Ashlyn Nelson's Anti-Japanese Sentiment During World War II

Ashlyn Nelson, a writer for Al-Jazeera, writes this article about anti-Japanese sentiment during World War II, and its similarities to today’s anti-Muslim sentiment. To open her article, Nelson establishes ethos by stating that her grandparents are both second generation Japanese Americans, or Nisei. She writes about her grandfather moving to America, only to face extreme anti-Japanese hostility. She continues by stating, “My grandfather stopped leaving the house alone because he feared physical assault.” Afterwards, Nelson describes the conditions of the internment camps her grandparents were sent to, saying, “Conditions in both internment camps were deplorable. They were severely lacking in basic amenities such as health and sanitation services.” Finally, Nelson claims that the anti-Muslim and Arab sentiment resembles the …show more content…
The events that unfolded in the novel resemble the difficulties Nelson’s grandparents faced during and after World War Two. For example, Nelson states, “Military officials questioned my grandmother;s parents and searched their home for any evidence of Japanese loyalty.” Similarly, in the novel, the authorities barged into the homes of Japanese Americans, using the war to justify their unconstitutional actions. This supports my second argument that Asian Americans were void of basic rights protected by the Constitution. In addition to illegal searches, Nelson states, “Congress had considered...and successfully implemented a plan to strip some American-born Nisei of their citizenship via a confusing loyalty questionnaire.” Similar to the literacy test given to African Americans, this questionnaire unconstitutionally threatened the rights of many Japanese Americans. Finally, this article is also beneficial in concluding my second point. While discussing the mistreatment of Asian Americans, I can connect it to today’s Arab and Hispanic