Abstract This research paper examines the attitudes of Arab-American students since September 11, 2001. The paper looks at the backgkround of Americans who come from Arab and Muslim countries. The paper also studies the status of ArabAmericans before and after the 2001 terrorist attack on the U.S. The paper concludes with an examination of the effect of U.S. foreign policy on Arab-American students. The paper includes results of interviews with ArabAmerican college students.
From the Paper "The terrorist attack which took place in the United States on September was responsible for the development of new and negative attitudes toward Arabs and Muslims in the United States. However Susan M. Akram states..."
Tags:Arab-Americans, September 11, 2001, democracy, discrimination
Abstract This paper explains that, for Arab-Americans, who were just as shocked by 9/11 as all Americans, there was an even greater intensity of emotion because of their concern that all Arabs would be stigmatized and blamed for the 9/11 attacks. The author points out that these concerns have been justified because many Americans have become hostile to Arabs and especially to Arab-Americans living in the United States. The paper relates that these reactions, which are deeply troubling, are not only irrational but also are a betrayal of the American values of freedom, liberty and equality that have made America great. The paper underscores that the Bush Administration security policies, such as racial profiling, and the mass media increasingly has portrayed a negative image of Arab-Americans.
From the Paper "The three Muslim students clarified that it was a car, not a building, they had been talking about "bringing down" during a restaurant conversation overheard by the Georgia woman. But, on the second anniversary of 9/11, with memories of the World Trade Center towers collapsing still vivid in her mind, this woman in a small, conservative town in Georgia suspected that the three Arab-Americans she saw and heard talking about "bringing down" something could well be terrorists plotting to bring down a building or an airliner."
Abstract This paper explains that many of the nearly three million Arab-Americans are making an effort to reclaim and preserve their heritage. The author points out that Arab-Americans, including those born in the United States and recent immigrants from Arab nations, demonstrate the highest degree of ethnic pride as compared to other ethnic groups, with ninety percent of the population showing such pride. The paper reports that, most often, the Arab-American population displays its pride, heritage, and culture within the arts; the paper notes several Arab-American painters, sculptors, writers, and other artistic specialists.
From the Paper "This vast population of both immigrants and native-born Arab-Americans lives all over the United States. However, the most concentrated area of Arab-American settlement is in southeastern Michigan. In particular, the city of Dearborn holds many Arabic centralized neighborhoods. In Dearborn, twenty percent of all the population and over forty percent of students enrolled in the public school system are Arab-American."
Abstract The paper discusses the racism directed at Arabs prior to September 11 and relates that the American media was characterized by stereotypical images and there were many incidences of hate crimes against Arab-Americans. The paper then shows how the terrorist attacks of September 11 compounded the problem of racism against Arab-Americans in particular. The paper decries the U.S. government's response of legislation that actually erodes the constitutional protections afforded by the Bill of Rights. The paper concludes that racism against Arab-Americans is not going away anytime soon.
Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many observers were heard to note that "nothing would ever be the same again," and in some ways they were right. For instance, according to Cole and Dempsey (2002), the terrorist attacks of September 11 have affected the entire world, but especially American society in ways that continue to erode civil liberties without providing the protections of national security that are actually required. Today, threats from Al-Qaeda continue to haunt the American consciousness and it seems that Osama bin Laden will never be captured despite promises from the country's leadership that he was "a dead man walking." The many heads of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization are manifesting themselves in more than 40 countries around the world like so many dragons, and it would seem that an increasing number of Americans are scared that so-called "sleeper cells" comprised of Arab Americans are already amongst them."
Abstract This paper discusses the mild successes Arab-American entrepreneurs have built for themselves. The paper points out that, without continued growth, most businesses fail, and without financial or political strength, most businesses cannot continue to grow. The paper explores the need for Arab-American businessmen to band together in order to improve their business ventures.
From the Paper "According to the 2000 U.S. Census, nearly 45,000 Arabs live in the six-county area surrounding Chicago (most of them in Cook County). Of these, most are concentrated in the Southwest side of the city, but also in the southwest suburbs such as Bridgeview, Oak Lawn and Burbank. However, community-based experts put the number even higher, at 150,000 (Abowd). Others (e.g. journalist Ray Hanania) post this number even higher, at 250,000. This discrepancy exists primarily because the long form of the census does not count "Arab-American" as a separate ethnic group, and many immigrants are hesitant to claim their ethnic status for fear of such things as deportation. Therefore, it makes sense to go with the larger numbers; and even if it does not quite rise to the highest end of the possible range, a community numbering even one hundred thousand makes the Arab community in the greater Chicago metropolitan area one of the largest in the country. The Arab-American community in Chicago has been growing since 1899, in fact, when the first large wave of Arab immigration hit the United States (Abowd)."
