People In Arizona Offended By Middle Eastern Dust Storm Words?

According to the NYTimes, some people in Arizona are offended by the term “Haboob” when referring to dust storms. I don’t know if the short NYTimes article is being sensationalist or if there are more than a few people cited in the article that are actually offended.

Not everyone was put out by the use of the term. David Wilson of Goodyear, Ariz., said those who wanted to avoid Arabic terms should steer clear of algebra, zero, pajamas and khaki, as well. “Let’s not become so ‘xenophobic’ that we forget to remember that we are citizens of the world, nor fail to recognize the contributions of all cultures to the richness of our language,” he wrote.