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Arab Americans See Bigotry Behind Ports Uproar [Muslims Play Race Card Quickly, Expertly]
Reuters ^ | 02/21/2006 | Alan Elsner

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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: arabamericans; dhimmitude; islam; islamofascism; muslims; ports; trop; uae; waronterror; whiningwahabbists
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To: Our man in washington
Remind me why I should care whether CAIR's feelings are hurt?

Ditto.

41 posted on 02/21/2006 2:34:46 PM PST by Paul Ross (Hitting bullets with bullets successfully for 35 years!)
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To: Tulsa Ramjet

And I don't need to remind anyone here that the Islamic terrorists had plans to do more than 9/11, but thanks to strong leadership by President Bush after 9/11, they have been prevented (so far) from doing so.


42 posted on 02/21/2006 2:39:04 PM PST by RightWingConspirator (Glad that Ted the Boorish Drunk, Hitlery the Witch and John Fonda/Fraud Kerry are not my senators.)
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
The slogan is, if it's Arab, it's bad. Hammer away.

Mr Zogby doesn't realize that this is not England, and we can feel free to state the obvious. And yes, hammer away.

43 posted on 02/21/2006 2:43:52 PM PST by Sender (As water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions. Be without form. -Sun Tzu)
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To: RightWingConspirator

but thanks to strong leadership by President Bush after 9/11,

probably true, but man, he needs to pull it together on some other serious issues.


44 posted on 02/21/2006 2:43:56 PM PST by Tulsa Ramjet ("If not now, when")
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

Try again. It would be Muslims that make most Americans nervous. Not Arabs.


45 posted on 02/21/2006 2:49:33 PM PST by petitfour
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To: NRA2BFree

I don't trust them either.


46 posted on 02/21/2006 2:52:56 PM PST by Peach
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle; hipaatwo
Rabiah Ahmed of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said members of her organization also believed anti-Arab bigotry was driving the debate.

Nodding to hipaatwo.

It turns out that an anti-Israeli foundation run by the crown prince of Dubai owns the very deed to CAIR's headquarters located almost in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. The foundation has held telethons to support families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:BgAAE3vM-q8J:www.discoverthenetwork.org/Articles/Z-CAIR.htm+cair+dubai&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&client=firefox-a

47 posted on 02/21/2006 3:06:52 PM PST by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: DJ MacWoW

Thanks. I hadn't seen this thread yet.


48 posted on 02/21/2006 3:08:22 PM PST by hipaatwo
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

What they should see is that don't trust them. The US has bent over backwards to be hospitable to Muslims, take in all sorts of Muslim immigrants, support Muslim countries - even though they let off steam by declaring their hatred of the US - and we have suffered nothing but attacks and death at their hands. Yet they accuse us of bigotry.

However, the port deal was not engineered by Bush, and was probably actually a Muslim attempt to enter into the real world. I think it's safe enough - but maybe it's not a bad idea to let the Islamic world know we don't trust them, and even get the Dem flakes committing themselves to this.

Dems love Muslims, and this is about the first time I have ever seen them think it was politically expedient for them to oppose a Muslim country. This will come back to haunt them, but then, everything they do comes back to haunt them...


49 posted on 02/21/2006 3:08:59 PM PST by livius
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To: Mo1; onyx; Howlin; STARWISE

SURPRISE!


50 posted on 02/21/2006 3:10:55 PM PST by hipaatwo
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To: hipaatwo
I don't particularly care what they think at the moment

With that said .. there is a reason Gore made that speech he did and why the media isn't reporting on it

The libs knew what was going on and this smells to the high heavens
51 posted on 02/21/2006 3:13:50 PM PST by Mo1 (Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists.. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
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To: Mo1

Something isn't right here. Can't figure it out but it just doesn't sit right.


52 posted on 02/21/2006 3:20:42 PM PST by hipaatwo
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle



"I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company," Bush said.


53 posted on 02/21/2006 3:22:36 PM PST by Stellar Dendrite (There's nothing "Mainstream" about the Orwellian Media!!!)
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To: hipaatwo

it's an attempt by the Dems to add fuel to the fire

The never miss an opportunity to make America look bad


54 posted on 02/21/2006 3:22:47 PM PST by Mo1 (Republicans protect Americans from Terrorists.. Democrats protect Terrorists from Americans)
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

To: STARWISE; Mo1; onyx

It turns out that an anti-Israeli foundation run by the crown prince of Dubai owns the very deed to CAIR's headquarters located almost in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. The foundation has held telethons to support families of Palestinian suicide bombers.


http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:BgAAE3vM-q8J:www.discoverthenetwork.org/Articles/Z-CAIR.htm+cair+dubai&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&client=firefox-a

1,052 posted on 02/21/2006 4:47:58 PM CST by hipaatwo


55 posted on 02/21/2006 3:24:44 PM PST by Stellar Dendrite (There's nothing "Mainstream" about the Orwellian Media!!!)
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To: Mo1

I don't like CAIR and ZOGBY putting their noses in it. If their for it I'm more against it than I already was.


