Halbouty: The Arab-American Female Role Model

In many societies, the relationships between people differ and in some ways are all alike. None so obscure as the relationship between man and woman. It is especially intriguing to witness the compatibility of both especially in marriage. Using the three novels Pillars of Salt, by Fadia Faqir, A Woman of Five Seasons, by Leila Al-Atrash, and A Balcony over the Fakihani, by Liyana Badr one might begin to analyze the different relationships between men and women in Arab culture. While any relationship is uniquely different, these novels will aid in getting a better idea about Arab women and their husbands.

When it came to Arab culture there were many restrictions and less freedom with appearance and fashion. Even though the Arab culture may have many restrictions when it came to fashion it has been modernized. The Arab culture prohibits a few dress codes that may be considered norm in American culture. As an individual who grew up in an Arab culture household you have to adapt to the culture and rituals. Just as Andy Hinds mentioned in his article, I’m considering Becoming a Sports Fan How Do I Pick a Team? “In both of these exchanges, I had that old familiar feeling of not having a clue about something that was supposed to be important to me as an American male.” It may also prohibit multiple actions that may be dealt and interpreted in other cultures in a different way. Arab culture is made up of hundreds of years old traditions. Many fashion styles are considered disintegrating in the

Coming from an Arab American household, there has always been an emphasis on higher education and higher socio economic status. I believe that it is something that can be found in various Arab American Communities in the United States and these standards set in the household show when you look at the statistics as to where Arab Americans stand on both educational and socio economical scales. This paper will look into the history of Arabs in the United States, as well as the demographics of the Arab community in the U.S, and cultural and physiological backings that may all have influence on education. My goal for this research paper is to find the reasons behind the Arab American strive for education and socioeconomic success and whether the Arab culture has a positive or negative influence on the success of Arab Americans.

For this assignment the cultural manifestations I selected to discuss as being important to our Unit’s success are Wasta, Deference to authority, and Tendency to seek compromise. Of course understanding all of the cultural manifestations are important to our unit’s success, but each region within the Middle East-North African (MENA) region will have their own variations based upon which branch of Islam is dominant in the region, what that region’s experience has been with the U.S. or a Western presence in general and numerous other factors such as the prevailing socio-economic factors of the region.

The complete nature of the people in my community changed drastically after 9/11, and a majority became completely different people. Arab/Muslim-American Immigrants in the United States are unfavored and looked down on because of what is perceived to be their extreme beliefs and culture; we are also targeted by the immigration system and the government for these reasons as well. Sameer M. Ashar wrote an article directly addressing the ways in which immigration enforcement activities have “challenged constitutional and statutory rights of immigrants” (Ashar, 546). Ashar was a defense an attorney for an individual, Mr. Qayyum, who was detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in New Jersey. Mr. Qayyum lived in the basement of a mosque after immigrating from Pakistan to the United States. Two months after the 9/11 attacks, INS officers stopped him and led him back down to the basement to look at his passport and other immigration papers (Ashar, 547). Eventually the INS issued “a Notice to Appear and a Warrant for Arrest of Alien in early December…” (Ashar,

Out of the 318.9 million people that currently occupy The United States of America, more than 41.3 million are immigrants. Even though many have contributed lots to American culture, they are stereotyped and hated on by lots of people. A large portion of people who are victims of this hate are Muslims. They face lots of judgement, stereotyping, and prejudice. In order to rid the modern challenges that Middle Eastern people and Muslims face, America needs to teach one another to promote respect for Muslims and Middle Eastern people, reduce public misconceptions about Middle Eastern culture, and eliminate hate crimes against them.

This paper discusses the impact 9/11 has had on the lives of American Muslims in the last ten years. It talks about discrimination against Muslims in the workforce, employment opportunities, the legal system, and through public perception. It also discusses how American Muslims responded to these societal changes and how Islamic organizations have been trying to address the problem of discrimination through conducting public awareness campaigns as well as supporting civil rights of American Muslims in courts and in the media.

