Just one month before the 2010 midterm elections, a new public opinion poll shows that Arab-American voters favor Democrats over Republicans by a wide margin. The survey also finds that discrimination against Arab Americans appears to be on the rise.
在2010年美国中期选举即将举行的一个月之前完成的一项新的民意测验显示，阿拉伯裔美国选民大都支持民主党。这项民意测验还发现，对阿拉伯裔美国人的歧视似乎呈上升趋势。
Americans go to the polls next month to cast their votes against during a time of continued economic distress and unresolved conflicts across the Middle East. Arab Americans, once considered a political swing group, are now solidly in the Democratic camp, according to the new survey by Zogby International, which was sponsored by the Arab American Institute.
美国人下个月初将参加中期选举投票。在中期选举来临之际，美国的经济困境依然在继续，中东地区的冲突依然没有解决。阿拉伯裔美国人一度被认为是政坛上的摇摆群体，但这项由阿拉伯裔美国人研究所“左格比国际”主办的新的民意测验显示，阿拉伯裔现在明显地摆向民主党的阵营。
Favoring Democrats
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, points to foreign policy and civil rights as major reasons for the community's support of the Democratic party.
该研究所的所长詹姆斯·左格比表示，外交政策以及公民权利问题是导致阿拉伯裔美国人支持民主党的主要原因。
"It is not the party that made the war in Iraq. It is not the party that supported the devastation of Lebanon. It is not the party that supported and wrote the PATRIOT act and supported the abuse of civil liberties," says Zogby
他说：“民主党不是发动伊拉克战争的党，不是支持毁坏黎巴嫩的党，不是支持和起草爱国者法、支持践踏公民自由的党。”
The survey shows that Arab-Americans support Democrats two-to-one over Republicans on national security, fighting terrorism and the economy. On the issue of civil liberties, the margin is three-to-one in favor of the Democrats.
在国家安全和打击恐怖主义的问题上，阿拉伯裔美国人以二比一的比率支持民主党而不是共和党；在经济问题上，阿拉伯裔美国人以二比一的比率支持民主党；在公民自由问题上，阿拉伯裔美国人以三比一的比率支持民主党。
The survey was conducted during the last week of September, following weeks of controversy over plans by a Muslim group to build an Islamic cultural center and mosque - called Park 51 - near the site of the World Trade Center.
这项民意调查是在9月最后一个星期进行的。在此之前的几个星期，一个穆斯林团体在纽约世界贸易中心旧址附近建设一个伊斯兰文化中心和清真寺的计划引起了争议。
Many opponents of the project were conservative Republicans, who said building a mosque there would be insensitive to the families of those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Zogby says that reinforced Arab-Americans' tendency to lean toward the Democrats.
很多持反对意见的人是保守派共和党人。他们说，在那里建设一所清真寺伤害那些在伊斯兰恐怖主义团体基地组织发动的9/11袭击中死亡的死者家属的感情。左格比表示，这种局面加强了大多数阿拉伯裔美国人支持民主党的倾向。
Discrimination
Nearly half of those polled also report experiencing discrimination.
参加民意测验的人将近一半报告说，他们感受到了歧视。
"When we asked Arab-Americans, 41 percent said they have been discriminated against because of their ethnicity. They are sensitive to these issues because they know when it does not smell right , does not feel right," says Zogby. "People are not going to vote Park 51, that is not going to be the cause of the vote, but it has created an atmosphere which reinforces a sense of not being welcomed, of not being included."
左格比说：“我们询问阿拉伯裔美国人这个问题的时候，有41%的人表示他们由于族裔的原因而受到歧视。他们对这些问题敏感，因为他们知道事情不对头。人们不会为纽约的清真寺建设问题投票，但是，有关的争议造成了一种气氛，让阿拉伯裔美国人更加感觉到他们在这个国家不受欢迎，不被容纳。”
Zogby says the Arab-American vote in the midterm elections will be significant in Pennsylvania, Ohio, California and Florida, where there are large Arab-American communities. He expects a very significant impact in Michigan, where Arab-Americans make up five percent of registered voters.
左格比表示，阿拉伯裔美国人的选票对宾夕法尼亚、俄亥俄、加利福尼亚和佛罗里达等州的中期选举具有重要意义，因为这些州有很多阿拉伯裔美国人。他预计阿拉伯裔美国人的选票在密西根州会有非常重要的影响，因为那里的选民多达5%是阿拉伯裔美国人。
Increased participation
Hassan Jaber, executive director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Michigan, says one of the center's goals is to increase Arab-American political participation in the state.
哈桑.贾比尔是密西根州经济和社会服务阿拉伯社区中心的执行主任。他说，该中心的一个目标就是增加在该州的阿拉伯裔美国人的政治参与。
"Detroit is one of the largest Arab-American communities in the nation and the community is extremely dynamic and engaged," says Jaber. "We have seen more engagement in the political process and obviously the Arab-American community has a lot of economic clout in Detroit, so it is significant. We work with community leaders in making sure that we maximize the engagement of Arab-Americans and that there will be coordination among Arab-American organizations."
“底特律是美国阿拉伯裔最集中的地方。那里的阿拉伯裔美国人非常积极，关心国事。我们看到在政治过程当中有更多的人给予关心。显然，阿拉伯裔美国人在底特律有很大的经济影响力。因此，阿拉伯裔社区是不可忽略的。我们跟社区领袖们合作，争取最大程度地让阿拉伯裔美国人参与，阿拉伯裔美国人的组织彼此间有协调合作。”
According to Jaber, similar efforts are being made in many other Arab-American communities throughout the U.S., but there is a special focus on Michigan.
贾比尔说，美国各地的阿拉伯人社区也在进行类似的努力。但是，密西根州的努力有特殊的焦点。
"There are scheduled fundraising events almost every evening this week, there is, in Michigan, recognition of the size and of the power of Arab-Americans and we are very happy with the level of engagement."
“这里在这个星期几乎每天晚上都有筹款活动的安排。在密西根州，人们意识到了阿拉伯裔美国人是一个巨大的群体，拥有巨大的力量。我们为他们的参与程度而感到高兴。”
Jaber says candidates often attend these fundraising events, where Arab-American voters express their concerns over the rising trend of discrimination and the racial profiling of Arabs and Muslims at American airports.
他说，候选人经常参加筹款活动。他们在筹款活动中听到阿拉伯裔美国人选民表示，他们担忧对阿拉伯裔的歧视呈上升状态，以及在美国的机场对阿拉伯人和穆斯林另行检查的做法。
The Zogby poll indicates that jobs and the economy are the top priority for 70 percent of Arab-American voters, followed by the war in Iraq, Middle East peace efforts and other foreign policy concerns.
左格比民意调查显示，对70%的阿拉伯裔美国人选民来说，就业、经济是他们关心的首要问题，接下来他们关心的是伊拉克战争、中东和平的努力，以及其他外交政策问题。
On virtually every one of these issues, respondents said that the Democrats would do a better job than the Republicans and that they favor a Democratic-controlled Congress. Mid-term elections will be held on November 2, 2010.
在这些问题当中几乎每一个问题上，接受调查的人表示，民主党人会比共和党人做的更好，他们支持民主党人控制的国会。美国中期选举将在11月2日举行。 |