Arab Americans have lived in America for centuries, but still have to go through the disadvantages of being a minority. Arab Americans are a small group and over the years, have gone through a vast amount of experiences. From first coming to America slightly unnoticed, then being hated because of a problem between America and their home country, to becoming some of the most intellectual people with four-year degrees in America.
Arab Americans immigrated to the U.S. around 1880’s, seeing that their own countries of which they came from, weren’t doing so well financially. The early ancestors were majority Syrian, Lebanese and Palestine men, in hopes of enough money to return back home with little financial problems. They settled in New York, Boston and Detroit. Many of the early Arabs were Christian and got along with American society easily. They were mostly unnoticed by the general group and kept to themselves. By 1940, there were about 130,000 and 350,000 Arab immigrants. A lot of the men were unskilled and found work in the industrial factories and textile mills; some also chose to be salesmen and peddlers. (Abraham) Since there were not any disagreements between the Arabs, it was easy for there not to be any reason to discriminate. The Arabs seem to have come to America with just a simple goal for money, not wanting to start any problems with the Americans and easily followed the American way. They built their own colony of sorts and got around just fine with no problems. They took simple jobs since they were illiterate, which could be one other reason they were unnoticed. ‘When World War II occurred the immigration slowed, but quickly continued when the war ended. During the war, those who came to America settled where jobs w...
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...y’ve been named by stereotype because of bad actions made by people that just happen to be Arab. Even their ancestors went through hard times because their religious belief wasn’t Christianity, and Americans didn’t exactly accept their belief. Some of the Arab Americans have to go through hurtful discrimination and others live well off in America, getting a good amount of money and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Works Cited
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Macionis, John J.. "Race and Ethnicity." Society: the basics. 12th ed., Annotated instructor's ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2013. 279,280,282,293. Print.
Winant, Howard. 2000 "Race and race theory." Annual review of sociology ():-. Retrieved from http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/winant/Race_and_Race_Theory.html on Mar 17, 1980
concerns racial equality in America. The myth of the “Melting Pot” is a farce within American society, which hinders Americans from facing societal equality issues at hand. Only when America decides to face the truth, that society is not equal, and delve into the reasons why such equality is a dream instead of reality. Will society be able to tackle suc...
Has the New York Times negatively stereotyped Arab Muslims for the past forty years? The goal of this research project is to reveal the negative stereotypes directed towards Arab Muslims in the New York Times. The critical focus of the research is the consistency of the negative stereotypes. The underlying focus is what theoretical and historical effects result from the negative stereotypes.
In society today, race can be viewed in a variety of ways, depending on the manner in which one was raised, as well as many other contributing factors. These views are often very conflicting, and as a result, lead to disagreement and controversy amongst groups. Throughout history, many communities have seen such problems arise over time, thus having a profound impact that can change society in both positive and negative ways. Such a concept is a common method through which Charles W. Mills explain his theories and beliefs in his written work, The Racial Contract. In this particular text, Mills explores numerous concepts regarding race, how it is viewed by different people, and the sense of hierarchy that has formed because of it. Nevertheless, when certain scholars think about and discuss race in society, they often take different approaches than those by Mills mentioned prior. HowevSimier, regardless of the different approaches that may be taken, often times a common idea can be found amongst them, which further ties in The Racial Contract. For example, the text “Racial Formation in the United States” by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, as well as “The Lincoln-Douglass Debates” can both be found to have a correlation regarding race within Mill’s work.
Schaefer, R. (Ed.). (2012). Racial and ethnic groups. (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Scholars over the years have been studying the impact Arab American immigrants have had on Southwest Michigan. In recent years this has become a very important topic, due to the rapid growth and success that Arab Americans are showing. A wide misconception that we must apply when speaking about Arab Americans is calling them Muslims, they are used simultaneously and this is incorrect. Arab’s are a race who originates from the 22 Arab countries while Muslims are followers of the Islamic religion . Arab American entrepreneurs have opened many businesses and are continuing on a remarkable path that is astonishing for a race that is still in its young days. Post 1965 immigrants mostly Lebanese and Syrian decant gained increasingly due to new federal laws that allowed immediate entry if you were related to an American Citizen . This wave also occurred due to the Six Day War the sixty’s, and the two US Gulf Wars . Riding down Warren Ave any day during the week will show the strides that Arab American entrepreneurs have been able to make. The Arab race today is neglected in a way in which they are not written about much, and are not looked upon as a powerhouse in the economy in which they should be. Examining the economic impact Arab Americans have, the struggles they faced, and the future road in Southwest Michigan is essential and must be explored.
