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Chapter 14: Working with Arab and Muslim Americans

 * Muslim Americans and Arab Americans are two different demographics, but often they are seen as the same by teachers. Moule says that there are two factors that are hindering teachers trying to interact with their students.  One is that teachers don't understand the differences between Muslim and Arab Americans.  The other is that they are considered a "group of interest" by the media.

Demographics

 * About 24 percent of Arab Americans consider themselves to be Muslims according to the 2000 Census
 * Muslim Americans that are not Arab come from countries such as Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and India
 * There are 1.25-3.5 million Arab Americans
 * There are 1.1-7 million Muslim Americans

Family and Cultural Values
Common beliefs of Arab Americans


 * Family is very important and the children are very loved
 * You gain wisdom as you grow older
 * It is better to have dignity than material success
 * A person has to try hard, but a lot is dependent on God's will

Religion and Tradition

 * 63% of Arab Americans are Christian, while only 24% are Muslim
 * Arab families are often very close even beyond the nuclear family
 * Male students could come off as controlling of their younger siblings, but really they are trying to protect them

Education

 * 85% of Arab Americans have high school degrees
 * 40% have a college degree and 17% have a postgraduate degree
 * Arab Americans had a median income of $47,000 in 1999, which was about $5,000 more than the rest of America
 * Arab Americans are the least studied ethnicity and Islam is the most stereotyped religion

Interview of Karim Hamdy

 * He was born in Tunisia
 * He is considered Arab and he is a Muslim
 * There is no legal classification of Arab or Muslim, which has led to undercounting those populations in the Census
 * Anti-Muslim prejudice is called Islamophobia
 * Muslim American is the preferred name because he says it emphasizes he is a citizen and also emphasizes the religion
 * The main two subpopulations of Muslim Americans are Shi'a Muslims and Sunni Muslims
 * He says that school districts across the US have started to do a better job in offering food that Muslims can eat