The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 was a tragic event for all Americans, including Arab Americans. Due to the fact that the nineteen terrorist who hijacked the four planes were Middle Eastern Muslims, Arab Muslim Americans were suddenly viewed with suspicion and became the victims of discrimination and hate crimes. The 9/11 terrorist attacks were a dual tragedy for Muslim Arab Americans. Arab Americans died in the attack, were part of rescue efforts, and worked bravely at Ground Zero among other Americans. Sadly, they got very little recognition, very little time to mourn because they quickly became the target of hate crimes and discrimination. Despite, being part of the American culture for generations, after the 9/11 attack Muslims

This study focuses on the culture of Arab Muslim living in the United States. Arab Muslim population is one of the dramatically increasing minorities in the United States. In addition to other factors, religion and cultural background influence individuals' beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes toward health and illness. However, in Muslim community health care is viewed uniquely and treated same way across the board (Najeh M Ahmad, 2004).

Accordingly, Goforth, 2011; Hammad et.al., 1999 stated Arab culture is described as collectivist because individuals have a close; long-term commitment to their family. The family honor is one of the most important values for the Arab American family, since the male is the dominant role in the family.

As a country, the United States has propagated an image of a "melting pot" of all human ethnicities. One of the many groups of people who have chosen the United States to be their home is that of the Arab Americans. This ethnicity typically describes those of ancestry from the Middle East, but this group can have a wide range of religious and cultural beliefs from different countries. Often Arab Americans are perceived to all have similar appearances, however phenotypically they can range from "people with blonde hair, blues eyes, or kinky hair and dark skin" (Alimahomed, 2011). The experience of Arab Americans changed drastically after the September 11th attacks on American soil in 2001. This paper attempts to explore the effects

Arab Americans have been targets of discrimination long before the 9/11 event happened. If they are immigrants in America, they are seen as bombers or terrorists. And if they are American citizens, they are seen as spies. The way Arabs are portrayed in Hollywood movies have been reflected in the way the government and society as a whole view them. And the way Americans show their discrimination is by rejecting or denying Arabs in all aspects of society which makes it harder for them to succeed. Overall, Arab Americans are seen as dangerous and threatening to Americans. Because they were being harassed all the time, they have a harder time adapting and participating in the American society. All young Americans have a hard time finding

Moustafa Bayoumi mentions that before the attacks only a handful of immigrants were monitored closely, but after 9/11 every single Arab immigrant and citizen has become vulnerable.  Since 9/11 many Muslim-Americans have been detained and questioned regarding their lives that they live in America and if they are truly American citizens. Society has always assumed for races to act a certain way and muslims/arabs are no different.  Unfortunately, today society assumes that most muslims and Arab americans are some sort of terrorist or evil individuals.  For example, the U.S government has shut down five major Muslim charities in America, although there has been no proof of terrorism within the charities. (Bayoumi 138)  Arab Americans now have to walk on a far tighter rope, since anything they do is now being watched.  As I previously mentioned, it is difficult to be an Arab American in today’s society since you have to overcome hate crimes, your religion being looked down upon and having people question if you are even American. I believe that in this situation repression and inclusion are happening at the same time; due to the fact that an entire race is being categorized together as terrorist and are being prevented from their

A series of tragic events occurred in United States. On September 11th, 2001 the Twin Towers in New York City were destroyed by two planes that were hijacked by Arabic people. As planes were crashing into the Twin Towers, regular people saw the tragedy take place. All they could do was stare in despair as they watched the towers come crumbling down. The Pentagon in Virginia also was also crashed into by a hijacked plane. Thousands died and many were left injured. The Arabian people laughed and cheered at the sad moment that took place in the United States. The Unites States will never forget what happened. The Arabian People scarred us for life. After the attacks on September 11th, 2001, there was a dramatic increase in racial

Arab people stem from many different regions including 22 countries: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen ("Arab American," 2014). The Arab culture include several ethnicities such as Shias, Sunni, Druze, Ismalites, and Nusayr (Matusiak, 2013). It is important to know Arabs are not a race, but a diverse culture ("Facts about Arabs," 2014). The Arab people are measured as being among the “most educated” population with a higher percentage of college educations than the American population (Matusiak, 2013). Family is important in the Arab culture. Many Arabs live within close proximity of family and have close relationships ("Arab American," 2014).