The only reason that courts in the US ruled that way was to systematically deny Arabs the right to anti-discrimination or racial equity measures and so that when hate crimes happen it's not possible within the legal system to try a white person for hate crimes against Arabs.
that's not true historically or legally. racially motivated hate crime laws don't require that the victim be targeted for being of a race that is recognized by the US government.
The only reason that courts in the US ruled that way was to systematically deny Arabs the right to anti-discrimination or racial equity measures and so that when hate crimes happen it's not possible within the legal system to try a white person for hate crimes against Arabs.
I thought it was because Jesus came from the Middle East, Jesus = white, so QED Middle Easterners have to be white. The court rulings for the whiteness of Arabs happened in the early 20th century, predating any sort of hate crime and most civil rights measures.
Modern day though, I can see why MENA-american communities may want that distinction to grant protections.
that's not true historically or legally. racially motivated hate crime laws don't require that the victim be targeted for being of a race that is recognized by the US government.