Arab and Muslim Americans friend or foe.
Arabs and Muslims in America, new neighbors, or soon to be evicted tenants. Muslims are people who follow the Islamic faith .An estimated 7 million Muslims live in the United States (USA.com).Today, most Arab Americans are native- born Americans .Christa McAuliffe, the teacher/astronaut who died aboard the space shuttle challenger; Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, and NFL quarterback Doug Flutie are some well-known Arab Americans. There also have been some prominent Arab American politicians including U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchel.
Arab Americans are, on average, better educated than non - Arab Americans. The proportion of Arab- Americans who attend college is higher than the national average. Compared to the norm, about twice as many Arab-Americans earn degrees beyond the bachelor's degree. Arab- Americans work in all occupations; however, they are more likely to be self - employed, or to be entrepreneurs, or to work in sales. About 60 percent of working Arabs are executives, professionals (FREEPRESS.com).I think these facts along with the terrorist attacks of 9-11 add fuel to the fire of hatred that has engulfed the United States over the last few years.
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States. Overall, U.S. Muslims are about 40 percent African- American, 25 percent South Asian, 12 percent Arab, and the remainder from a mix of backgrounds (Newsweek, 1998). However, the American mainstream still has hostile, ignorant feelings toward Muslims, whether they"re American Muslims or not. Unfortunately, every since 9-11 people have come to look upon them as towel-headed convenience store owners, or maybe even black-hearted terrorists coming to kill our women and children, especially in the media and the entertainment industry. Look at Abu on the Simpsons as an example.
On the other hand, many people have embraced the Muslim way of life and religion.