Arab-Americans Making History in the U.S.

Land of immigrants. The land of valuable opportunities. The Dreamland. These phrases are everything the Arab people use to describe the United States.  It was these ideals prevailing in their minds that led to the massive migration to the U.S. when European and other Arab countries limited their job opportunity prospects.

Over 100 years later since that first wave of Arab migration, there are currently 3.5 million Arab-Americans. The Arab immigration and refugee conveys to the U.S. began long before World War I, and were the first known migrations of the Lebanese and Syrian communities who suffered at the hands of the French and British colonists. They were called the “Arabs of the Diaspora.”

The Lebanese community migrated to both North American and Latin America, who witnessed significant stability in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and the U.S. This was followed by the immigration from Syria, Palestine, Jordan and several North African countries.

During World War I, Arab immigrants fought side-by-side in the U.S. military army, fighting on the battlefield for a nation with no regard to their differences in colors or ethnicity.  The same could be said for World War II. The golden rule then was that America was the land of opportunities and immigrants regardless of the background.

Why the Migration to the U.S. and Europe?

There were several reasons for the mass migration to the Americas and Europe beyond the Arabs:

·         Impact of wars

·         Tyranny of colonialism

·         Poor economics

·         Severe living conditions 

These circumstances made immigrants co-exist in their new societies, appreciating the meaning of life, building and urbanization. They contributed to the development of these countries socially, economically and politically.

Dr. James Al-Zoghbi, the president and founder of the Arab-American organization, said in a press interview that the U.S. has over three million success stories among the Arab-American citizens. These stories began with the suffering and escape in their countries and coming to the U.S., allowing them to attain higher education and live a healthy life. He said, “America is better for them now than they were when they first arrived.”

Arab-Americans Play Bigger Role in U.S. Politics

Since the very beginning, Arab-Americans have expressed concerns about U.S. politics, offering their own political participation and support for the parties. The majority of Arabs support the Democratic Party over the Republican Party. James Zogby said, 39 percent supported Democrats during the 2016 election with 35 percent giving support to Republicans, Independents and others.  As with all presidential campaigns, this is the average percentage of the Arab-Americans orientation.

Today, two Arab-Americans, who are a part of the Democratic Party were elected to Congress – Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Omar is a Muslim-Somali refugee who came to the U.S. when she was a little girl. She now holds the Democratic seat in Minnesota. Tlaib is a Palestinian woman who represents the state of Michigan.

There are many Americans with Arab origins that have played an integral in U.S. politics – Dina Powell, Darrell Al-Issa and John Abizaid, to name a few. There are many well-known Arab-American celebrities in the U.S. including:

·         U.S. Air Force Col. James Jabara

·         Brig. Gen. Elias Stevens who served on Gen. Eisenhower’s staff

·         National Chess Champion and Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan of Seattle

·         Women’s International Cheese Master Jennifer Shahade who won both the 2002 and 2004 titles

·         The late Dr. Elias Ghanem, former chairman of Nevada Athletic Commission

·         Roger Farahis, Polo Ralph Lauren president and CEO

·         Steve Jobs, Apple founder (He was originally from Syria)

·         Pop stars Shakira and Salma Hayek

·         Rami Malek the Oscar winner for best actor 2018 in his performance in Bohemian Rhapsody

As you see, numerous Arab celebrities are living and working in the U.S. throughout all industries.

How Arab-Americans Can Improve Their Political Stance

No doubt that many Arab-Americans have made positive contributions to the U.S. – in terms of economics, social growth and prosperity. However, at the political level, there is still room for improvement. It’s my opinion that they will need to unify their interests and form political parties and assemblies as the Latin-Americans and African-Americans have done.

Their participation has been modest, possibly because of the lack of numbers compared to the total number of European, African or Latino migrants to the U.S. For them to unite, Arab-Americans must share the same visions, goals and policies. They must actively participate with the policymakers in Washington, D.C.

No doubt, their processes will reflect on the U.S. policies toward the Middle East, helping Congress and the White House do better for the Arab people so they can have a better future.

with Dr. James Al-Zoghbi and his team at Arab - American organization