The Only Good Lebanese is a Dead Lebanese, Says Former U.S. Diplomat to Lebanon

Racism against Arabs and Muslims is alive and well in the U.S. More often than not, such racism goes unnoticed primarily because antagonism towards Arabs and Muslims has become so commonplace and acceptable in American discourse. Too often we see pundits with certified histories of unquestionable and open racism against Arabs and Muslims (such as Coulter, Pipes, etc) invited time and again to cable news shows. Such racism, it seems, is only addressed when manifested in a way that is prohibited by law. Rarely do we see a level of moral outrage by members of society comparable to that when other minority groups are victimized (take, for example, Imus, who has a long track record of anti-Arab racism that precedes his last racist outburst).

That said, yesterday, Patrick Syring of Arlington, Virginia was indicted after sending racist messages to the Arab American Institute (AAI) last year during Israel’s bombardment of Lebanese civilians. The AAI is an Arab-American non-profit organization headed by James Zogby and known for its moderate views. In the numerous telephone and email messages, Syring is reported to have said:

“The only good Lebanese is a dead Lebanese. The only good Arab is a dead Arab.”

“Arabs should burn in the fires of hell for eternity and beyond" and praised Israeli forces for "bombing Lebanon back to the Stone Age where it belongs.”

"You and your Arab American Institute . . . should burn in the fires of hell for eternity."

Some observations... First, I’m not so sure that Syring has committed a crime. Though I have not seen the indictment, the published quotes do not seem to rise to the level of threatening. Second, Syring is very proud of his racism; apparently, he identified himself in the phone message he left to the AAI, and sent all of the emails from his personal account. Third, for the record, this is not a rare and unique occurence. This happens all the time with Arab- and Muslim-American groups, activists, and professionals. Receiving hate mail has just become a part of being Arab in America. Fourth, though I believe he has a First Amendment right to be racist, why did it take the State Department over a year to get rid of him? (Technically, he was not fired, but retired last month). That’s right, believe it or not, Syring worked in diplomacy. More surprising, Syring held a high position at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, of all places. I wonder if Syring would have also lasted a year at the State Department had his racism been directed towards another group.