Middle Eastern American
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Middle Eastern American | |
|---|---|
| Image:Mina Bissell.jpgImage:AnoushehAnsari.jpgImage:Dr. Oweiss in his classroom at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar.JPGImage:Firouz-Naderi-JPL.jpg | |
| Total population | 936,656 0.4% of the US population |
| Regions with significant populations | Los Angeles, California, California, New York, Florida, Washington D.C. and Virginia |
| Language | American English, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, others |
| Religion | Bahá'í Faith, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, others |
Middle Eastern American (Mideastern American) is a term used by universities such as the City University of New York<ref>Kharrazi, Ali. The Graduate Center. MEMEAC. 2003. November 4, 2006. [1]</ref>, University of California, Los Angeles<ref>UCLA. MEARO. 2003. Novermber 4, 2006. [2]</ref>, Santa Clara University<ref>Middle Eastern American Resources. 1999. November 4, 2006. [3]</ref>, Central Michigan University<ref>Central Michigan University. Middle Eastern American Cultural Resources. 2000. November 4, 2006. [4]</ref> and UC Berkeley<ref>UC Berkeley. Media Resources Center. Middle Eastern Americans. 1996. November 4, 2006.[5]</ref> for a American of Middle Eastern ancestry. The term is often used interchangeably with Arab American by such organizations as the Center for Near Eastern Studies in their program of Middle Eastern and Arab American Gender Studies.<ref>UCLA. Center for Near Eastern Studies. 2006. November 4, 2006. [6]</ref>
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[edit] US Census Racial Classification
Middle Eastern Americans are classified as White on the 2000 US Census along with North Africans and European Americans.<ref name=cen>U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population, Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data File.Race Retrieved September 18, 2006</ref> North Africa is considered to be part of the Middle East region by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs<ref>International Information Programs USINFO.STATE.GOV. Middle East and North Africa. 2006. November 4, 2006.[7]</ref>, so the specification of North Africa was most likely a clarification. The region of Central Asia is often considered part of the Middle East due to a shared culture and religion.<ref>World Atlas.com The Middle East. September 30, 2006. [8]</ref> Central Asia is not considered to be explicitly labeled Asian by the 2000 US Census, so Central Asian Americans are probably classified as Middle Eastern Americans. Pakistani Americans while sometimes included in this region are specifically classified as Asian.<ref>Barnes, Jessica. The Asian Population: 2000. 2002. November 4, 2006.[9]</ref>
In the USA, common non-governmental, colloquial and social understandings of "White" differ from that country's official government definition by excluding Muslims<ref>Painter, Nell Irvin. Yale University. Collective Degradation:Slavery and the Construction of Race. Why White People are Called Caucasian. 2003. October 9, 2006. [10]</ref> and Americans without European ancestry.<ref>Jay, Gregory. University of Wisconsin-Milwakee Who Invented White People? 1998. November 5, 2006.[11]</ref> Although under some definitions of Asia "West Asia" is included, Middle Eastern Americans are not usually considered Asian Americans.<ref>Lee, Sharon M. Population Reference Bureau. Asian Americans Diverse and Growing. 2006. September 10, 2006. [12]</ref> Thus, they are often spoken of as separate groups<ref>Regents of UCLA. UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. 2006. November 4, 2006. [13]</ref><ref>Hanshaw, Rick. Richland College. Asian/Middle-Eastern Studies. 2005. November 4, 2006.[14]</ref>, although some Asian American groups consider Middle Eastern Americans also Asian American.<ref>Asian American.net. Middle East. 2001. November 4, 2006.[15]</ref>
[edit] Discrimination
- Further information: Stereotypes of Arabs and Stereotypes of South Asians
Middle Eastern Americans are often considered an invisible minority.<ref>City University New York. MEMEAC. 2005. November 4, 2006.[16]</ref> After 9/11, they were the target of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred along with South Asian Americans. As a result, some were detained without due process of law under the suspicion of terrorist activities. Coinciding with 9/11, United States politicians such as George W. Bush referred to them with his "good vs. evil" rhetoric. Iranian Americans have had to surpass the anti-Iranian sentiment after the United States involvement in the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979.<ref>UC Berkeley. Media Resources Center. Middle Eastern Americans. I Call Myself Persian. 1996. November 4, 2006.[17]</ref>
[edit] Population
| Ancestry | 1990 | 1990 % of US population | 2000 | 2000 % of US population | Percent change from 1990 to 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Flag of the League of Arab States.svgArab | 127,364 | 0.1% | 205,822 | 0.1% | increased 61.6% |
| Image:Flag of Egypt.svgEgyptian | 78,574 | negligible (no data) | 142,832 | 0.1% | increased 81.8% |
| Image:Flag of Iran.svgIranian | 235,521 | 0.1% | 338,266 | 0.1% | increased 43.6% |
| Image:Flag of Israel.svgIsraeli | 81,677 | negligible (no data) | 106,839 | negligible (no data) | increased 30.8% |
 Syrian
| 129,606 | 0.1% | 142,897 | 0.1% | increased 10.3% |
| Image:Flag of Turkey.svgTurkish | 83,850 | negligible (no data) | 117,575 | negligible (no data) | increased 40.2% |
| Total | 736,592 | 0.3% | 936,656 | 0.4% | increased 27.2% |
[edit] See also
| Demographics of the United States
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| Demographics of the United States • Demographic history Economic - Social Educational attainment • Household income • Homeownership • Immigration • Income quintiles • Language • Middle classes • poverty • Religion • Social structure • Unemployment by state • Wealth
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[edit] References
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