Nearly 90 percent of Arab-Americans support US President George W. Bush's response to the September 11th attacks, but one fifth said they had since experienced discrimination, a poll released today shows.
Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed by Zogby International said they supported Mr Bush's handling of the US response, which he has termed a war on terrorism.
More than two-thirds of respondents endorsed an all-out war on countries harboring or aiding those behind the attacks, with 23 per cent opposed, according to the poll, which had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
The FBI has listed 19 suspects with Middle Eastern names, who it says carried out the hijackings. Sixty-six percent of Arab-Americans said they felt embarrassed that the attacks were apparently committed by people from Arab countries.
Since the attacks 20 per cent of respondents said they had personally experienced discrimination and 45 per cent said they knew someone who had been harassed.
But 54 per cent said officials were justified in asking more questions of people with Middle Eastern accents or features, while 36 percent disagreed. Ninety percent said President Bush's conduct toward Arab-Americans had been reassuring.
"The results show Arab-Americans to be proud and committed Americans, who are nevertheless fearful of prejudice and backlash resulting from the terror attacks," said Mr James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute which commissioned the poll.