Schaefer, Richard, T. Racial and Ethnic Groups. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
Many Muslim immigrants came to the United States of American as slaves from Africa during the 1500’s. Free Muslim immigrants started to arrive to the USA as early as the 16th century, more of them started to migrate to the United State after the Civil War. Many Muslims used refuge and education as an excuse to come to the United States and start a new life. The fact that dictators dominate most of the Muslim territories usually means that there are persecutions, violence, poverty and even wars. These events caused most of the Muslims to seek happiness and peace in the new world: United States. Education was also one of the reasons why Muslims decided to come to the United States. The universities, economic status, and political freedom that America had to offer attracted more than half a million foreign students. By 1965 there was about 150,000 Muslims that lived in the United States.
Americans felt rage towards those with Middle-Eastern decent, especially after the September 11 terrorist attack. The audio of Shirley Jahad in Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes, reports of people who have faced acts of force and threats the early weeks after September 11, because they appear to be Arabic or are Arabic. There are scores of reports of violence who are or who look Arabic. For example, in San Diego a Sikh 51 year old woman, Sorhan Balar was stopped at a light when a man opened her car door and said “this is what you get for what you people have done to us.” She was hit on the head. Even though she ducked, she still received a cut on her head. The backlashes towards Arab-Americans were a way for Americans to vent. Some have taken patriotism to an excessive level after the terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center towers.
Through the selected readings it becomes clear that race is not only a social construct but also a value that changes depending on the region in which one inhabits. Despite the lack of scientific support for race as a biological phenomenon, race still results in misfortune for many minorities. This present throughout everyday life in terms of job opportunities, education, and life experiences.
This makes us look bad to the rest of the Arab world. Sitting back and thinking about it, in most of the movies I've watched, Arabs are all generally people with plans of terrorism. Whether it's in a serious film such as "American Sniper", or a comedy such as "Don't Mess With the Zohan", an Arabian person is likely to be portrayed as a terrorist. Looking at that from their perspective, I would be very angry when I think about the United States. It would be particularly frustrating knowing I'm not part of groups such as ISIS, yet Americans still want to paint me with negative stereotypes.
Looking at the history of the region, I do not necessarily believe that we can speak of one universal Arab identity. The Middle East has a history that goes back thousands of years full of trade, not only of goods but also of peoples. The movement of many different ethnic and linguistic groups to and within the region has resulted in a very rich diversity of languages, cultures and ethnicities. Every country in the Middle East, in every layer of society had people who have left their mark on cities, landscapes and culture . The region can therefore be described as a melting pot in which ingredients are still being added. While Arabs are indeed the most prominent ethnic group in the region, these historical developments have created a much more complex comprising of ethnic groups. There are for instance also three other ethnic groups, being the Tur...
All things considered, I think that the author formed a far from reality negative opinion about Arabs in his mind through events he experienced with some Arabs. It is quite unjust to judge around 350 million Arabic individual occupying 22 countries spread along 2 continents based on few personal experience. Arabic culture – just like any other culture – has negative sides as well as many positive sides. People should stop prejudicing others and start learning to think deeply before making judgments.
Unlike Japanese Americans in 1941, Arab Americans walk the corridors of political power. Two cabinet secretaries are of Arab descent-Spencer Abraham, the Secretary of Energy, and Mitchell E. Daniels, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Donna Shalala, President Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human Services, is also of Arab ancestry. John Sununu, an Arab American, was governor of New Hampshire and the first President Bush's chief of staff. Several Arab Americans serve in the House of Representatives.