So why are legislators so eager to block the deal, and to deny Arab individuals the equal protection of the laws? It seems pretty clear that they are being swayed by a rote fear of Muslims. This is not surprising. During World War II Japanese Americans were rounded up and hauled off to internment camps. Their internment was cloaked in nationalism. But we now know they presented no legitimate threat to national security, and the stripping of their civil liberties was fueled by racist ideology.

Granted, refusing to let Muslims manage port operations is not nearly as open, flagrant or egregious as the internment of Japanese during World War II. But the knee-jerk response to the Arab Emirates deal does smack of the same xenophobic fear. The fact is that prior to September 11, Americans were not terribly concerned with terrorism. But following an attack on American soil, many Americans are now afraid of future attacks by people already inside of our borders. The same sort of fear permeated the public following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In both cases, fear has led to hostility toward a particular ethnic group.

The sad thing is how eager our Congressmen are to capitalize off of this anti-Muslim fear and prejudice. Appealing to the post September 11th surge in patriotism, our legislators spew anti Arab vitriol. They urge us to stand up and rail against the Arab Emirates plan to take over shipping operations at six U.S. ports. They do not reserve this treatment for the other countries that manage U.S. ports. Just the Arabs are denied equal protection of the laws as guaranteed by the Constitution. Just the Arabs are singled out as a threat. Just the Arabs are singled out for unfair treatment. The Arabs are coming! The Arabs are coming, exhort our leaders. It’s amazing how willing our leaders are to sell out our constitutional principles in order to coral a few votes. But it’s just plain sad how willing people are to devour these paranoid delusions.