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Arab Americans constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from 22 Arab countries, stretching from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east. Although a highly diverse ethnic group, Arab-Americans descend from a heritage that represents common linguistic, cultural, and political traditions.
A majority of Arab-Americans, around 62 per cent, originate from the region of the Levant, comprising Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Arab-Americans of Egyptian origin form the next largest contingent and constitute around 11%. The remainder is made up of those from Iraq, Morocco and other Arab nations, which although are small in numbers, are present nontheless. The largest Arab-American population is found in California.
In contrast to the religious composition of Arabs in Arab countries, the overwhelming majority of Arab-Americans are Christian, not Muslim. Christians account for 77% of the Arab-American population, while Muslims account for the remaining 23%. The largest Arab-American religious tradition is comprised by Maronites (Eastern Rite Roman Catholics) who account for 42%, followed by Orthodox Christians and Muslims, each accounting for 23% of the Arab-American population. Protestant Christians are the smallest religious grouping, accounting for 12% of all Arab-Americans.
For the purposes of statistics, individuals who identify as "Arab" are categorised as white by US government agencies and the US census. This racial classification, however, is seldom the case for most Arab-Americans who are often excluded from the general structural concepts of white-American society.
Famous Arab-Americans include Ralph Nader, Paula Abdul, Casey Kasem, Frank Zappa, James Abourezk, and John Abizaid among others.
See also Arab diaspora
External links
Arab-American Organizations
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