56 posted on 02/21/2006 3:26:37 PM PST by hipaatwo
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To: Stellar Dendrite


Already posted here. No need to spam.


57 posted on 02/21/2006 3:26:59 PM PST by onyx (IF ONLY 10% of Muslims are radical, that's still 120 MILLION who want to kill us.)
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To: hipaatwo

Flashback - December 13, 2004: Dubai, U.A.E., Joins U.S. Container Security Initiative (State Dept.)
US Department of State ^ | December 13. 2004


Posted on 02/21/2006 4:43:48 PM CST by new yorker 77


Becomes first Mideast port to participate in U.S. program

The United Arab Emirates has joined the U.S. Container Security Initiative (CSI) to help secure maritime cargo shipments against the threat of terrorism.

In a December 12 news release, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) said the agreement will enable all cargo destined for the United States through the port of Dubai to be prescreened.

CBP will station a small team of officers at Dubai ports to identify sea containers destined for the United States; Dubai customs officials will be responsible for screening containers identified as potential terrorist risks, the U.S. agency said.

Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation is the sixth-largest port operator in the world and the first in the Middle East to join the CSI, according to the news release.

To date, governments representing 21 countries around the world have signed up to the CSI program, launched by the United States following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Following is the text of the news release:

(begin text)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Department of Homeland Security

First Middle Eastern Port Formally Commits to Target, Pre-Screen and Secure Cargo Destined for the U.S.

12/12/2004

Dubai, UAE -- Today Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation joined the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Container Security Initiative [CSI] making it the first Middle Eastern port to participate. CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, signed a declaration of principles to acknowledge the agreement that will enable all cargo destined for the U.S. through the port of Dubai to be targeted and pre-screened.

"The threat of terrorism is real and, it's a global threat. Dubai Customs recognizes the absolute importance of protecting cargo against the terrorist threat. I applaud their bold action of assuming a leadership role in the Middle East," said Commissioner Bonner.

CBP will deploy a small team of officers to the port of Dubai, the 6th largest port operator in the world whose mission will be to target sea containers destined for the United States. Dubai Customs officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist threat.

The primary purpose of CSI is to help protect the global trading system and the trade routes between CSI ports and the United States. By collaborating with foreign customs administrations, CBP is working towards a safer, more secure world trading system.

Under CSI, CBP has entered into bi-lateral partnerships with other governments to identify high-risk cargo containers and to pre-screen them before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States. Today, governments representing 21 countries have signed up to implement CSI.

"I congratulate the Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation on this historic event. They are now partnering with the United States and are a leader in protecting the global trading system," said Ambassador to the UAE [United Arab Emirates] Michele Sison.

CSI did not exist before 9/ll. It was proposed by Commissioner Bonner and launched in January 2002. CSI has been accepted globally as a bold and revolutionary initiative to secure maritime cargo shipments against the terrorist threat. This initiative will continue to expand to strategic locations around the world.

The World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union (EU), and the G8 [Group of Eight major industrialized economies] support CSI expansion and have adopted resolutions implementing CSI security measures introduced at ports throughout the world.

The 32 operational ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America include: Halifax, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Le Havre, France; Bremerhaven and Hamburg, Germany; Antwerp and Zeebrugge, Belgium; Singapore; Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kobe, Japan; Hong Kong; Goteborg, Sweden; Felixstowe, Liverpool, Southampton, Thamesport, and Tilbury, United Kingdom; Genoa, La Spezia, Naples, and Gioia Tauro, Italy; Busan, Korea; Durban, South Africa; Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia; Piraeus, Greece; Algeciras, Spain; and Laem Chabang, Thailand.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the protection of our nation's borders. CBP unified Customs, Immigration, and Agriculture Inspectors and the Border Patrol into one border agency for the United States.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)





58 posted on 02/21/2006 3:28:19 PM PST by onyx (IF ONLY 10% of Muslims are radical, that's still 120 MILLION who want to kill us.)
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To: onyx

i didnt see it....geez.


59 posted on 02/21/2006 3:28:28 PM PST by Stellar Dendrite (There's nothing "Mainstream" about the Orwellian Media!!!)
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To: dubyaismypresident

religion is not a race


60 posted on 02/21/2006 3:30:19 PM PST by bigsigh
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