(I am putting this in GD, because I am already anticipating it might create a strong reaction. I hope that won’t happen, but just in case it does…)
Anyways, I just wanted to share with you all what they used to say when I was a little kid. I grew up in Metro-Detroit. And we have quite an extensive Arab and Muslim population here (not all Arabs are Muslims–but that is a separate debate).
Anyways, when I was young, they used to say, Arabs actually have a close bond, a kinship, if you will, with people of sub-Saharan African descent, i.e., Black people. They come from the same part of the world. And they will take their side, if they have to take anyone’s, I have found.
I know, where I live, people sometimes try to drive a wedge between the two groups. Arab people often vote Republican (ironically). So this is partly the reason, sometimes. Also, Arab people, Muslims in particular, are not too popular as a group now, even among Democrats and liberals. So I thought I would just share this one with you.
Anyone else know what I am talking about? I really would love for a person of Arab or Muslim descent to chime in with this one. They could probably explain it better to you than I could.
And thank you all in advance, for keeping a peaceful and civil debate:).
I have been perusing a few more of the threads in the GD. And I am beginning to realize some people are a little impatient with posts that seem off-topic. So let me clarify a couple of things.
I am putting this in GD, because I anticipate it might get some slightly more strong reactions. Like the description of GD says, if you feel you must “testify”, post in here. I realize this thread is not testifying. But it is likely to provoke the same reactions.
Also, it is kind of a debate. Because I am kind of asking if you know it, and is it true. If I have to make a debate of any kind, I will make that one.
I already know it’s true. But perhaps some of you will disagree.
Finally, if it must be moved to the MPSIMS section, please accept my sincerest apologies for putting it in the wrong place. And please give an explanation–for future reference, and for other posters who may make the same mistake.
Thank you again. And again, please keep it civil:).
Old and very racist joke. What happens when an Arab meets a black guy? He looks at his teeth and shouts, 50 dukuts and not one more!
I can understand why Arabs and Blacks in the United States might make common cause, but there is a long and thousands year long tradition of people from the Middle East showing up in Sub-Saharan Africa and carting off many as slaves. While S Arabia and Egypt have a large population of blacks, most of them are descendants of slaves.
One time, perhaps 5 or 10 years ago, there was an apartment complex. And there were some Albanians in there (I believe) who didn’t take kindly to their African American neighbors. (I have nothing against Albanians, that is just how the story goes.)
When the police got involved, they noted, and it was repeated on the evening news, that the Arab residents in the apartment took the African American’s side, without hesitation.
It has happened before, too. As I said, about 30 years ago, when I was still a kid, Arab people used to speak openly and fondly about their close ties, and emotional warmth, to African Americans.
If they don’t speak openly about it anymore, they are just being humble, I think.
Not a clue. It seems to be all anecdote and half-baked speculation. I have no idea whether you’re right or wrong, and no idea how anyone could either substantiate or refute such fuzzy musings.
In the US, where African-Americans have a long history of suffering racial prejudice and discrmination, and Arab-Americans are now experiencing something similar, at least to some degree, is it any surprise that they should empathise to some extent with one another?
Having grown up in Metro Detroit, with friends in Dearborn, friends whose parents came from the Middle East, and friends who were black, I can honestly say that i have never heard anything like the claims of the OP.
Now, I have been away for many years and things might have changed, but before i accept the vague ideas provided in the OP, I would like to have some context, and some specific evidence for the claim, (that goes beyond a single anecdote regarding a single apartment house incident).
[QUOTE=Jim B.]
When the police got involved, they noted, and it was repeated on the evening news, that the Arab residents in the apartment took the African American’s side, without hesitation.
[/QUOTE]
Maybe they took their side because they were in the right re: the events involved in the dispute? Do you think they took their side solely because they were black? What was the dispute between the neighbors about? What does this even mean?
I have never noticed this, but my experiences with Arab Americans (who are presumably the group we’re talking about) have been rather limited.
Had a classmate in middle school. An Egyptian fellow, probably the only Arab in the whole school. Didn’t fit in with the white kids or the black kids. I remember someone jokingly remarked that he was “African American”, and his over-the-top insistence that this was wrong WRONG WRONG!! quickly marked him as an enemy. He saw himself as white, despite his brown skin and dark wiry hair. So he got clowned big time, especially since Afro-centrism was “in” during that time. Perhaps his parents were more pan-African, but I doubt it.
In high school, my Arabic teacher was Egyptian. He spent more time joking around than teaching. Most of my classmates were black since Muslim students were especially interested in learning Arabic and the Muslim population at the school was predominately black. Mr. E. harbored all kinds of negative stereotypes about black people that he frequently liked to share with us. Like, one day he predicted that I would become an obese woman like all black women apparently are. But we thought his ribbing was funny and harmless. I never got from him that he had a special fondness for black Americans, though. However, I don’t think he saw himself as white (which is probably why we “allowed” him to make fun of us). He had lived in Atlanta long enough to understand that he could never gain entry into that particular club.
In grad school, I taught Arab students. If they had more affinity towards black Americans than other groups, I couldn’t tell. But the ones I interacted with seemed friendly enough.
