Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

When Germans Were Muslim
Thursday, March 29, 2007

I was recently reading the book "New World Coming" by Nathan Miller, about the 1920's, when I came across this passage about World War One that reminded a lot of how Muslim Americans have been treated in recent years.

"Once war was declared, German-Americans became the victims of American prejudices. Although previously highly respected, they were now suspected of espionage and sabotage. The German language was banned from the schools, German books were burned, Beethoven and Wagner were dropped from orchestral programs, and with patriotic zeal, sauerkraut was transformed into "liberty cabbage." In Baltimore, German Street became Redwood Street and the waiters at the city's leading German restaurant were rumored to be spies. Writers with Germanic-sounding names, among them Henry Mencken and Theodore Dreiser, were harassed. Super-patriotic vigilante groups such as the American Protective League and the National Security League rounded up supposed "slackers," pacifists, and conscientious objectors, with official approval."

Posted by B Feiler at 9:22 AM
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