A TV commercial depicting Arab-American family life is the latest tactic by the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) to appeal to Arab-Americans, reports The National. In a move to recruit Arab-American and Iranian-American employees, the intelligence agency recently produced two television commercials aimed at the ethnic groups.

At The National, Steven Stanek comments that although the CIA does not release statistics of the ethnicity of its agents, its lack of Arab and Farsi speakers is evident. “Only about a third of analysts and 40 per cent of overseas operatives are proficient in a foreign language,” he notes.

Affirming Stanek's postulation, the agency created a five-year plan to boost fluency in Arabic and other languages, reports NewsMax. “We are actively looking for people who are from first and second-generation American communities, people who know the cultures that we need to operate in, know the language,” said CIA Spokeswoman Marie Harf.

The commercial has not aired on television, but the CIA recently held a private screening for its target audience. The screening took place in Dearborn, Michigan, which boasts a large Middle Eastern population, including over 30,000 Arab-Americans. Approximately 40 people attended the viewing.

The advertisement aimed at Arab-Americans portrays family life. NewsMax describes the commercial as showing guests sitting around a dining room decorated with Middle Eastern wall-hangings. “It's an inviting, if idealized, dinner party scene from any Arab-American home,” observes the news site, while Stanek at The National remarks, “It has all the trappings of the modern-day iftar.”

At the end of the 30-second spot, a narrator with an Arabic accent says, “Your nation, your world.” The shot zooms out to an image of the United States from space as the narrator asserts, “They're worth protecting.”

Results from focus groups and comments from CIA employees of Middle Eastern heritage informed the content of the ad, claims NewsMax. The commercial attempted to portray Arab-Americans as citizens who “want to retain their ties to their homelands but embrace a sense of duty to the US.”

Christina Petrosian, chief of advertising and marketing for the CIA's recruitment and retention center, spoke of the deliberate use of Middle Eastern images in the commercial. “It's important for them to know we understand how important their culture is to them. They're not going to lose that once they walk through the front doors of the CIA to work,” she stated.

She described the Middle Eastern-style wall hangings and dinner settings as “connectors to the Arab world.”

The CIA's culturally-based approach speaks to a skeptical Arab-American population. Many of the country's Arabs and Muslims are suspicious of the US government's intelligence agencies. They believe that spying is going on in mosques, among other activities detrimental to the Arab community, according to NewsMax.

Khalil Al-Hajal, community editor at the Dearborn-based Arab American News newspaper, spoke of the community's skepticism. “There definitely is an image problem,” he commented. “For many people, just because of the record of torture and extraordinary rendition, the CIA will never be able to get in with them.”

Al-Hajal is familiar with the CIA's recruitment strategy, as the agency has been recruiting in Dearborn since 2002. Despite acknowledging the community's suspicion, Al-Hajal did not directly express disapproval with the CIA's latest tactic. “They're making an effort, and it's clear,” he admitted.

Although the private screening drew applause, some Arab-Americans expressed confusion over the commercial's message. “I just saw family sharing a meal, doing what we do best -- the hugs and kisses over great food and great company -- but I didn't see why it's important to the CIA,” said Suehaila Amen, a community activist in Dearborn.

However, Petrosian said she believes the commercial will resonate with the Arab-American audience. “Showing the commercial in this way -- with a Middle Eastern focus -- hopefully that will generate that interest,” she asserted.