Erika Wilhite
Published: March 8, 2006
Several days ago I was informed by an acquaintance that “the U.S. is selling terminals in port cities to Saudi Arabia” and assured that this was a “terrorist threat” of extreme nature.
So, my initial reaction was a mixture of bewilderment and outrage – bewilderment because such a move seems like political suicide, outrage because the Saudis already have their hands far enough down our collective pants for my personal comfort (they just flex their fingers, and we wriggle on cue).
But after I got online and did some research on the matter, being suspicious of my source and wanting to be sure of the facts before I started ranting and raving, I had another reaction: embarrassment.
It’s not Saudi Arabia, it’s the Dubai Ports Authority, owned by the United Arab Emirates – an entirely different country!
Moreover, the U.S. isn’t selling the rights to these terminals, which are located in New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans. Why, you might ask? Because we don’t even own them!
DP is purchasing the container terminals from the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is British. It is a private business transaction between two corporations, neither of which is government-operated.
Furthermore, the United Arab Emirates – collectively and individually – have never been shown to have links with any “terrorist organization” (read: al-Qaeda; for the purposes of this article, I won’t go radical and start naming off U.S. terrorist activities. No worry.).
It’s a very rich country, so I’m sure some of its banks have played host to plenty of tainted money, stockpiled with the intent of blowing up infidels, but so have banks in Geneva, London, etc.
To top it all off, the UAE is U.S. friendly, and has been super cooperative in our Crusade Against Brown People. I’m sure oil has something to do with it, but there you have it.
So why all the furor?
(Here is where I launch into my rant about the dangers of xenophobia and misinformation.)
Many Americans- and I mean you, O All-American Armchair Coalition (you know who you are!)- really make no distinction between the many distinct countries located the Middle East, despite those handy cartoon maps that pop up on CNN. Nor do many recognize the fact that Muslims- hey, kind of like Christians- don’t all share the same religious or political viewpoints.
Just because the UAE is a Muslim country in the Middle East, and even though the name of the country happens to contain the word “Arab”, doesn’t make them a terrorist threat. Plenty of Middle Eastern countries are friendly to and allied with the U.S.- much to the confusion of the All-American Armchair Coalition.
If the U.S. is going to become part of a global society (and we’re on our way, whether we like it or not), we have to start paying more attention to what actually goes on in the world. We have to stop judging other nations based on their religion, skin tone, and – perhaps just as vital – their location. There is no room for generalizations and hostile ignorance.
That said, if you’re still fussy about the situation and think it poses a terrorist threat – make up your own mind. Get online and do some research; most of the details are available if you’re willing to take the time to read it. Or you can just let Fox News do it for you.