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4:0 AM

1/12

2001

14

V

GROWING

CLOUT from page 12

many Americans — Jewish or not —
are concerned that Arab Americans
may be providing financial or logisti-
cal support for terrorist activities
aimed at Israel or at America. They
cite specific instances in which Arabs,
particularly Muslims, have been linked
to violent incidents.
Al-Marayati, like other Arab
American leaders, dismissed the allega-
tions that covert cells in the U.S. sup-
port terrorist activity in the Middle
East as so much pro-Israel propaganda.
"When it comes down to
Palestinians, the fund-raising has been
for people with no schools or shelter,
and that's where the money is going.
When we talk about people blowing
themselves up, those are acts of des-
peration that don't require funds," Al-
Marayati said.
Malcolm Hoenlein remarked that
Spencer Abraham's nomination as
energy secretary did not arouse any
concern in the Jewish community,
which has prevailed in keeping out the
voices it considers dangerous to
American ideals, Al-Marayati's includ-
ed.
"When we have objected, it hasn't
been on the basis of a person's religion
or nationality, but the person's views,"
he said.
Basha, of the American Muslim
Council, said the fears are exaggerated.
And anyway, he said, Jewish organiza-
tions raise far more money for Jewish
settlers than any U.S.-based Arab
group could raise for Palestinians.
"There are humanitarian entities
based here or elsewhere that try to get
finances overseas," he said. "But peo-
ple are focusing on their issues and
events, and sooner or later, fund rais-
ing will become less popular."

Olive Branch?

UNTO

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Wedding and Party Specialists
Flowers For All Occasions

Building Cohesion

Aside from interfaith coalitions and
"bridge building" between American
Jews and Arabs in Israel, most notably
a project at. the New Israel Fund to
raise money for Israeli Arabs, the dia-
logue between Arab and Jewish groups
in the United States is almost invisi-
ble.
Still, leaders agree the potential for a
good working relationship is there.
The Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit's efforts on
behalf of the Arab community
"reflects a lack of anxiety and fear of
each other," said Basha.
"In time, other groups could bring
Jews and Arabs together. What hap-
pened in Michigan could be copied or
duplicated. The negatives are a reflec-

tion of the Middle East, and the
media show the worst of the picture,"
he said.
David Gad-Harf of the Jewish
Community Council, the only Jewish
group he knows of in the U.S. that
has worked in coalition with Arab
American organizations to fight immi-
gration quotas and the use of secret
evidence, said Arab Americans will
eventually be more amenable to work-
ing with outsiders, Jews among them.
The effect will be dramatic, he said
— and not at all frightening.
"With the growing sophistication of
the Arab community, they'll realize
they'll have to work in coalition with
others. That tends to have a moderat-
ing influence. Once you know some-
one, it's hard to see them as an
enemy," he said.
But which party will offer the olive
branch is the central question.
James Zogby, founder and head of
the Arab American Institute, is rueful
about the battering he has taken at the
hands of Jewish organizations, particu-
larly since he routinely defends him-
self against Arab accusations of being
too conciliatory.
When Al Gore appointed him as a
senior advisor to his presidential cam-
paign, Zogby was accused in newspa-
per editorials of supporting Hezbollah.
His son Joseph came under fire for
articles he wrote as a law student
about the plight of the Palestinians
when he worked at the State
Department under Martin Indyk,
U.S. assistant secretary of state for
Near Eastern affairs.
Mort Klein of the ZOA led the
charge, calling for Joseph Zogby's
ouster from the department. Abe
Foxman of the ADL also weighed in,
accusing Indyk of hiring Zogby to
assuage Arab American concerns that
too many Jews worked in the State
Department.
Although the young Zogby was
leaving anyway to take a job at the
Justice Department, his father said it's
hard to shake off the sense that he
can't win.
"I want to build relations between
our communities, but it can't be at the
expense of my son, and it can't be at
the expense of being fair with each
other. I defended Joe Lieberman, and
I'm still being attacked in e-mails. I
know the man, and I disagree with
him on some of his votes, but he's
fought for us and he's a good guy,"
Zogby continued, adding: "Should we
not step out of our respective commu-
nities and make efforts to improve our
relations?"

.

❑

