The history of the Arabs in the United States starts in the mid 18th century. There is still a lot of early Arab history that is undocumented. “The first Arabs to immigrate to America came around the 1800s. They were mostly Christians from Greater Syria (present day Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Syria), who came to flee the economic hardships they were facing as a result of the decline in the silk industry, which had been the basis of their economy” (Suleiman, 1999). “Of the approximately 60,000 Arabs who emigrated to the United States between 1899 and 1910, approximately half were illiterate, and 68 percent were single males. The early immigrants were mostly unskilled single men who had left their families behind. Like many economically motivated immigrants during this period, Arabs left with the intention of earning money and returning home to live out the remainder of their lives in relative prosperity” (Abraham). After World War I the United States deemed Asians undesirable. During this time, the number of new immigrants dropped significantly. The racial classification of Syrians and Arabs were brought into questions. Should they be considered White or Asians? Immigrants wanted to be classified as white so they could receive American citizenship. “In their efforts to secure their naturalization and be fully considered whites, the early Arab/Syrian-Leabanese immigrants worked hard at assimilating, attended citizenship classes, Americanized their names, did not teach Arabic to their children and neglected to instill in them pride in their heritage (Suleiman, 1999). Then there was a wave of Arab immigration to America from 1945 to modern times. They came from all parts of the world. There were more Muslims. They were also more educated. “They immigrated because of regional conflicts, such as the creation of Israel and its impact on the surrounding region, civil wars (Lebanon, and political or economic harassment” (Suleiman, 1999). “According to the 1990 census, there were 870,000 persons in the United States who identified themselves as ethnically Arab or who emigrated from one of the 21 countries that constitute the contemporary Arab world. Previous estimates by scholars and Arab American community organizations placed the number of Arab Americans at between one and three million. The discrepancy is partly due to the standardization of Arabs in the United States, leading many to conceal their ethnic affiliation” (Abraham). Many Arabs left their countries because of political instability and wars.
Most of the early Arab immigrants went unnoticed by the general population. “Relations, however, soured for members of the third wave and for native-born Arab Americans after the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War. This situation worsened after the Arab oil embargo and the quadrupling of world oil prices that followed in the wake of the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Arabs and Muslims were vilified as bloodthirsty terrorists, greedy oil sheiks, and religious fanatics by the mass media, politicians, and political commentators. With the fall of the Shah and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini to power in Iran (a large, non-Arab country) in 1979 came another oil shortage and price shock that further exacerbated anti-Middle Eastern sentiment in the United States” (Abraham). When the Reagan Administration waged a war on international terrorism created a lot tension against Arabs. The hijacking of an American passenger plane in Europe to Lebanon also triggered negative feelings against Arabs. “Beginning in the 1960s, the FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and other federal and local law enforcement agencies began surveillance of Arab student and community activities” (Abraham). The 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center also caused increased stress against the Arabs. September 11, 2001 also reinforced negative feelings towards Arabs in America.
Herbert Blumer lists four feelings seen in race prejudice by the dominant group. The first one is a feeling of superiority. Those classified as “whites” definitely felt superior to immigrants of any race. The second feeling is that the subordinate race is intrinsically different. When Arabs first arrived in the United States citizens already living here could tell that they were different. They knew that they had different beliefs and values. The third feeling is “a feeling of proprietary claim to certain areas of privileges and advantages” (Blumer, 2002). Americans already living in the United States felt they had a right to receive certain benefits that Arabs should not receive. The fourth feeling is seen greatly towards Arabs in the United States. It is “a fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors designs on the prerogatives of the dominant race” (Blumer, 2002). United States Americans feared that many Arabs were terrorists that were plotting to take out citizens.
