Loading ...
6 Facts Every American Should Know About Arabs and Muslims By Essraa Nawar
1. Not every Muslim is an Arab and not every Arab is a Muslim.
According to Drew DeSilver from the Pew Research Center, the world’s Muslim population is more widespread than you might think. While many people, especially in the United States, may associate Islam with countries in the Middle East or North Africa, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition, not all Arabs are Muslims. There are millions of Arabs that are Christians (and probably some other religions too that I am not aware of). Some of my best friends growing up were Coptic Christians. I would attend their weddings and funerals in their churches, celebrate their feasts the same way they celebrated Ramadan, Eid and other Islamic celebrations and we had absolutely no problem with that growing up (and we still do not!). Whatever you hear/see in the news is not even close to the truth. My mom and her siblings, who grew up in Egypt in the ’50s used to call a Coptic Christian neighbor of them Grandma. It took me a while to understand the fact that they were so close that they considered themselves family. They celebrated nearly all feasts together and had so many things in common. What mattered for them is that they were all Egyptians.
2. Yes, you can be a Muslim and/or Arab and an American.
My kids go to an Islamic American school — the only reason is that we want them to stay connected to who they are and learn how to read/write Arabic. it was so interesting when a colleague of mine came up to me and asked me if my kids have Veterans Day off. I was very surprised with the question, and I immediately assured him that they do. I wondered why he was asking this question, and he said he did not think that an Islamic school would be interested in American holidays! I was very surprised yet I blamed myself (and the whole Islamic/Arab community) for not communicating (and making clear) how loyal Arab/Muslim Americans are to their country. At the school, the only flag up is the U.S. flag, and the only national anthem sung is the American National Anthem. While these kids learn the teachings of their faith, they still hold their American identity above all. Just like kids who go to Catholic, Jewish or Punjabi schools, there is no difference. We are all Americans, hard workers and understand the basic obligations of a loyal citizen. There are even Americans of Arab and Muslim origin who serve in the American Army. The only difference is that many Arabs/Muslims still maintain strong connections to their own homelands because they are still first or second generations. Also, many of them come here leaving their families behind thus they still maintain the connection, but they are faithful, loyal, and embed themselves in the American society just like anyone else. In fact, Muslim Americans are one of the most respected Muslim groups worldwide. They are among the best well-practicing Muslims and they do not see anything in the American lifestyle that can contradict with their religion. Whether they do certain things or don’t (like drinking alcohol, eating pork, etc.), these are personal choices that do not differ in any ways from choosing to be a vegetarian, vegan or even gluten-free!
3. Muslim and Arab Men oppress women.
I am not sure what else Muslim/Arab women can do to show that they are empowered. They have fought for education, won Nobel prizes, excelled in almost every career track, participated in the Olympics, held governmental positions (even in the U.S.) and more! While we feel empowered, others are still talking — and thinking — that we are oppressed. Often, people are surprised by me attending a gala alone while my husband (who is an international scientist himself) is babysitting the kids! It is not only us; millions of Muslim/Arab Women are strongly supported by their spouses, dads, brothers, etc. While we still hear the stories of oppression, I feel that they are no different than any other abusive stories that we hear about anywhere in the world — like women in the USA not receiving the same pay as their men counterparts. Aren’t all women trying to “lean in” any way?
It is not a Muslim/Arab Women problem; it is a universal problem that has nothing to do with a woman’s origin. Muslim/Arab women have a right to divorce, to education, to financial independence. They do not even change their last names after marriage so they can keep their identities, pedigree and heritage alive.
4. We speak English too!
It might come as a surprise for many when they see us (Arabs/Muslims) speak English. Often times I have seen people’s jaws drop because I speak English so well. While it mostly depends on where you got your education, most Arabs know how to speak English. The dialects and accents are different depending on the school you went to, how further you continued your English studies and so on. Thus, you should not be surprised — especially if you see someone who was born and raised in the USA (or went to an international school) — if they speak perfect English. We still try to keep our Arabic language alive and strong. It might not be easy to force it on our kids sometimes, but we try to keep it as it comes in handy in many situations — especially if you end up with a career in translation, politics or diplomacy.
5. Muslims and Arabs support violence and terrorism.
If you want to know how many times Muslims and Arabs condemned violence and extremism just google “Muslims against terrorism” or “Muslims Condemning ISIS” or any similar words and you will be surprised by the thousands of Muslim institutions, scholars, and governments that are condemning and fighting terrorism while assuring everyone that this does not have anything to do with the peaceful message of Islam and the Arab world. The majority of Muslims are moderate, peaceful people who have been affected by terrorism and violence more than non-Muslims/non-Arabs. In fact, a new report by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at the United States’ Military Academy at West Point in New York has shown that the vast majority of al‐Qa’ida’s victims are Muslims. They prove that Al-Qaida kills eight times the amount of Muslims than non-Muslims. They had to depend on Arabic media sources and look into the terrorism trend through a non‐Western prism. Unfortunately, this is not shown in the mainstream media for reasons I do not really know.
6. Muslims and Arabs don’t value education.
While today many Muslims and Arabs lack the right educational opportunities because of the economic and political circumstances, most Arab and Muslim household place a high value on educating their children. A typical Arab/Muslim family will do the most they can to have their children go to good schools and colleges. The families set high expectations and many children end up with master’s degrees and Ph.D.s; others are entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, doctors, government officials, athletes and so on. On the other hand, Arabs and Muslims have a huge interest in movie making, singing, architecture, art, and literature. All forms of art are welcomed and the world has to remember that the European renaissance happened as a result of the ancient and new knowledge reacquired from Muslim scholars. (1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization.)
While I can keep going with the list, I think these points are the most important ones for mainstream Americans (and others living in the West) to understand. I might be too optimistic — many of my family and friends think that I definitely am — but I have faith in humans, and I feel that if every one of us did his/her own part we can change misconceptions in the world one person at a time. Everyone, though, must be willing to do his/her own part to help spread the truth, erase misconceptions and live in peace.
Let’s build bridges and break barriers!
Follow Essraa nawar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EssraaNawar
This article first appeared in The Huffington Post:THE BLOG, titled: “What Nobody Tells You About Muslims and Arabs” Posted: