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A Word About the Almanac

By Farouk El-Baz


The Arab American Almanac has become an indispensable source of information about citizens of the United States who hailed from Arab lands. These immigrants varied greatly in age, background, education level, and religion. They belong to every conceivable profession, rich to poor, with little education to Ph.D. holders, and from sophisticated city dwellers to farm boys. They constitute a group of people as varied as the U.S. population itself.

Because of their diversity, they have significantly contributed to the nation in every field of endeavor. If one is to generalize, these immigrants came mostly in three waves. The earliest were those who arrived in the last quarter of the 19th Century. These were mostly Lebanese and Syrian Christians; many were merchants. The second wave came in the middle of the 20th Century, mostly to escape the heavy hand of military rule in their countries of origin.

The latest wave is the contemporary immigrants who escape from the crushing economic conditions to seek hope for a better future. Arabs who come to America easily dissolve in the society. They do not come here to establish a distinct block, but they much rather disperse quietly. They seem to have done that so well that their impact on the political landscape - as a block - is limited. Also, the Arab American civic groups and NGOs are too numerous and sometimes were at odds with each other. Much of that might be due to the fact that Arab immigrants may have brought perceived ancient differences with them from various lands of origin.

A positive sign is the much younger age of the most recent wave of immigrants. Tribal or ancient differences between groups back home would not mean much to these young people. Therefore, they would be less burdened by them and ready to cooperate as active members of the American social fabric. Thus, if I am asked where this Almanac should venture next, I would not hesitate to say that it should have considerable coverage of “Young Arab Americans.