One Of The Bad Guys?

When they finally realized I was just a tourist-trap junkie, they excused themselves. Usually, it takes about 15 minutes before I am released from airport detention and I'm on my way. Meanwhile, the nonterrorist-looking commuters are left waiting in the long immigration lines, impatiently nudging luggage across the tile floor, complaining about the heat and delays. But the security officers always have a reason to stop me. At Miami, they said I looked like the suspect they were pursuing. And, they just happened to have a Polaroid picture of the ""suspect.'' He wore a double-breasted, polyester leisure suit, with a wide-brimmed Panama hat. And he had olive skin, dark eyes and those skinny little fingers that fit neatly around the trigger of a gun, like mine do. Naturally, I was very impressed. It must be difficult to get a terrorist to stop long enough to pose for a Polaroid picture.

Look, I'm realistic. I don't think we can erase all of Hollywood's stereotypes. But the movies seem fixated on the exaggerated bad side of Arabs. To Hollywood, the Arab is the wife-abuser who wants to buy Steve Martin's home in ""Father of the Bride II.'' Or the guy hanging from the missile in ""True Lies'' when Schwarzenegger pushes the launch button and says in his Austrian accent, ""Yaw're fi-yard!'' We Arabs murder innocent airline passengers in ""Executive Decision'' simply because it makes us feel good.

Even a company like Disney takes a shot at us, with these lyrics from the movie ""Aladdin'': ""Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam; Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face; It's barbaric, but hey, it's home.'' (Disney responded to Arab-Americans' complaints by changing the last line for the video release.)

Must every Arab portrayed in the movies be the villain? Why can't we be the hero just once? There are plenty of overlooked role models to choose from. The first heart-transplant surgeon is an Arab-American, Michael DeBakey. Candy Lightner, who founded Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, is Arab, too. There were at least 74 Arab passengers aboard the Titanic when it sank. Half of them drowned. Director James Cameron had a good opportunity to highlight the human side of the Arab community. Instead, he chose to highlight a make-believe Irish wedding aboard the ship, rather than include one of the three Arab weddings that actually took place.

Arabs are everyday people. Doctors. Teachers. Football stars and team owners. Grocery-store clerks. Engineers. Elected officials. We're the mail carriers who deliver your mail. The nurses and emergency medical technicians who hold your hand through tragedy. The clerks who help you at the bank.

I'm not asking Hollywood to hate someone else. That would be wrong. But, I'm asking Hollywood to be fair. Don't just show the bad. Show our good side, too. But, if that can't be done, I do have one last question: are you still mad about the Crusades?

HANANIA <em>is a writer from Chicago.

© 1998