On her website , Malkin wrote : I was compelled to write this book after watching ethnic activists , historians , and politicians repeatedly play the World War II internment card after the September 11 attacks . The Bush Administration 's critics have equated every reasonable measure to interrogate , track , detain , and deport potential terrorists with the " racist " and " unjustified " World War II internment policies of President Roosevelt . To make amends for this " shameful blot " on our history , both Japanese-American and Arab/Muslim-American activists argue against any and all uses of race , ethnicity , nationality , and religion in shaping current homeland security policies . Misguided guilt about the past continues to hamper our ability to prevent future terrorist attacks . There was considerable media interest in the book especially on the West Coast of the U.S. and Hawaii , where the impact of relocation and internment in World War II was greatest . It made the '' New York Times '' Best Seller list in September 2004 . As anticipated by Malkin , the book proved to be highly controversial , with some civil liberties and Asian-American groups being harshly critical of the book 's conclusions
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
In Defense of Internment