Understanding Diversity

Arab and Muslim Americans

Chronosystem (Global):

Arabs make up ¼ of the World’s 1.5 billion Muslims

22 countries in Middle East and Northern Africa that are considered “Arab countries”

These 22 countries are considered a unified part of the “Arab World” based on their shared use of standardized modern Arabic language (some varying dialects)

Women still denied in the field of gender equality. They do not obtain the same rights as men in the countries.

Macrosystem (National):

The Arab countries that have had profound impact on our country, or the ones that are most commonly discussed are Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine.

Average rate of adult literacy is 76.9%

Economic disparities between oil rich and oil poor countries which leads to extensive labor immigration

Immigration to the United States comes in waves, but more recently has shown a change in immigration trends here. More people are moving this way due to many things, some factors could be hardships that stem from periods of war, or discriminatory situations in the areas they are leaving.

Lack of democratic control- authoritarian regime

Islam is predominant religion and hold official status in most of the 22 countries

Only 1 in 5 Arab Americans is Muslim

All Arab Americans combined represent a small part of a much larger Muslim American community

Stories

Culture

Moule pgs 315-316:

-Family very important

-Men and women seen as different, but complementary

-Older=wiser

-Dignity, honor, reputation > material success

-Honor or shame is collective and can affect one’s family

-Group solidarity > individual success

-63% of Arab Americans are Christian

-Abuse is prominent in some Arab countries

Socialization

“While there are no firm statistics on how many or how often Muslim students are bullied, activists assert it is higher than other students because of post-9/11 Islamophobia” (Huffington Post)

Here's a Related Prezi

https://prezi.com/wiea3w5vcnet/socialization-of-arab-americans/

Demographics of Diversity for Arab/Muslim cultures

DOMINANT & SUBDOMINANT GROUPS

Arab/Muslim Countries

Based on other aspects, and the struggle for gender equality, men would be viewed as the dominant group of the culture.

Literacy Rate Among Women

MYTHS, MISCONCEPTIONS, STEREOTYPES

Successes

Barriers

-Petroleum in Middle eastern countries, 5 states in 22 countries are in top 10 petroleum or gas exporters

-Joe Robbie: founder and former owner of Miami Dolphins

-John Sununu: former White House Chief of Staff

-Elias Zerhouni: Director of National Institutes of Health

-Ralph NaderDanny Thomas: founder of St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital

-Candy Lightner, founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD)

-Stigma made worse by media after the events of 9/11

-Generalized stereotypes surrounding terrorism

-Racial Profiling, including law enforcement, blatantly at airports, etc.

-Women have no rights

-Muslim and Arab are the same thing: Only 20% of Muslims fall into the “Arab” category and millions of Arabs are Christian

-Muslims support terrorism: Islamic religion is nonviolent, media has dramatized a small percentage of extremists

Legislation on homosexuality in Muslim/Arab countries results in prison sentence, or even death, so other rights surrounding same sex couples, such as adoption and marriage would also be unacceptable.

Gender equality is one of the lowest when comparing life expectancy, literacy, school enrollment, earned income of men and women within a country- they have one of the lowest GDI (gender development index- compares above stats) scores.

“As an eighth-grade student at Beckendorf Junior High School in Katy, Texas -- the same town where residents infamously held pig races to protest a proposed mosque in 2006 -- Abdul Hamed initially accepted a classmate's explanation that jibes like "terrorist" and "you're family blows things up," were just jokes.”:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/07/bullying-muslim-teens-push-back_n_952947.html

Understanding Diversity

“The recent news that an 8-year-old boy was found hanging from a bathroom

hook at his school in Louisville, KY, has shocked a whole community and

school officials. The son of Somali immigrant parents, the boy was found

unconscious and hospitalized with serious injuries, yet it took three

weeks for his story to reach national headlines. The sad truth was that

the boy had been experiencing chronic bullying, which was not addressed by

the school.”

“Consider the recent burning of a Quran by the fringe Pastor Terry Jones,

the nationwide spike in anti-mosque sentiment, the recent wave of

anti-shariah bills in more than a dozen states across the country, a Villa

Park, CA, councilwoman’s call for violence against Muslim Americans and a

recent case where a Muslim woman was refused service as a mattress store

because the store manager considered her a national security threat.” :

https://wairwomen.wordpress.com/media-2/

“"Being called a terrorist, or 'What is that thing on your head?'...girls being called a towel-head, or jokes like 'Don't throw that bomb on me' or 'Don't bomb us today,' " Dadabhoy said. "These were the most common ones we heard about.":

http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2013/12/19/15456/it-is-just-a-joke-muslim-children-teens-report-bul/

“The father of an 8-year-old Louisville, Kentucky boy, found hanging on a hook in his school’s bathroom stall last week, wants answers and says the school could have done something to prevent the episode.”

http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/04/01/bullies-hang-boy-in-bathroom-stall.html

“She was taunted about being a terrorist and having bombs in her backpack, Almawri said. A lunchroom table was pushed into her after she complained about the harassment. During a football game, a student groped her chest and on Thanksgiving Day, someone threw a brick through their family room windo with a threatening note, according to the complaint filed with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights by Almwari and her mother.”:

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2014/12/18/arab-american-student-bullying-files-complaint/20615627/