About this report
Metro Detroit's estimated 400,000 Arab-Americans face intense scrutiny and pressure in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Detroit News looks at the impact more than two years into the local war on terror.
Sunday, November 2, 2003: Federal cases against Arab-Americans have tripled, as agents have labeled dozens of Metro Detroiters terror suspects. Investigators have proven terror connections against only one of every 50 terror suspects so far. Arab community leaders complain of selective law enforcement.
Monday, November 3: Immigration enforcement against Arabs in Metro Detroit has risen dramatically since September 11, tearing at families who say they seek the American dream, not terrorism.
Tuesday, November 4: Battlegrounds in the war on terror include local courts and government agencies, where dozens of formal complaints allege anti-Arab racial slurs and civil rights violations.
Under suspicion
Do you think the federal government has been overzealous in its post-Sept. 11 investigations of Metro Detroit Arabs and Muslims?
Where to learn more
The following federal agencies, Arab-American and Muslim groups and civil-rights organizations can provide a wide range of information about the war on terror and its impact on the civil liberties of Arabs, Muslims and all other Americans.
Contact information
 Jeffrey Collins, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan: (313) 226-9100
Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee: (313) 581-1201
Council on American-Islamic Relations: (248) 569-2203
Web sites
Find out more on the war on terror:
 U.S. Department of Homeland Security citizens guide
U.S. Department of Justice
Council on Foreign Relations guide to terrorism
Arab-American history:
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Arab-American Institute
Federal law enforcement agencies:
Michigan Department of Civil Rights
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Special Reports Archive
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The Detroit News
© Copyright 2003 The Detroit News.
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Morris Richardson II / The Detroit News
Brandon Al-Sandouk believes he was fired because he is an Iraqi-American. "How could they do this to me?" he asks. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is investigating.
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Metro Arabs, Muslims suffer harassment, hatred
WATERFORD -- Early on a summer night, a white ice cream truck rolled down a tree-lined street, luring children with its tinny rendition of "The Entertainer." 11/04/03
Discrimination tough to prove
INKSTER -- Muzaffar Lakhani's mail sometimes was opened before it reached his desk. One morning, he spotted scratches and dents on the door knob of his locked office door, leading him to believe that someone had tried to force it open. 11/04/03
Yemenis wary of war on mild drug
To many Yemeni immigrants, chewing the leaves of an exotic plant called khat is an ancient daily ritual. To federal agents, khat is a threat to homeland security. 11/04/03
Immigration crackdown snares Arabs
DEARBORN -- Since September 11, federal officials have wielded immigration law as a major weapon in the war against terrorism, intensely scrutinizing local Arabs, jailing them without bail and ratcheting up deportations in a controversial effort to prevent further terrorist attacks. 11/03/03
Visa violator cooperates, is told to leave U.S.
DEARBORN -- Yehya el-Ali thought he was doing the right thing for himself and his new country. 11/03/03
Metro Arabs pay stiff price for feds' focus on terrorism
The zealous, nationwide effort to root out terrorists after the September 11 attacks has created a culture of fear, anger and distrust among Arabs and Muslims in southeast Michigan. 11/02/03
Deportation threatens to tear Troy father from family
TROY -- Majed Sarhan's garden-level apartment along Interstate 75 is complete with American touches: a television, a wrap-around couch and a stuffed Elmo doll for the kids. 11/02/03
Metro Detroit Lebanese fear growing scrutiny
The war on terror in Metro Detroit is as much about Lebanon as al-Qaida, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden. 11/02/03
Terror war stings innocent man
DETROIT -- Two federal agents rolled up to Saber Bazzi's garage on McNichols last May 8, calmly put the Lebanese mechanic in the back of a black sedan and phoned the office to say they had their man. 10/31/03
Chronology of events
11/02/03
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