Despite having an estimated population of 3.5 million and being integrated in many parts of the United States, Arab Americans remain a largely misunderstood ethnic group, especially in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. For example, the common assumption that Arab Americans are devout Muslims is incorrect; according to the Arab American Institute, 63% of Arab Americans are Christian.
The term “Arab American” is often used to describe a broad range of people who are ethnically diverse and come from many countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Some Arab Americans have been in the United States since the 1880s. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 did serve to highlight the necessity for Americans to better understand the discrete nations and ethnicities of the Middle East.
This title documents the key aspects of contemporary Arab American life, including their many contributions to American society. It begins with an overview of the immigrant experience, but focuses primarily on the past decade, examining the political, family, religious, educational, professional, public, and artistic aspects of the Arab American experience. Readers will understand how this unique experience is impacted by political events both here in America and in the Arab world.
