Mtv Networks: the Arabian Challenge

Arabs make up most of the population of Southwest Asia, Arabs also live in the United States, Canada, and in parts of Africa and Europe. In Southwest Asia, Arabs believe themselves to be descendants of Abraham. Arabs make up the majority of people who live in the Middle East. Majority of Arabs practice Islam, but not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arabs. All Arabs speak Arabic. Arabs make up a common ethnic group because they all have similar cultural traits.

Today, Egypt is at the core of the Muslim world while in the past it was dominated by varying polytheistic beliefs and Christianity.

* Just because you are Arab does not define you as being a follower of Islam.

The Middle East is a region centered on Western Asia and Egypt the region has generally been a major center of world affairs as the major religions of Islam and Christianity and Judaism were also established within the region. The region is made up of 18 countries and has vast reserves of crude oil. In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region.

What are Arab Americans? An individual can be classified as “Arab” if the person speaks Arabic, practices Islam, and identifies with the traditions of Arabic-speaking peoples. (Aguirre and Turner 276)These individuals are usually subject to negative and differential treatment by others. It is essential to identify the differential treatment of Arab Americans by others in society. The mistreatment of Arabs in the United States can be contributed to many factors; however, there have been certain events that have occurred in the United States, which have increased and enraged these strong emotional feelings in many Americans. Discrimination and stereotypes of a culture or group mainly develops from a lack of understanding. We can become a

Arab Americans are defined primarily of their religious identity and they reside in all 50 states. The first generation of immigrants from the Middle East dates back to late 1800s. The majority of immigrants’ population came from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Religion plays an important role in the Arab society and most of their way of life is not necessary because of their religion. Like many other immigrants, the reason these immigrants migrated to the United States was to escape the religious persecution, an opportunity to build a better life. Majority of how Arabs interact and the way their culture is has to do with the Koran and it is one of the foundations of Islamic law. In the Arab American culture, family is an important aspect and everyone plays their respective role. Fathers are the head of the households and are expected to provide for his wife and children. The women has restrictive education and they help support the family by caring for the house. Kids take on a role are taught by their parents depending on their gender. Boys are most likely to follow the footsteps of the father to prepare to care for his own family one day. The girls learn the basics of running a household. It is common for the children to live with their parents until they marry or live with them to care for them as they age and can no longer care for themselves. The Arab culture also value respecting the elders and they are often the decision makers in the family. The family

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.

Arab are an ethnic group native to the Arab world. Arab American trace their ancestor roots to several Arab countries. Lebanon is the homeland of majority of Arab Americans, followed by Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Yemen, and Jordan. The Arab world consists of 21 countries that span from North Africa to the Persian Gulf. Arab Americans are as diverse as their countries of origin, with unique immigration experiences that have shaped their ethnic identity in U.S. While the majority of Arab American descend from the first wave of mostly Christian immigrants, Arab American Muslim represent the fasted growing segment of the Arab American community.

Arab Americans are such a diverse population of immigrants, who have roots that come from the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, and Palestine just to name a few. Arab American immigrants started to arrive in the United States during the late 19th century. The Arab American population since then has grown to be one of the biggest growing racial groups, next to Asian Americans.

Before we identify a few biases associated with the Middle Eastern population, we must first familiarize ourselves with several characteristics of their culture and linguistics.

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).

In order to understand a group of people then you have to learn about the world. If there isn't an education about different cultures and ethnic groups then the only way to learn about them is through our own experiences with them. Due to past events there are many misconceptions about the world today and the people living in this world. There are also many negative stereotypes affecting people who are from the middle east. All that it means to be Arab is to be of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East. Our worldview is limited today due to a deficit in education, stigma about educating oneself concerning Arabs or muslims, our fear of offending other cultures, and also an unwillingness to learn and put away

The Middle East is far from monumental and homogenous. Its differences have been a source of both strength and inspiration. The most visible, most pervasive, and the least recognized aspects of

To be considered Arab, you or your ancestors live or lived in the Arab world and speak Arabic. The “Arab world” is made up of 22 states and territories whom are part of the Arab League. However many people in these states do not consider themselves Arab, thus the Arabic language is the unifying factor among the Arabic people. A lot of the individuals who speak Arabic today are very diverse. There is a myriad of dialects of Arabic and over 150 million people speak it. Twenty-five countries consider Arabic an official language (even if few are fluent in it). They vary from African to West Asian countries, however Arabs also live as minorities in many other nations. For example, the United States (Banks, 2009).

First of all, it is impossible to talk about groups of people without generalizing. At this point it must be emphasized that there is not just “one” Arab culture or society. The Arab world is full of rich and diverse communities, groups and cultures. Each of the Arab countries has different perspectives. That’s why differences exist not only among coun- tries, but within countries as well. With 22 countries formed, the Arab region has in some parts the same religious, politics and