For many in the United States, Arab-Americans are an invisible segment of the population. Though Arab-Americans as a community have made significant contributions to American society in fields ranging from literature to politics to medicine, many Americans know very little about Americans of Arab descent.


History

Arab history in the United States goes back to the late 1800's when large numbers of Arab immigrants first began making their journey to a land known simply as "Amreeka."

Historians generally describe Arab immigration to America in two waves. The first wave took place between 1860 and 1924. The first wave consisted of Lebanese and Syrian, and some Egyptian immigrants. These new immigrants, who were predominantly Christian, came to America in pursuit of better opportunities. Even the doomed Titanic, which set sail for America in 1912, had close to a hundred Arab passengers aboard. The majority of Arab Americans today are descendents of the first wave of immigrants; they are third or more generation Americans.

The second wave of immigrants followed after WWII, sparked by political unrest in the Middle East. This second wave of immigrants consists of mainly Arab Muslims and continues to this day. These new immigrants include Palestinian, Lebanese, Egyptian and other Arabs from several of the 22 Arab countries in the world.

Arab-Americans today

Arab-Americans make up 3 million of the population in the United States, according to demographers. And contrary to popular belief, 64 percent of them are American-born. Eighty-two percent of Arab-Americans are US citizens.

The largest numbers of Arab-Americans trace their roots to the countries of Lebanon and Syria, followed by Palestine and Egypt with smaller numbers from Iraq, Jordan and other Arab countries. Most of the Arab-American population is concentrated in states like Michigan, California, and New York, according to cultural and demographic reports compiled by the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF).

A common misconception about Arab-Americans is the assumption that all Arabs are Muslim, when in fact Arab-Americans belong to many religions. Worldwide, only about 12 percent of Muslims are Arab. In the United States, only 23 percent of Arab-Americans are Muslim. The majority of Arab-Americans are Christian.

Arab-Americans surpass the national average in both education and income. Education is important among Arab-Americans; 82 percent have high school diplomas, 36 percent have bachelor's degrees or higher, and 15 percent have graduate degrees. The median average income among Arab-Americans is ,580, which is higher than the US average, according to AAIF.

(Agencies)