ASSOCIATION OF PATRIOTIC ARAB AMERICANS
IN MILITARY
"Patriotic Arab Americans Making
a Difference"
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Published:
May 13, 2002 Marine
Staff Sgt. Jamal S. Baadani was disturbed when his uncle called a few days after
the Sept. 11 attacks and asked him to quickly send a picture of himself in
uniform for use as protection. His uncle
wanted some kind of defense against harassment from co-workers in the Except
for one veiled threat, most of the mistreatment was “the cold shoulder,”
said the uncle, who asked that neither he nor his company be identified. But he
was worried the situation might get worse. “It was
a common thing,” the uncle said. “In the beginning [after Sept. 11],
everybody was mad. Hey, I was mad, too. I may be Arab-American, but this is my
country.” In one
case, 28 people told his boss they didn’t want to work with him. “These are
people I’ve known for a long time,” he said. The uncle
had gotten one picture of his nephew in uniform from Baadani's father
immediately after Sept. 11, but someone stole it from his office. When he got
the new one from Baadani, he put it up in his office but took it home with him
each day. The
picture helped. Fellow workers realized it was his nephew in uniform. “People
asked me about the picture, and they started treating me better,” he said. Patriotic
association is born
Jamal
Baadani knew his uncle’s situation hardly was unique. A threatening note the
staff sergeant’s daughter received on her school locker, and the many
incidents of violence against Arab-Americans in other parts of the The
organization, which now has 300 members, is dedicated to fostering the idea that
Arab-Americans can be as patriotic as any other Americans. Baadani,
37, was born in “The
terrorists who flew into the He has
taken part in operations in the He has
never encountered any problems in the Corps. “I love the Marine Corps.
They’ve never looked at me and said because you’re Arab-American we’re
going to treat you differently,” Baadani said. “The Marine Corps is such a
tight-knit organization. There’s not as much bickering over race. They
overcame those barriers from the get-go.” Baadani
is a reservist with the 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, In
February, in recognition of his founding of the association, the National
Immigration Forum in Baadani’s
uncle said he could not be any prouder of his nephew. “But I’ve always been
proud of him since he was a kid,” he said. In his
Web site’s Hall of Honor at http://www.patrioticapaam.org,
Baadani lists a number of Arab-Americans who have served in the armed forces,
including Army Gen. George Joulwan, the former NATO commander who retired in
1997; Air Force Col. James Jabara, the first U.S. fighter ace in the Korean War;
and Navy Capt. Phil Metres, who was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery in
Vietnam. The
organization also serves as a support network and forum for its members,
including Air Force Staff Sgt. Nidal Allis, who was 10 minutes away from the
Pentagon when the Sept. 11 attack occurred. Allis, a computer operator for the
Defense Information Systems Agency, was in training with other members of his
command. He shared
the same grief and concern as other Americans, and as it became clear the
attackers were Arab terrorists, he began to worry about his relatives in In turn,
his family worried about him going back to work at the Pentagon, where he had
just started duty Aug. 4. He found
his co-workers, however, to be very supportive and protective. “They were
afraid for my well-being,” he said. Allis has
been in the Air Force for seven years, and has met few Arab-Americans in
uniform. Since he
recently joined the Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in the Military,
“I don’t feel as much of a minority,” he said. “We’re all Americans
first. But these are people with the same background. “Now
I feel I can truly speak about it and someone will understand.” |
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