Attributes of the enemy include evilness and being a carrier of death. Arabs were definitely seen as an enemy in this sense. Arabs were seen as dangerous and wanting to inflict harm on others. Some qualities of the enemy include omnipotence, murderousness, and promiscuity (spreading beliefs). Arabs were seen in this light. People are wary about Arabs because of how dangerous they are made out to be. They are seen as savages that will destroy anything that gets in their way. We talked about the similarities between and enemy and enema. We talked about four aspects that relate to an enema. This includes: color, actions, hands, and odor. The color is dark. Arabs are darker than most Americans. The actions of an enema are dirty and foul. The Arabs are made to look like barbaric people. Using an enema means you have soiled hands. This goes back to seeing Arabs as dirty people. There is also an odor associated with the use of an enema. Arabs are discriminated against for being stinky and smelly. We also talked about the bestiary of the enemy. This is used to dehumanize a human population. The characteristics of being blood thirsty and greedy are used to dehumanize Arabs. There are definite psychological and sociological functions of having this enemy for the dominant group. Seeing Arabs as bloodthirsty killing machines convinces the dominant group of the individual’s and the society’s sanity, goodness and health. It lets Americans feel like they are great citizens of this country. It makes them feel pride for their country.
Abraham, N. (n.d.). Arab americans. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Arab-Americans.html
Michael Suleiman, ed. Arabs in America: Building a New Future (Temple University Press, 1999).
Blumer, D. (2002). Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position. In Rethinking the Color Line Readings in Race and Ethnicity (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Most of the early Arab immigrants went unnoticed by the general population. “Relations, however, soured for members of the third wave and for native-born Arab Americans after the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War. This situation worsened after the Arab oil embargo and the quadrupling of world oil prices that followed in the wake of the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Arabs and Muslims were vilified as bloodthirsty terrorists, greedy oil sheiks, and religious fanatics by the mass media, politicians, and political commentators. With the fall of the Shah and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini to power in Iran (a large, non-Arab country) in 1979 came another oil shortage and price shock that further exacerbated anti-Middle Eastern sentiment in the United States” (Abraham). When the Reagan Administration waged a war on international terrorism created a lot tension against Arabs. The hijacking of an American passenger plane in Europe to Lebanon also triggered negative feelings against Arabs. “Beginning in the 1960s, the FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and other federal and local law enforcement agencies began surveillance of Arab student and community activities” (Abraham). The 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center also caused increased stress against the Arabs. September 11, 2001 also reinforced negative feelings towards Arabs in America.
Herbert Blumer lists four feelings seen in race prejudice by the dominant group. The first one is a feeling of superiority. Those classified as “whites” definitely felt superior to immigrants of any race. The second feeling is that the subordinate race is intrinsically different. When Arabs first arrived in the United States citizens already living here could tell that they were different. They knew that they had different beliefs and values. The third feeling is “a feeling of proprietary claim to certain areas of privileges and advantages” (Blumer, 2002). Americans already living in the United States felt they had a right to receive certain benefits that Arabs should not receive. The fourth feeling is seen greatly towards Arabs in the United States. It is “a fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors designs on the prerogatives of the dominant race” (Blumer, 2002). United States Americans feared that many Arabs were terrorists that were plotting to take out citizens.
Attributes of the enemy include evilness and being a carrier of death. Arabs were definitely seen as an enemy in this sense. Arabs were seen as dangerous and wanting to inflict harm on others. Some qualities of the enemy include omnipotence, murderousness, and promiscuity (spreading beliefs). Arabs were seen in this light. People are wary about Arabs because of how dangerous they are made out to be. They are seen as savages that will destroy anything that gets in their way. We talked about the similarities between and enemy and enema. We talked about four aspects that relate to an enema. This includes: color, actions, hands, and odor. The color is dark. Arabs are darker than most Americans. The actions of an enema are dirty and foul. The Arabs are made to look like barbaric people. Using an enema means you have soiled hands. This goes back to seeing Arabs as dirty people. There is also an odor associated with the use of an enema. Arabs are discriminated against for being stinky and smelly. We also talked about the bestiary of the enemy. This is used to dehumanize a human population. The characteristics of being blood thirsty and greedy are used to dehumanize Arabs. There are definite psychological and sociological functions of having this enemy for the dominant group. Seeing Arabs as bloodthirsty killing machines convinces the dominant group of the individual’s and the society’s sanity, goodness and health. It lets Americans feel like they are great citizens of this country. It makes them feel pride for their country.
Abraham, N. (n.d.). Arab americans. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Arab-Americans.html
Michael Suleiman, ed. Arabs in America: Building a New Future (Temple University Press, 1999).
Blumer, D. (2002). Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position. In Rethinking the Color Line Readings in Race and Ethnicity (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.