisition had more merit than the opposition to the Chinese energy bid.
"Here, there are legitimate questions of port security. Experts have long warned us that U.S. ports could be an entry point for weapons of mass destruction and we can only search one container in every 20 that come in," he said.
But Griswold conceded anti-Arab feelings were also playing a role. "It's obviously part of the mix and there's also some misunderstanding and a lot of political grandstanding going on," he said.
Everything is racist according to these people.
Anti-UAC Protesters at Ground Zero protesting the United American Committee's Rally Against Islamofascism on February 1.
Keep in mind this is at GROUND ZERO where 3,000 Americans were murdered by Islamic extremists. You have permission and we ask that you please publish this picture wherever possible.
http://www.unitedamericancommittee.org/
Aw, poor babies. I'm supposed to care?
But this is what is so delicious about Chuckie and MRS. BILL CLINTON jumping on the bandwagon against this without thinking through the implications.
Why would want to give over our ports to foreign interests? This whole thing is stupid.
I guess Im a biggot!
"Arab Americans See Bigotry Behind Ports Uproar "
let them see whatever they want , we are just calling a spade a spade
We should tell the Arab world to piss off and drill our own oil in Alaska...
Oh wait, we cannot do that.
Well, maybe we should have the TSA manage the ports since they are doing such a great job with our airports...
Oh wait, that isn't working.
Maybe some American company can buy the service contract and maintain the ports. There had to be a bidding process on this. Who bid?
Sheesh! And the US will let them get away with the race card bait. Good grief!
"Maybe some American company can buy the service contract"
Hmmm...how novel. Maybe that would mean, that the profits stayed IN COUNTRY!!!!! WOW!!!!!.
They see bigotry in anything that is not total submission to Islam.
Color me bigotted, because I will not, in any way,shape or form,submit!
(enough commas?)
I'm not an isolationist so I do think it's a no Arabs no Muslims under any circumstances and in a world with this many Muslims, that's not realistic.
Well there's a shocker.
Muslims contending bias and bigotry against them.
Funny how their whining is always so much louder than their denunciations of Muslim violence.
"Hmmm...how novel. Maybe that would mean, that the profits stayed IN COUNTRY!!!!! WOW!!!!!."
How's the weather in that isolationist dream world you live in?
Since when is islam a race?
"How's the weather in that isolationist dream world you live in?"
Skies are darkening, with a chance of IEDs.
Of course they play the race card cause that is ALL this is about. Read the stories, the ONLY reason the Chicken Littles are in a panic is because an ARAB company is buying the slips. There is NO factual data presented in any of the stories. It is all panic, innuendo and rumor. Funny how the Same panic stricken fearmongers NEVER stopped for even an instance to think that this company is all ready SHIPPING tens of thousands of containers TO the US from ports all over the world. They have ZERO security function and the panic over this has NOTHING to do with any security concerns. It's just stupid grandstanding by the Democrat Senate Election comittee and look how quickly some supposedly "Conservatives" jump at the DNC bidding.
So Christians around the world are being attacked and murdered over some danish cartoons and WE are racists???
LOL! (bitterly)
When it comes to Muslims, I will ALWAYS distrust them! It was just a couple of days ago that Muslims were protesting around the world and calling for the destruction of America. Did you hear CAIR or Zogby protesting them then?
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