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Arab Americans deserve same respect as all Americans

To the Editor,

What do Ralph Nader, Steve Jobs, Tiny Tim, Casey Kasem, and Sen. John Sununu all have in common? They are all Americans of Arab ancestry. They are on an impressive list of people which also includes Rep. Ray LaHood, Nelson Bible Institute founder Sam Moore, Entertainer Salma Hayek, and author Mona Simpson.

Since 2001, Americans of Arab ancestry have been much maligned by the media and the public. This is a case of unnecessary bigotry. Arab Americans had nothing to do with 9-111 and were as outraged about it as you and I were.

The handful of famous people mentioned above are part of a group of several million persons who contributed to American culture and everyday life. The vast majority of Arab Americans are not Moslems, but Christians. Many of them left countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan to find a better place to practice their faith.

To many people's surprise, many Arab Americans do not live on the West Coast or East Coast, but are from places like Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio. Yes, many of them are Midwest born and Midwest bred!

The time has come to put aside prejudice against Arab Americans. We need to accept them just as we need to accept other people who are not European in origin. We Christians must especially stop our bigotry of this group and respect them the way we respect the Jews, who have also made great contributions to our culture and society. Even though there are not a lot of Arab Americans in our area, the seeds of hate run deep and hatred stretches far beyond an uneducated mind to an intolerant heart.

Check of the list of famous Arab Americans on the Internet. You will be surprised who you find.

David Shipp Nevada, Mo.