Alien… Arab… and maybe Illegal in America

In Alien…Arab…and Maybe Illegal in America, Mohamed Fandi writes a fascinating account of what it means to be a foreigner and an Arab living day-to-day in America, particularly after September 11. The author also answers some important questions: Why would an Arab choose to overstay his visa and risk deportation? And why he prefers to live here, with all of the concomitant post-9/11 racism, when he could remain in, or return to, his native country and live in peace? What is most compelling, however, is the view offered into the mind and heart of U.S.-based Arabs, and particularly Muslims. Mohamed Fandi understands what it is to leave one’s country. As an Arab and a Muslim, his dreams were no different from any young man: to achieve and make for himself a productive and joyful life in America. As a citizen, he enjoys all the rights and privileges of his adopted country, while ever cognizant of the stigma of belonging to a culture that is looked upon with disfavor and, in some instances, hatred. ]With more than twelve million illegal aliens residing in the United States, the public is inundated with news features about political wrangling over immigration laws and the ongoing controversy about border patrols. In Alien…Arab…and Maybe Illegal in America, U.S. citizen Mohamed Fandi presents an insider’s view into a world of which little is written, except in the most volatile and sometimes offensive manner: the Arab alien.] New York Times best selling author Ellen Tanner Marsh.