Arab American

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Arab Americans are Americans of Arab ancestry and constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from 22 Arab countries, stretching from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east. Arab Americans are also Middle Eastern and North African Americans i.e. terms that do not equate ethnic heritage with nationality, but rather a geographic area. Although a highly diverse ethnic group, Arab Americans descend from a heritage that represents common linguistic, cultural, and political traditions.

1 Population
2 Religious background
3 Racial status
4 See also
5 External links
6 Books
7 Arab American Organizations

[edit] Population

Image:Arab American National Museum.jpg

The majority of Arab Americans, around 62%, originate from the region of the Levant, comprising Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan. The remainder are made up of those from Iraq, Morocco and other Arab nations, which, although small in numbers, are present nonetheless. There are more than 5 million Arab-Americans in the United States according to The Arab American Institute. The largest Arab American populations are found in Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois. The city with the largest percentage of Arab Americans is Dearborn, Michigan at nearly 30%. Other major communities are in Paterson, New Jersey/Clifton, New Jersey; Brooklyn, New York; Miami, Florida; Los Angeles County, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Bridgeview, Illinois.

[edit] Religious background

While the overwhelming majority of the population of the Middle Eastern region, and, in particular, the countries of the Arab world, are identified as adherents of Islam, the majority of Arab Americans are Christian, not Muslim [1]. According to the Arab American Institute, Christians account for 62% of the Arab American population, while Muslims account for 25%, and the rest of the 13% identify as other religion, or no affiliation. The percentage of Arab-American Christians are; Catholics (Roman Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics - Maronites and Melkites) 35%, Orthodox Christians who are at 18%, and Protestant Christians are 10%.

[edit] Racial status

Arab Americans in the United States had been categorized as Caucasian American along with other Middle Eastern Americans by all government agencies and for statistical compiling by the United States census, until their official racial category changed to "White."<ref> Ian F. Haney-Lopez, White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race (New York: New York University, 1996), Appendix "A".</ref> According to one social scientist, fewer people have been using the term Caucasian American, and more people have been using the terms White American and European American.<ref>Skirble, Rosanne. New Voice of America. 2001. September 4, 2006. [2]</ref>