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Updated: 2001-11-07 01:00

Arabs in 'Amreeka' (2001/11/07)

阿拉伯人在美国(2001/11/07)

Arabs in 'Amreeka'For many in the United States, Arab-Americans are an invisible segment of the population. Though Arab-Americans as a community have made significant contributions to American society in fields ranging from literature to politics to medicine, many Americans know very little about Americans of Arab descent.


History

Arab history in the United States goes back to the late 1800's when large numbers of Arab immigrants first began making their journey to a land known simply as "Amreeka."

Historians generally describe Arab immigration to America in two waves. The first wave took place between 1860 and 1924. The first wave consisted of Lebanese and Syrian, and some Egyptian immigrants. These new immigrants, who were predominantly Christian, came to America in pursuit of better opportunities. Even the doomed Titanic, which set sail for America in 1912, had close to a hundred Arab passengers aboard. The majority of Arab Americans today are descendents of the first wave of immigrants; they are third or more generation Americans.

The second wave of immigrants followed after WWII, sparked by political unrest in the Middle East. This second wave of immigrants consists of mainly Arab Muslims and continues to this day. These new immigrants include Palestinian, Lebanese, Egyptian and other Arabs from several of the 22 Arab countries in the world.

Arab-Americans today

Arab-Americans make up 3 million of the population in the United States, according to demographers. And contrary to popular belief, 64 percent of them are American-born. Eighty-two percent of Arab-Americans are US citizens.

The largest numbers of Arab-Americans trace their roots to the countries of Lebanon and Syria, followed by Palestine and Egypt with smaller numbers from Iraq, Jordan and other Arab countries. Most of the Arab-American population is concentrated in states like Michigan, California, and New York, according to cultural and demographic reports compiled by the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF).

A common misconception about Arab-Americans is the assumption that all Arabs are Muslim, when in fact Arab-Americans belong to many religions. Worldwide, only about 12 percent of Muslims are Arab. In the United States, only 23 percent of Arab-Americans are Muslim. The majority of Arab-Americans are Christian.

Arab-Americans surpass the national average in both education and income. Education is important among Arab-Americans; 82 percent have high school diplomas, 36 percent have bachelor's degrees or higher, and 15 percent have graduate degrees. The median average income among Arab-Americans is ,580, which is higher than the US average, according to AAIF.

(Agencies)

大多数美国人都认为阿拉伯裔美国人在整个美国人口中所占比重微乎其微。虽说阿拉伯裔美国人作为一个群体,在包括文学、政治和医学等领域内对美国社会做出过杰出的贡献,但很多美国人还是对这一群体不甚了解。

历史渊源

阿拉伯人在美国的历史可以追溯到19世纪晚期,那时侯阿拉伯移民开始踏上这片被称为"亚美利加"的土地。

历史学家通常把阿拉伯人移民美国的过程划分成两次高潮。第一次高潮出现在1860年和1924年间,移入美国的主要是黎巴嫩人、叙利亚人和部分埃及人。这些移民几乎清一色为基督徒,他们来美国是为了寻求更好的机会。就连那艘1912年驶向美国后来失事的泰坦尼克号上,也有近百名阿拉伯乘客。现今生活在美国的阿拉伯裔美国人,大多数是第一次移民高潮中阿拉伯人的后代,他们至少也是这些移民的第三代子孙了。

第二次移民高潮出现在二战后,中东地区的政治动乱造成了这次移民高潮。加入这次移民行列的大多是阿拉伯的穆斯林,而且这次高潮一直延续至今。新移民包括巴勒斯坦人,黎巴嫩人,埃及人和其他阿拉伯国家的居民。

今天的阿拉伯裔美国人

人口统计学家称,目前阿拉伯裔美国人共有三百万。不过出乎人们意料的是,他们当中百分之六十四出生在美国,百分之八十二的阿拉伯裔美国人已成为美国公民。

祖籍为黎巴嫩和叙利亚的阿裔美国人人数最多,其次为巴勒斯坦和埃及,再其次为伊拉克,约旦和其他一些阿拉伯国家。根据阿裔美国人研究基金会提供的文化及人口资料,大多数阿裔美国人聚居在密歇根州、加州和纽约州。

一个常见的误区是人们往往认为所有阿拉伯人都是穆斯林,事实上阿裔美国人的宗教信仰多种多样。这家基金会的资料显示,从全世界的范围计算,只有百分之十二的穆斯林由阿拉伯人构成。在美国,百分之二十三的阿裔美国人是穆斯林,大多数阿裔美国人信仰基督教。

阿裔美国人在教育和收入水平方面高于美国平均水平。阿裔美国人非常重视教育,百分之八十二的人高中毕业,百分之三十六的人拥有学士或学士以上学历,且百分之十五的人研究生毕业。根据基金会的资料,阿裔美国人年均收入为三万九千五百八十美元,高于全美的平均水平。

(中国日报网站译)

 
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