Taste that tolerance

After the recent French riots, I’ve heard people question why similar riots are not a part of the American social scenery and why Arab immigrants assimilate better in the U.S. How are Arab immigrants in America able to climb the ladder of education and advancement when their counterparts in France are unable to do so?

According to U.S. Census Bureau, at least 3.5 million Americans are of Arab descent. Arab Americans live in all 50 states, but two thirds reside in 10 states; one third of the total live in California, New York, and Michigan. About 94% live in metropolitan areas. Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Chicago and Washington, DC are the top five metro areas of Arab American concentration. Even though this shows that assimilating does not always mean dispersing (Arab Americans tend to live in clusters), Americans with Arab heritage have successfully integrated themselves with the wider community.

Additionally, Arab-American workers and businessmen are woven into the wider economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, similar to the national average, about 64 percent of Arab American adults are in the labor force; with 5 percent unemployed. Seventy three percent of working Arab Americans are employed in managerial, professional, technical, sales or administrative fields. Median income for Arab American households in 1999 was $47,000 compared with $42,000 for all households in the United States. Close to 30% of Americans of Arab heritage have an annual household income of more than $75,000, while 22% of all Americans reported the same level of income.

From the various mosques in this country to the new Arab-America museum in Dearborn, Arab-Americans have the freedom to profess their religion and celebrate their culture. I think it’s easier for immigrants to feel a part of this country especially if the locals feel they have something valuable to offer; or if they feel that these people are not acting self-righteous, imposing their values on the people around them.

However, I know that a lot of Arab-Americans are accused of “acting white”. Does that mean that they have to forsake their self-identities to wear the mark of acceptance in this country?

Immigrants from Middle Eastern countries head to highly concentrated Arab communities because they have relatives there; or, when they arrive in a big city, they may gravitate towards an area with familiar food and festivities. Contrast this with France, where the North African immigrants gravitate towards the slums because there is nowhere else for them to go. Ethnic ghettos have been formed in a country that prides itself in color-blind equality. And mass unemployment persists in a welfare system that is supposedly glued together by “social solidarity”, operating under a model of integration without recognizing the differences between various minorities.

So if you ever hear Americans complain about immigrants “stealing” away jobs, remind them of France which is feeling the wrath of immigrants who are forced to live in poverty and, to vent their frustration, follow a path of fury and destruction. We should be lucky that the U.S. has the resources and the tolerance to provide for the wider community and avoid riots based on ethnic differences.