By Arsalan T. Iftikhar

Arsalan T. Iftikhar, National Legal Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

This article is based on excerpts of the author’s speech entitled “Media Madness and Minority Stereotypes” delivered at Harvard University on March 4, 2005.

History of ‘Nativism’ in America

The demonization of minority populations in the United States is an unfortunate, but all too frequent chapter in the continuing narrative of American civil rights history. Although the American Muslim community is experiencing greater public and legal scrutiny because of recent events, its status as a targeted group must be seen within the broader context of the struggle for fair and equal treatment carried out by minority communities previously under the spotlight, including the African American, Jewish American, and Japanese American communities, among others.

The concept of nativism, which refers to the “sociopolitical policy, especially in the United States in the 19th century, favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants,” began as Irish Catholics emigrating to Manhattan were persecuted for their faith and immigrant status by the Protestant and predominantly Germanic “natives.” Many Americans were educated about nativism during its most recent pop culture encapsulation in Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film, “Gangs of New York.”

Nativism in the 19th century evolved into a discourse of racial marginalization in the 20th century and beyond with the advent of the American version of propaganda and its ability to marginalize minority populations in the United States.