May 1990, Page 43

Arab American Activism

By Catherine M. Willford

AAl Schedules May Conference

The Arab American Institute will hold its Fifth Annual Leadership Conference, "Campaign '90: Year of Challenge and Change," May 10-12 at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. Scheduled speakers include Democratic National Committee Chair Ron Brown, National Republican Congressional Committee Co-Chair Ed Rollins, syndicated columnist and television commentator Patrick Buchanan, and Arab-American mayors from across the US. For information contact AAI at 918 16th Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC 20006 or call (202) 429-9210.

National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce Elects Board

The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce elected new directors at its February board meeting. They are: Chairman, Cherif Sedky, a partner at the law offices of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart; Vice-Chairman, Abdallah Dabbagh, Secretary General of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry; Treasurer, Kayid Shawish, Vice President, International Division of First American Bank; and Secretary, John R. Hayes, Vice President of Middle East Public Affairs, Mobil Oil Corporation.

The board also approved plans for 1990 programs presented by NUSACC President J.R. AbiNader. They include seven conferences related to trade delegations, the promotion of two trade shows, seminars for the Arab embassies, a luncheon speakers series and an annual members conference. The Chamber began its 1990 programs with a January briefing for Arab ambassadors on US anti-boycott legislation and regulations. For information, contact NUSACC at 1825 K Street NW, Suite 1107, Washington, DC 20006 or call (202) 331-8010.

ADC Reacts to Stereotypes

Shortly before the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) held its 10th Anniversary Convention March 22 to March 25. group officials announced agreements reached with three major US corporations in response to incidents of defamation and negative stereotyping of Arabs.

The agreements between ADC and the Quaker State subsidiary Minit-Lube, Schweppes, USA and the National Broadcasting Corporation were hailed by ADC President Abdeen Jabara as "tremendous victories that underscore the growing effectiveness of ADC in its efforts to rid American culture of racist, anti-Arab stereotypes."

The first accord followed an ADC protest of full-page Minit-Lube advertisements that depicted Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, and a generic Arab sheikh with the caption, "Finally, Someone in the Oil Business You Can Trust."

Charging that the ad, used in Washington, Utah, Arizona, North Carolina and California, suggested that Arabs are not to be trusted, ADC opened talks with company executives who had already been deluged by angry calls from Arab Americans throughout the country.

Minit-Lube Marketing Director Paul Remund cancelled all further use of the ad, apologized to Arab Americans for this "unintended negative statement, " and offered a substantial monetary contribution to the ADC Internship Program as a gesture of goodwill. Minit-Lube will also assist ADC in devising a program to sensitize the entire advertising industry in an effort to prevent a recurrence of the Minit-Lube controversy.

ADC also persuaded Schweppes, USA to halt further use of a commercial that precedes the popular James Bond video "License to Kill" until a negative Arab character in the promo spot is removed. The commercial featured, among a number of villains, a man with a dagger in traditional Arab headdress.

Schweppes agreed to remove the headdress, thereby rendering the character nonspecific. Company officials expressed their regret at having inadvertently engaged in negative Arab stereotyping.

A third agreement between ADC and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) covered measures to offset the Feb. 2 broadcast of the "Mancuso FBI" series. In that episode, a Prince Bahami, identified as the leader of the United Arab Emirates, is portrayed as a murderer and extortionist contemptuous of conventional Western values.

Charging that the "mean-spirited" episode was "an obvious case of malicious intent to malign Arab men, Arab culture and traditions and the Muslim world, " ADC immediately contacted NBC officials to demand that corrective measures be taken to prevent the airing of such offensive material in the future.

ADC's Director of Public Relations Faris Bouhafa and New York Manager of Media Relations Kate Seelye met with NBC executives in New York. NBC apologized and invited ADC to conduct a workshop in July to be attended by every member of the Broadcast Standards Department. NBC also agreed to edit the most offensive lines and scenes from the episode in question, and assured ADC that, should the series be renewed next year, one episode will feature a positive Arab character in a leading role.

While praising NBC, Schweppes and Minit-Lube for their responsiveness, ADC President Abdeen Jabara noted that "as ADC approaches its 10th birthday, US corporations are far more responsive to our concerns than they used to be. The grassroots organizing efforts of Arab Americans are beginning to pay off in a tangible way.

Catherine M. Willford is circulation director for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.