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Rise in anti-Arab discrimination in America “more intense” and “alarming” ADC official warns
By Ray Hanania
Anti-Arab racism is increasing “dramatically” but more “alarmingly” are becoming commonplace across every aspect of American life, the executive director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Abed Ayoub said recently.
Ayoub said anti-Arab discrimination has been weaponized “across-the-board” by politicians, government officials, businesses and social media in today’s “politically polarized” America.
The increasing trend of reported incidents of discrimination “rings alarm bells,” he said.
“There’s always been discrimination against our community, against other communities in this country. It’s just part of life here in the US. But since October 7th, since the genocide started, we’ve seen this discrimination manifest in many different ways that we haven’t seen before,” Ayoub said.
“It’s not only coming from a certain demographic or a certain political party. We’re seeing discrimination come from Left to Right, Center, everywhere. The biggest form of it is the censorship and the trampling on our First Amendment rights, something that should worry all Americans, not just Arab Americans.”
Ayoub acknowledged it has transformed from “not liking you” to “wanting to hurt you.”
The danger is that “this shift in discrimination cases” has a chilling impact on the victims of anti-Arab discrimination, who are then afraid to complain and lose their jobs. It involves cases where the hate turns into “harmful” punitive actions that change lives, Ayoub acknowledged.
“They’re trying to hurt us, and it’s organized. This isn’t your knee-jerk, you know, old, old-school discrimination. This isn’t the post 9/11 discrimination,” Ayoub said, referencing how many Americans embraced racist notions against Arab Americans after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Ayoub said reported incidents of racism and discrimination continue to increase, especially during the past two years since the Israeli war on Gaza began.
“We’re seeing a change in the intensity of the discrimination. In other words, it did seem like it, previously it was from certain areas and types of incidents, but now you’re seeing it is widespread, and it’s not the traditional discrimination we see,” Ayoub said.
“Incidents like someone pulling somebody’s hijab off, or they’re calling them derogatory racial names. Now the discrimination is tied to firings, school and university professors being let go. A person loses his job because he put up a Palestine flag on as his Facebook profile picture. This type of, of singling out because of positions on Palestine and, and against Israel and against the genocide, is what they are being attacked for.”
ADC was founded in 1980 to fight discrimination against Arab Americans. The group works with lawyers to file lawsuits to block discriminatory practices, such as the weaponizing of “anti-Semitism laws” to silence free speech critical of the Government of Israel’s policies, Ayoub confirmed.
A recent case involves a law introduced to the California state legislature, AB 715 — which uses vague definitions of “antisemitism” standards to suppress classroom discussion of Palestine, Israel, and “Zionism,” and targets Arab Americans who engage in criticizing Israel’s government actions.
ADC filed a lawsuit to block AB 715, which could subject teachers to discipline for presenting basic facts about Israel’s occupation of Palestine, the negative impact of Israel’s creation on Palestinians, and the genocide in Gaza.
Another case involved Algerian Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a spokesperson for the “2024 Gaza Solidarity Encampment” of Columbia University students demanding a ceasefire. Khalil was arrested on March 28, 2025, and held in detention for 104 days on charges that he posed “risks” to U.S. Foreign policy and faced expulsion to Syria or Algeria. His case against deportation is in the U.S. Courts, supported by ADC.
Ayoub said today’s environment of polarized political debate and hate is empowering people to be bolder in their discrimination, “Those that are, you know, committing the discrimination feel empowered. They feel like nothing could happen to them.”
Discriminatory incidents are intensifying in communities with sizable populations of Arab Americans, although in Michigan, the community has come together to address it and fight it.
Ayoub said that much of the hate is directed at Palestinians and the issue of Palestine.
“This is far more sophisticated and advanced. It is organized. It is going after people for what they say, what they do, and what they post. We’ve seen that happen, case after case, story after story, how many professors have we heard from are being let go from their universities,” Ayoub explained.
“We’ve had university presidents being forced to step down because of the [Gaza Ceasefire] encampments and the protests and the First Amendment. … I think this is the first time in my lifetime, the first time Palestine and our positions on Palestine are so intertwined with our domestic policies here at home.”
The racism is also being fueled by incendiary rhetoric by politicians who are running for office, “with some ugly things said and done by those seeking to be reelected or elected for the first time over the next couple of years.”
Ayoub said that Americans who believe they are the victims of discrimination must step forward in order to confront this rising trend.
ADC will work with them, he said. Discrimination can be reported to ADC on their website at www.ADC.org.
He said the racism is prompting many Arab American communities to establish ADC chapters in their cities to coordinate Free Speech protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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