After the Murrah bombing, the police arrested an arab as a suspect in the bombing. Lots of noisy rhetoric, but no reports of *any* incidents against people of middle-eastern descent.
In 1980, the owner of the "Red Barn" supper club put a sign up outside his club (just outside of Ames, Iowa) that read, "Iranians not welcome". He never denied service to anyone, and many of his customers were Iranian (members of the Shah's regime and exiles.) Many of the Iranians attending ISU sympathised with his position. The American ACLU made him take the sign down. He put it up in front of his house... which happened to be next door. They made him take it down again. He put up a sign that said, "In your heart, you know".. they made him take *that* down, as well. This was at the height of the hostage crisis.
Score:
middle-easterners hurt by hysterical reactionism: 0
Native-born Americans hurt by hysterical reactionism: 1
"sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
I think your friend can survive a little hostility.
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