This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror

The 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States led to, among other things, sweeping arrests, incarceration, and deportation of many Arabs and Muslims, largely based on their immigration status or national origin. In this book, Bayoumi, an American scholar of Arab origin (English, Brooklyn Coll., City Univ. of New York; How Does it Feel To Be a Problem??) examines how contemporary American politics and social mores have produced a culture of fear and suspicion that has affected U.S. civil liberties. In a series of fascinating essays, the author's narrative places the predicament of Arabs and Muslims in today's America in a broader historical and sociocultural framework. The book's first section focuses on the historical evolution of these groups in this country. The second part analyzes theoretical issues, particularly the lingering impact of what the late Edward Said referred to as "Orientalism" on "knowledge production" about Arabs and Muslims. The third segment examines the political consequences of the "War on Terror" on Muslim Americans and provides a useful overview of political measures that have complicated the landscape of their everyday life. Finally, Bayoumi probes the development of the societal representation of Muslims in America and how culture has been used as a weapon of war.