Prominent Russian-American Objectivist author , scholar and philosopher Ayn Rand , in her 1974 Ford Hall Forum lecture , explained her support for Israel , following the Yom Kippur War of 1973 against a coalition of Arab nations , expressing strong anti-Arab sentiment with a words : " The Arabs are one of the least developed cultures . They are typically nomads . Their culture is primitive , and they resent Israel because it 's the sole beachhead of modern science and civilization on their continent . When you have civilized men fighting savages , you support the civilized men , no matter who they are . " During the 1991 Gulf War , hostility toward Arabs increased in the United States . Arab Americans have experienced a backlash as result of terrorist attacks , including events where Arabs were not involved , like the Oklahoma City bombing , and the explosion of TWA Flight 800 . According to a report prepared by the Arab American Institute , three days after the Oklahoma City bombing " more than 200 serious hate crimes were committed against Arab Americans and American Muslims . The same was true in the days following September 11 . " According to a 2001 poll of Arab Americans conducted by the Arab American Institute , 32 % of Arab Americans reported having been subjected to some form of ethnic-based discrimination during their lifetimes , while 20 % reported having experienced an instance of ethnic-based discrimination since the September 11 attacks . Of special concern , for example , is the fact that 45 % of students and 37 % of Arab Americans of the Muslim faith report being targeted by discrimination since September 11
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Anti-Arabism