Book Review: How Does It Feel To Be A Problem? Being Young and Arab In America

In How Does It Feel To Be A Problem? Being Young and Arab In America, author Moustafa Bayoumi tells the stories of seven young Arab and Muslim Americans who he claims to be victims of racial profiling and discrimination resulting from the American government's efforts to defeat the “war on terror.” He begins his book by citing American civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, who wrote The Souls of Black Folk in 1903 in an attempt to expose readers to black culture, thereby bridging the gap between African-American minorities and Americans who viewed them as a problem. Bayoumi's goal, like Du Bois', is to elaborate not only the culture of Arab and Muslim Americans, but to, with their experiences, paint a picture of how difficult it is to be America's newest minority. Bayoumi explains that while the American creed of fairness is “supposed to mean that we ought to be judged not by our religion, gender, color, or country of origin, but simply by the content of our individual characters ... The terrorist attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the explosion of political violence around the world have put that dream in jeopardy for American Arabs and Muslims” (3).

Profiled in the book are young Arab-Americans from Brooklyn who have fought against the American system to find a bit of equality for themselves and their families. From Rasha, whose family was profiled and imprisoned as suspected terrorists, to Sami, who worked his way up the military ladder to fight against his own people in Iraq, to Yasmin and Omar, who worked to find equality for Arabs and Muslims in the school and workplace, Bayoumi writes engaging pieces that highlight the struggles of these people. Furthermore, the book details how many of these individuals were lead to America either by being driven out of their own country or to capitalize on the country's motto of “the land of opportunity.” Unfortunately for these individuals, they seek opportunity in America at a time when the country is on the attack against anyone vaguely similar to those terrorists who perpetrated the events of 9/11. As Bayoumi explains, “While it could be said that profiling other groups was officially un-American, profiling Arabs and Muslims made good national security sense” (4). This profiling has created numerous problems for young Arabs and Muslims in America. Their lives are now dictated by national security, which means their jobs and careers become unstable, and they are on the constant defense of their ethnicity.

In the Afterword, Bayoumi blames America for being imperialistic, for attempting to control the Middle East and its people for its own financial gain. He cautions against this, stating that “political theorists of empire have repeatedly cautioned that the consequences of imperialism can reach far beyond the colony” (268). Bayoumi is unmistakably Neomarxist in his assessment of the situation. He views America not as a benevolent hegemony to the world, but as an imperial power determined to create a monopoly on the world. 9/11 gave America a reason to justify military operations in the Middle East, as well as a reason to completely overhaul federal law enforcement to prevent further terrorism within America's borders. Arab and Muslim Americans have become Bayoumi's proletariats, as the American government has been determined to keep their presence and importance in the country minimal. While many examinations of Neomarxism (like Michael Hardt and Antionio Negri's Empire) are difficult to interpret, Bayoumi's book is a good case study for the theory of empire. It is the theory of empire in action. His book is certainly positioned against the American theme of Manifest Destiny, and he uses poignant examples to explain how this type of imperialism is dangerous to human rights worldwide. “What we are currently livng through,” Bayoumi explains, “Is the slow creep of imperial high-handedness into the rest of American society, performed in the name of national security and facilitated through the growth of racist policies”( 269). The only way to retaliate against the empire is through resistance, he claims, and the efforts of the young Arabs and Muslims portrayed in his book are simply the first step in the right direction.

Work Cited
Bayoumi, Moustafa. How Does It Feel To Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab In America. New York: The Penguin Press, 2008.