Shortly after 9/11, many Arab-Americans were victims of prejudice... being blamed for the acts of madmen. Now that our country is at war in Iraq, many fear history may repeat itself

It's a situation which has prompted several Arab-Americans to take action. They're voicing their concerns to local government leaders. Today, Kalamazoo's mayor, Robert Jones, and his team responded.

This morning the group started discussing plans with Arab leaders, hoping to quell their fears and promote unity,"we have to make sure that our emotions don't get out of hand and that we don't get out of hand, and that we don't categorize people based upon their religion and ethnicity," says Alexandria Osborne, secretary for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Mayor Jones issued a proclamation to commemorate the meeting stating all hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.