Arab American’s classification as ‘white’ has led to serious problems in undercounting the community. The question of Arab classification has been a difficult one for the U.S. Census to answer, ever since Arabs immigrating to the U.S. were classified as “Ottoman” or “Turkish.” As a result, Arab American activists say, the community has been consistently undercounted.
There is no box for Arab Americans in the ethnicity section, as there is for Asians or Hispanics, for example. Instead, Arab Americans tend to classify themselves as either “White” or to check the “Other” box.
Currently, data on Americans of Arab descent is only available on the long form of the U.S. Census through the ancestry question. This allows people classified as “White” to identify themselves with up to two ethnic origins.

As a supplement to the ancestry question, language spoken at home is also an aid in identifying the Arab American population, but even this can present a problem, as some studies have found that as much as 70.2% of Arab Americans speak English only at home.
The confusion may begin with the U.S. Census, but it certainly doesn’t end there. In fact, there is no consensus even among Arab Americans regarding this issue.
Some are quite comfortable with checking off “White”, fearing that if that were to change now, it would be a government attempt to identify them for profiling means.

“Among the major oppositions to data classification is the potential for abuse by government or law enforcement agencies, especially in times of crisis,” says Helen Samhan, executive director of the Arab American Institute Foundation.

Others would like Arab Americans to be separated into their own category, the same way that Hispanics, Blacks and Asians have been. This argument stems from the belief that Arabs are officially classified as White, yet in reality and practice, are treated as a minority.

Traditionally, the tracking of minority groups has been used by the bureau to determine and better analyze economic and social issues. But various studies over the years have found that Arab Americans tend to be economically above average. As such, the argument goes, there has been no real need on the part of the U.S. Census bureau to conduct this type of analysis.

To get classified as a separate ethnic group – a development advocates say would lead to a better statistical understanding of the community and possible social, economic and political benefits – a costly campaign would have to be mounted. Yet to launch such an endeavor, supporters say financial support from within the community would be needed, and that hasn’t been forthcoming.

“I have spoken with many officials at the [Census] Bureau and others at OMB (Office of Management & Budget), and in a nut shell you must be economically ‘needy’ to be on the federal civil rights categories and Arab Americans are not,” says Samia El-Badry, a noted demographer of Arab American descent who works closely with Census Bureau officials. “Arab Americans do not have a champion in Congress to get such a category.

“Data collection is a two-edged sword,” Samhan adds. “One benefit of being able to distinguish data on Arabs and others from the Middle East and North Africa from the majority European population is it allows better analysis of social, economic and civic integration, particularly of foreign born populations. Data distinctions can also support research on ethnically-based health issues as well as document disparate treatment in law enforcement. It also helps map the participation of our community in all aspects of public service, from the military and law enforcement to education and other civil service jobs.”

Despite such potential benefits, the timing to lobby for such a classification may not be ripe. Both Samhan and El-Badry were previously passionate advocates of having a new “Arab” classification on the Census forms, but that has changed – at least temporarily.

“Given the present stance on terrorism, the war to eliminate a president of an Arab nation and the uneducated fear of the Muslim religion, this is not a time for us to have an Arab American category on any government form,” El-Badry says. “Arab Americans fear being rounded up. While [a box for “Arab”] was pursued for many years under the stance of fairness and accuracy of data collection, right now is not the time to pursue it. By definition, the race question has white, and hence that is where we fit in.”

Nonetheless, both El-Badry and Samhan agree that it is important to continue to understand and get a better grasp of Arab American life in the U.S.
The increasing availability of numbers, coupled with an increase in population over the last decade, has led businesses to take greater notice of Arab Americans. These businesses also are now looking into strategies to target this consumer group.

“We have been hearing for several years now from companies that are aware of Arab Americans as an emerging and untapped market that deserves greater attention,” Samhan says. “Companies headquartered in areas of high Arab American concentration are particularly tuned to this and are eager to get more demographic research. We also know from our partnership with (polling firm) Zogby International, that a number of businesses are requesting market research and mailing lists to improve their ability to reach our community. I expect this to be a steady trend.”

Article published courtesy of Arab American Business Magazine