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Middle Eastern American is a term used by universities such as the City University of New York, University of California, Los Angeles, Santa Clara University, Central Michigan University and UC Berkeley for a American of Middle Eastern ancestry. The term is often used interchangeably with Arab American by such organizations as the Center for Near Eastern Studies in their program of Middle Eastern and Arab American Gender Studies.
US Census Racial Classification Middle Eastern Americans are classified as White on the 2000 US Census along with North Africans and European Americans. North Africa is considered to be part of the Middle East region by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs, so the specification of North Africa was most likely a clarification. The region of Central Asia is often considered part of the Middle East due to a shared culture and religion. Central Asia is not considered to be explicitly labeled Asian by the 2000 US Census, so Central Asian Americans are probably classified as Middle Eastern Americans. Pakistani Americans while sometimes included in this region are specifically classified as Asian. In the USA, common non-governmental, colloquial and social understandings of "White" differ from that country's official government definition by excluding Muslims and Americans without European ancestry. Although under some definitions of Asia "West Asia" is included, Middle Eastern Americans are not usually considered Asian Americans. Thus, they are often spoken of as separate groups, although some Asian American groups consider Middle Eastern Americans also Asian American. Discrimination Middle Eastern Americans are often considered an invisible minority. After 9/11, they were the target of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred along with South Asian Americans. As a result, some were detained without due process of law under the suspicion of terrorist activities. Coinciding with 9/11, United States politicians such as George W. Bush refered to them with his "good vs. evil" rhetoric. Iranian Americans have had to surpass the anti-Iranian sentiment after the United States involvement in the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. Population See Also | ||||||||
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