Palestinian American
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| Total population |
|---|
| 452,000[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| New York, New Jersey, Michigan, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
Predominately Christians and Muslims, some Jewish. |
| Related ethnic groups |
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Other Mediterranean, Levantine, or Semetic peoples. |
Palestinian Americans are Americans of Palestinian ancestry. It is difficult to say when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived at the United States; however, many of the first immigrants to arrive were Christians escaping persecution from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. Others came as a result of the tension during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War; the Six Day War and Yom Kippur War.
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[edit] Demography
Many Palestinians settled down in cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Chicago and the Chicagoland suburbs of Illinois and Detroit alongside other Mediterranean communities such as the Lebanese, Syrians, Greeks, Italians, and Egyptians.
A Palestinian community of about 600 people can be found in Gallup, New Mexico.[citation needed] The relatively small community actually goes back to the 1920s by a small movement of Palestinians involved in the agricultural and mineral industries. The local Southwest Indian Jewelry stores are primarily under ownership of Palestinian Americans.[citation needed]
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 72,112 people of Palestinian ancestry living in the United States. However, The Arab American Institute Foundation estimates the figure at 252,000 while the Palestinian American Council puts it at 179,000 (1999). The definition of how a person identifies him/herself a "Palestinian" is one of political controversy.[citation needed]
It is clearly understood that Palestinians, most of them practicing Christians of the Eastern Orthodox variety established large communities in the Americas, among them Chile in South America. The diplomatic relationship between the U.S. government and Palestinians are often positive, but can be strained over the U.S.' alliance with Israel.[citation needed]
[edit] History
The first Palestinians who emigrated to the United States arrived after 1908 and were Christians. Later the first Palestinian Muslims emigrated to the United States. Most early immigrants ran mobile and jewelry businesses among other small items. Later on, a network of services brought new immigrants.Palestinian emigration began to reduce since 1924, with the law limiting the number immigrants, as well as the Great Depression. The population began to increase after World War II and the Arab-Israeli War, after Israel was created in 1948 many Palestinian to immigrate, most of them were refugees. However, the greatest wave of Palestinian immigration began in 1967 after the Six Day War. This wave of immigrants has reached its peak in the 1980s. Some Palestinian immigrants came to the United States for political reasons, but the majority arrived for economic and educational opportunity. Most Palestinians that immigrated to United States in this period were more educated than the Palestinians that arrived until 1967, thanks to the schools sponsored by the ONU and the increased of the university in the Middle East. [2]
[edit] Assimilation
The old Palestinian living in areas with large Arab community and rarely need to learn English, interacting little with American society. Women tend to adapt more to American society than men, who teach their children the Arabic culture. In Addition, the Palestinians are opposed to the culture of Western liberalism, such as divorce, free sexuality or drug use and alcohol. Thus, some U.S. Palestinians send their children to study at institutions of the Middle East when they are teenagers. On the other hand, many Palestinian Americans retain their Palestinian identity while identifying as Americans. Many Palestinians have felt discriminated against by the Americans,, who tend to identify to them with the extremist groups that commit terrorist acts in Israel, without knowing the reasons of why the war took place between Israelis and Palestinians in that country.[2]
[edit] Study
In the United States approximately 46% of the Palestinians (35% percent of men and 11% percent of women) have at least a college degree. The rate university of Palestinian Americans is superior to the of the American adult in general (that have a college degree just over 20 percent for them). The study of culture and the Arabic language is increasingly important among them, especially in college and graduate school. Thus, also some Palestinian or Arab organizations are working to monitor and improve the teaching of Arab history and culture in the American schools.[2]
[edit] Language and Culture
Palestinian culture is a blend of Eastern Mediterranean influences. Palestinians share commonalities with nearby Levantine people (Lebanese, Syrians, and Jordanians). Palestinians are genetically or descended from the native Canaanites/Phoenicians and thereby mixed with their conquerors Hebrews, Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, and Ottoman Turks.
Palestinians speak Palestinian Arabic, Western Aramaic, and Hebrew.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ The Arab American Institute Foundation
- ^ a b c Palestinian Americans by Ken Kurson. Retrieved December 07, 2011, to 19:11 pm.
[edit] External links
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