Understanding Arab

American Children
and Adolescents
By Christa Brennan, Claire Fisher,
and D’Ahna Mitchell

Chapter 5 EDU280

November 7, 2018
Origins
● 25 % of the Arab population is under 18
● Represents a wide range of diverse cultures, years old
languages, religions, and ethnic and racial
backgrounds
● Emigrated from 22 countries in the Middle East
and Northern Africa, including Lebanon, Syria, ● Generally categorized as white
Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar
● Arabic is the native language ● A linguistic and cultural community rather
than a racial or religious group
Terms & Definitions
Allah: Means God and is used by Arabic-speaking Bedouin: a nomadic desert-dwelling Arab
Christians, Muslims, and Jews
Collective or Collectivism: People who are more
Arab: A person whose native language is Arabic and oriented toward the group
who lives according to Arab cultural traditions and
values Fundamentalist: One who follows the fundamentals of
a religion
Arab Americans: Immigrants and their descendents
with ethnic roots in Asian and African Galabiya: A body-length robe
Arabic-speaking lands
Hadith: The Prophet’s own traditional sayings
Arab Nation: All peoples who speak the Arabic
Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca made by millions of
language and claim a link with the nomadic tribes of
Muslims once each year; for men, it’s called hajji, and
Arabia, whether by descent, affiliation, or by
for women it’s called hajjah.
appropriating the traditional ideals of human
excellence and standards of beauty
Terms & Definitions
Hijab: A scarf worn to cover the hair on a woman’s
head
Imam: The leader of prayer at the mosque; he is
sometimes called a sheik.
Individualistic/Individualism: People who are more
concerned toward individual concerns
Islam: The Arabic word means “submission” and is
derived from the word meaning “peace”
Jihad: A Muslim’s strenuous intellectual, physical,
and spiritual efforts for the good of all
Muslim: A believer in the religion of Islam, who may or
may not be Arab
Pillars of Islam: (1) Oral testimony that there is only one
God and that Mohammed is His prophet; (2) ritual prayer
practiced 5 times a day with certain words and certain
postures of the body; (3) the giving of alms; (4) keeping
a strict fast of no liquid or food from sunrise to sundown
during the month of Ramadan; and (5) holy pilgrimage to
Mecca once in a lifetime at a specific time of year
Quran: the holy book for Muslims, who believe it is the
literal word of God revealed by the prophet Mohammed
Terms & Definitions
Ramadan: The ninth month of the calendar year, the
month of fasting, self-discipline, and purification

Sunna: The Prophet’s own traditional practices

Umma: A belief that all Muslims are brothers and

sisters
 Think about your images of Arab
Consider your Americans. Be honest with yourself
and admit possible stereotypical
Images of Arab images. Second, determine the basis
for your beliefs. Third, ask yourself,
Americans “How true is the image?” Last,
decide what you can do to dispel
Points to Ponder 5.1 your stereotypical images and gain a
more accurate perception of this
cultural group.
Arab Americans Today
● There are around 1 million and 3.5 million Arab Americans
● 54% of the Muslim population is male, 46% is female
● Arab American Christians tendency to enrich their lives through effective
interaction with others appears to have assisted them as they entered
mainstream U.S. culture
● Assimilation is much harder for Muslims due to their strong faith and law
Families
-Value family a lot

-Usually have large families with a lot of extended family members

-Familial traits include generosity, hospitality, courage, and respect for the elderly

-Invest in their children through education, which is seen as a social asset and a
religious duty necessary for the survival of both individuals and groups.

-More children means more pride and economic contributors to the family

-Collectivistic culture, which is more focused on groups rather than individuals

-Good of the family

Families
-Children are taught to look within the family for solutions, rather than developing
their own coping strategies

-Separating from the family is not encouraged

-Many families stay together even after the children have gotten married

-The emphasis on family honor leads to the expression of emotions being

discouraged
Gender
● Everyone has their own experiences
● Male dominated, the woman’s main roles are being a wife and mother
● Unmarried women often still live with their parents
● The father has the highest authority, and older brothers have authority over
their mothers and sisters
● In some countries, like Saudi Arabia, gender segregation still occurs and women
were JUST granted the ability to drive
Stereotypes/Cultural Characteristics
Religion
● MYTH: All Arabs are Muslim
● Arabs are connected by their culture, but they have different kinds of faiths
● Arabs not only belong to Islam, but other religions such as Christianity, Druze,
and Judaism
● Two main religions that Arabs identify with are Christianity and Islam
Language
● Arabic is spoken by 130 million people
● Fourth most widely spoken language in the world
● Arab schools usually teach more than one language
● Common for Arab Americans to speak more than one language
● Immigrants who come to the United States usually speak 2-3 languages
depending on their country
SHUKRAN
Essay Question
Identify ways in which a school might respond to an influx of Arab American
learners. How might teachers, administration, and counselors collaborate to find
ways to promote healthy self-concepts among these new students?
 School practices promoting Arab American
progress
● As teachers, we should be aware of all cultures and their styles.
● Arab American students tend to have a biased curriculum
● “Schools should take action against prejudice, discrimination, and incidences of
racism”
○ Trainings for teachers
○ Provided textbooks that are accurate and current
○ Being aware of food taboos, dress codes and restrictions
 What is the
educational level of
Arab Americans?

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.
Positive Cultural Identity = Higher achievement level
 Identity Crisis
How do I define my
“Homeland” Identity?

Am I Do I fit in?
representing my
culture?

“Adopted Country”
 We all need to do
whatever we can to
raise generations that
are proud of both their
Arab and American
heritage.
After all, this is
America – a nation of
nations.
 Democrats Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and Ilhan Omar in
Minnesota both won their races for House seats on Tuesday,
becoming the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress.
Bibliography
● http://www.aaiusa.org/
● https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.
7916/D8RR2688
● http://allied-media.com/Arab-American/Arab%2
0american%20Demographics.html
 Time for
Jeopardy! Link to Jeopardy:
playfactile.com/arabamericanjeopardy
Something a little fun and
different. To end our
presentation, we created a
jeopardy for the class to
participate in. Please get in
groups!