Abstract The papers explains that the goal of transcultural care is to provide culturally congruent care which agrees with cultural beliefs, customs and traditions. The paper discusses the Sunrise enabler that illustrates diverse influencers of health, all of which interact. The paper focuses on two of those cultural factors: religious and philosophical and cultural values and applies these factors to two cultures, Mexican-American and Arab-American. The paper stresses that transcultural nursing is the only means by which care providers can effectively care for patients from diverse cultures.
From the Paper "Use of the Sunrise Enabler begins with the worldview. "Worldview refers to the way people tend to look out upon their world or their universe to form a picture or value stance about life or the world around them" (Leininger & McFarland, 2006, p. 25). Worldview strongly influences care and health decisions, and also guides decisions and behavior related to wellbeing. Cultural outlooks are in fact cultural worldviews or ways of seeing the world. They are not going to be changed by logical argument. When providing care, it is very important that the nurse "focus on the client's beliefs, values, needs and lifeways" (Leininger, 2001, p. 21). The focus needs to always be on those beliefs, values and ways of coping with illness, not on one's own ideas. In many cultures, illness is seen as having cultural and religious causes. The decisions that patients and families make can be very different from what the nurse or other care providers would recommend."
Tags: Sunrise, Enabler, Mexican-American, Arab-American, culture, care, theory
Abstract This paper considers whether racial profiling in American airports against ArabAmericans and others since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has become excessive.
Tags: racism, profiling, airport security, U.S. customs, terrorism, muslims, ArabAmericans
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the racial problems that African-Americans and Arab-Americans face coming into the new millennium. The paper explains that, while the challenges faced by most African- Americans are primarily economic and social, Arab-Americans face a different challenge, which threatens their fundamental freedoms.
From the Paper "The flip side of the melting pot is the unfortunate tensions and complications that inevitably arise from putting so many people together in one place and refusing to name a "master race" as the Nazis infamously attempted to do in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. Of course, different groups are impacted differently, but in America's history, for the most part, it has been each individual ethnic minority's clash with the white majority over myriad issues. Of course, by the middle of the millennium, whites in America will actually be the minority, so it will be quite interesting to see if these trends change."
Abstract This paper traces the development and history of the ArabAmerican Female in educational institutes and suggests that face a lot of prejudice from both their family and peer groups as they try to adjust.
Abstract This paper discusses the sociological impact of American series television on forming public bias against ethnic groups in negatively stereotyped story lines and characters. It provides a brief history of communication and how images impact viewers.
From the Paper "It happens in millions of homes all across America every evening - it's the end of another long hard and everyone is exhausted. Dinner is over and the dishes sit scattered across the counter tops and sit piled in the sink. The children have been bickering since the moment they walked in the door. Desperate for a few moments of peace Mom walks determinedly into the family room and turns on ..."
Abstract The paper looks at the challenges Arab-Americans face in their culture today. The paper discusses how many Americans stereotype all Arabs as Muslims who are enraged against the United States and western culture, although that is a false assumption of the majority of Arab-Americans living and working in the U.S. The paper shows how their own strong sense of culture, family and religion help them balance their world with the American world.
From the Paper "Arab Americans seem to have one foot in their past and another squarely in their future. The Arab culture is extremely close-knit, with families playing an extremely important role in this culture. Jobs play an important part of this culture, because they are the place where many Arabs may spend a majority of their daily activities, and they may present challenges for many reasons. Employment in America is based on a Christian calendar and Christian ideals. Arab employees may find it difficult to pray during the day, and they may find it difficult to celebrate Arab holidays, which fall outside the traditional holiday calendar used in America."
Abstract Discusses original purpose of bilingual educational programs as primarily for Spanish speaking children. Development of a transitional model not based on a pedagogical foundation. Deveopment of a new model of dual immersion that is based on neurological research. Court decision re: binlingual programs. Cites problems of bilingual education today. Centers on bilingual education in the context of the Arab-American community. ESL studies. Special needs of Arabic speaking children; lack of teachers proficient in Arabic and English.
From the Paper "Bilingual Education and the Arab-American Community
Introduction
Bilingual education programs were initiated in the United States and intended to be ?transitional in that their goal was to facilitate the rapid movement of non-English speaking students into mainstream classroom. Luisa Garro (p. 5) claims that these programs were created in the late 1960s and the early 1970s in response to legislation and court orders requiring schools to provide an education in a child's native language. The transitional model was developed rapidly and without much pedagogical foundation.
