Arab American Voters' Concerns Same as All Americans
阿拉伯裔美国人投票取向和关注点

　
Arab American voters say they share the same concerns as other segments of American society. They are worried about jobs and the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare and education. But many have also expressed concerns about the way the words "Arab" and "Muslim" have been used negatively in the race for the White House. From Brooklyn, New York, where Arab American voters recently gathered to hear from local candidates, as well as representatives from the Obama and McCain campaigns ahead of next week's election.

美国的阿拉伯裔选民说，他们和美国社会其它部分的人关注同样的问题。他们为就业、经济、伊拉克战争、医疗和教育感到担心。不过，许多人还表示，在总统竞选中，“阿拉伯”和“穆斯林”这样的词汇被人们加入了负面的含义，这令他们感到担心。最近，阿拉伯裔美国选民在纽约市的布鲁克林区组织集会，在下周的选举开始前倾听当地候选人和两位总统候选人的代表发表的讲话。

More than three million Americans are of Arab descent. The majority are Christians, only about a quarter are Muslim.

美国的阿拉伯人后裔有三百多万。他们中的大部分人信奉基督教，只有大约四分之一的人是穆斯林。

According to U.S. Census data from 2000, Arab Americans have large communities in five key states in the upcoming presidential election - Michigan, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

根据美国2000年人口普查的结果，总统选举的五个关键州内都居住着许多阿拉伯裔美国人。这五个州是：密西根、佛罗里达、俄亥俄、宾夕法尼亚和弗吉尼亚。

The head of the Washington-based Arab American Institute, Jim Zogby, said Arab Americans are concerned about the same issues that all Americans are worried about.

华盛顿的阿拉伯裔美国人学会的负责人吉姆·佐格比说，阿拉伯裔美国人关注的问题也正是所有美国人担心的问题。

He said, "Our concerns are like the rest of the country's concerns. We just finished a poll of Arab Americans and 80 percent said the economy is their number one concern."

“我们和其他美国人担心一样的问题。我们刚刚对阿拉伯裔美国人进行了调查，百分之80的人说，经济问题是他们最关心的。”

That poll also found the war in Iraq, health care, gas prices, national security, education and taxes to be important issues to Arab American voters.

这项调查还发现，伊拉克战争、医疗、汽油价格、国家安全、教育和税收也是阿拉伯裔美国选民所关注的问题。

At the election event in Brooklyn, members of the large local Arab American community echoed those concerns.

在布鲁克林区举行的选举活动上，当地庞大的阿拉伯裔美国人社区的居民也表达了同样的观点。

One of them said, "My concern is when are we going to have universal health insurance for our community and every community in the United States? My concern is about education - I have three kids in college and one in the public schools. What is going to happen to our children in the future? I have a son who is a veteran - he just came back from Iraq. No one came out and said thank you to him. No one offered him any benefits, no one offered him any job."

一位居民说："我关注的是，我们这里和美国各地的人们什么时候才能获得全民医疗保险。我还关注教育，我有三个在上大学的孩子，一个在念公立学校。我们的孩子未来的生活会是怎样的？我的一个儿子是退伍军人，他刚刚从伊拉克回来。没人过来向他表示感谢。没人为他提供任何福利，或给他任何工作。”

Nearly half of Arab American voters are registered Democrats, and in a Zogby International poll conducted last month, Senator Barack Obama led Senator John McCain by 14 percent among Arab Americans. That support was strongly reflected among the about 200 people - Republicans and Democrats alike - who turned out in Brooklyn to hear their local candidates and representatives from the Obama and McCain campaigns.

有近一半的阿拉伯裔美国选民是注册的民主党成员。佐格比国际公司上个月所做的民意调查结果显示，奥巴马在阿拉伯裔美国人中所获的支持率比麦凯恩高出百分之14。大约200名阿拉伯裔美国选民参加了布鲁克林区举行的集会，倾听当地候选人和两位总统候选人的代表发表讲话。这些选民中有民主党人也有共和党人。可以强烈感受到他们对奥巴马的支持。

One of them said, "I'm a registered Republican, but I'm voting for Barack Obama this year. I just feel his positions on many, many things - whether its domestic policy or foreign policy - are sort of more in tune with what I would like to see.

参加集会的另外一位阿拉伯裔选民说：“我是一名共和党成员。但是我将在今年投票支持奥巴马。我在很多问题上同意他的立场，无论是在内政还是外交政策上。”

Obama also has support among newly naturalized Arab Americans, including one who said, "I'm so glad this year I can vote, because I like Obama and I like his ideas too."

奥巴马还获得了刚刚成为美国公民的一位阿拉伯人的支持：“今年我可以投票了，这真是太好了。因为我喜欢奥巴马，我也欣赏他的想法。”

But one thing that does trouble Arab Americans is the way the words "Arab" and "Muslim" have been used so negatively in the presidential campaign.

False rumors that Senator Obama is a Muslim or has ties to terrorists have been making the rounds for months on the Internet, news channels and elsewhere.

At a recent McCain rally, one woman told the candidate she had heard that Senator Obama is an Arab. Mr. McCain replied, "No ma'am, he's a decent family man and citizen" - leaving many Arab Americans to wonder if that meant they are not.

在最近的一次麦凯恩支持者集会上，一名妇女告诉麦凯恩，她听说奥巴马是一个阿拉伯人。麦凯恩回答说：“不，女士，他是一个道德良好的顾家男人和美国公民。”这番话使许多阿拉伯裔美国人产生疑问：难道这意味着阿拉伯人就不是道德良好的公民么？

Only recently did a prominent political figure - former secretary of state Colin Powell - say out loud what many Arab Americans have been thinking - what would be wrong if Senator Obama was a Muslim? And why shouldn't a Muslim American child believe that they could be president one day?

直到最近才有一位知名的政界人物道出了许多阿拉伯裔美国人的心声。这个人就是前美国国务卿鲍威尔。他说，就算奥巴马真是穆斯林，又怎么了？此外，为什么一个穆斯林美国孩子就不能认为自己有一天能成为美国总统呢？

An Arab American commented on that. He said, "The fact that Colin Powell actually came out and said this was, I think, amazing, especially being a Republican, coming out and saying what he said, really impressed us. He is actually the first politician to come out and say something within this nature. Otherwise, unfortunately, it has been politically okay to say, for Muslims to be discriminated against in this country - and it's not okay."

一位选民说：“我认为，鲍威尔能够站出来说这番话真是令人钦佩。特别是作为一名共和党人，他能这样做的确给我留下了深刻的印象。他是第一个站出来说这种话的政界人物。否则，很不幸的是，穆斯林在美国受歧视成了在政治上可以被接受的现象。而这是不对的。”

They said that just because they are Muslim or Arab does not make them any less American or less worried about the direction this country is going. Many acknowledge that their vote is the best way to let their voices be heard.

这些选民说，他们也是美国人，他们对美国未来走向的担忧并不因为他们是穆斯林或者是阿拉伯人而减少。许多人认识到，他们手中的选票是表达自己观点的最佳途径。