From BookJive
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| Edition: | Regnery Publishing (Hardcover) |
| Author: | Michelle Malkin |
| Published: | July 2004 |
| Pages: | 376 |
| ISBN 10: | 0895260514 |
| New: | $6.23 (36) |
| Used: | $0.01 (73) |
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In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror is a 2004 book written by conservative American political commentator Michelle Malkin. Malkin tries to justify the United States government's internment of Japanese Americans in relocation camps during World War II and extend that logic to justifying racial profiling of Arabs during the post-2001 War on Terror. The book's message has been condemned by Japanese American groups and civil rights proponents. Its scholarship has been criticized by academics.
Writing of the Book
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.
Response to In Defense of Internment
The book proved to be highly controversial when published, with Asian-American groups in particular being highly critical. John Tateishi, the Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League issued a media release on August 24, 2004 stating "Michelle Malkin's book In Defense of Internment: The Case for Racial Profiling in World War II and the War on Terror is a desperate attempt to impugn the loyalty of Japanese Americans during World War II to justify harsher governmental policies today in the treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans."
The organization Historians' Committee for Fairness condemned the book as "a blatant violation of professional standards of objectivity and fairness".
There was considerable media interest in the book especially on the West Coast of the U.S. and Hawaii, where the impact of internment in World War II was greatest. As a result of the interest in the book, it made the New York Times Best Seller list in September 2004.