A new model known as dual immersion is emerging in bilingual education (Garro, p. 5). This model is based on neurological research suggesting that the window of opportunity for..."
Abstract This study explores elementary Arabic heritage students' use of English as a first language (L1) to learn Arabic as a second language (L2). Far from being restricted to "good language learners" or certain corners of academia, L2 acquisition and learning occurs in a wide variety of settings. The literature review is divided into three major parts. The first part is a concise history of Arab immigration to the United States. The second part is a short description of the Arabic language, its origins and characteristics. The third section of the literature review explores previous studies and research of the manner in which L1 supports the learning and acquisition of L2.
The basic hypothesis that is tested is as follows: If the students retrogress as they use their first language to learn the second one, it is clear that there is interference in the long run. However, if the students show overall progress in the long run as they use the first language to learn the second one, there is no significant interference. The results of the study predict that students will show overall progress as they use the first language to learn the second one. Finally, the study results have significant implications for future research in languages and teaching methods.
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Part I. Historical Background Surrounding the Arab Immigration
Part II. The Arabic Language
Arabic Language and Identity
Part III. Use of a First Language (L1) to Support the Learning and Acquisition of a Second Language (L2)
Brief Historical Background
Second Language Learners
Mismatch Hypothesis
The Natural Order Hypothesis
The Input Hypothesis
Environmentalist Theory
The Threshold Theory
Underlying Proficiency Hypothesis
Analysis of Literature Review
Arguments against L1 & L2 Learning
Significance of the Study
Data Collection
Study Participants
Methodologies
Procedure
Scheduling
Presentation of Analysis of Results and General Summary of Findings
Interview Analysis
Importance of the Study Results
Conclusion
From the Paper "Finally, there remain as many questions as answers, such as whether English will ultimately take over advanced education, as well as serving for international communication. Additionally, will the status of Arabic change, will its official role be implemented, and will the Arabic minority maintain their language? It remains to be seen whether language policy and planning are able to effect such a complex situation, whether language decisions can have effects on the social and political context, or whether they are in fact driven completely by external political and economic forces (Spolsky & Shohamy, 1997). We know that the linguistic repertoire of a country is a reflection of a myriad of political, demographic, cultural, religious and economic factors (Spolsky & Shohamy, 1997).
A review of the related research and proposed study reveals that unraveling the sociocultural and political influences on the second language learner is no small task. In addition, there is tremendous variation in the contexts within which both individuals and groups acquire a second language ("The Diversity Kit," 2002). Educators face the challenge of understanding those contexts, what motivates individuals, the relationship between first and second languages, and the academic environment, as well as the different demands placed on the second language learner in a classroom setting ("The Diversity Kit," 2002). Some researchers have posited that teachers understanding of the second language acquisition process will guide their instructional strategies toward ways to accommodate second language learners in their various developmental sequences. "
Abstract Reviews this work on the Arab-American community. Discusses adaptation, culture, religion, origins and immigration history.
From the Paper "In her book Never in a Hurry, Naomi Shihab Nye offers her assessment and observations of the Arab-American community and of ways in which people from the Arab world adapt to the American experience. Such an adaptation is common in American life, where so many different groups from so many different parts of the world come together and both accept aspects of their new culture while retaining and nurturing elements of their old. She refers to herself and her family as "Newcomers in a Troubled Land" and then shows how her new land does not view itself as troubled: "Studying history in grade school, we learned that everything our country had ever done was good, good, good. Nothing smoldered with dubious implications" (Nye 5). Anyone observing the United States today will come to a very different conclusion, for much about our history and about how ..."
Abstract This paper argues that, despite the fact that the Constitution of the United States is meant to uphold equality for all, Arab-Americans have been racially discriminated against since the September 11th terrorist attacks. It looks at the stricter laws that have been passed since these attacks, which make the problem of racial profiling in law enforcement easier to cover.
From the Paper "Discrimination involves classifying people into different groups and giving the members of each group distinct and typically unequal treatments and rights (Wikipedia, 2003). The criteria defining the groups determine the type of discrimination. Use of the term implies that the factors on which the discrimination is based are intrinsically irrelevant to the decision being made. Typically, the discriminator views himself as superior to the injured group. The effects of discrimination are broad. Slow or unhelpful retail service, racial slurs, denial of employment and housing, hate crimes and genocide are all examples of discrimination. This paper will discuss a very specific example of discrimination?discrimination against Arabs in the United States as a result of the tragic terrorist events on September 11, 2001."
