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US Arab population surging, census report finds
Washington, Dec 04: The Arab population in the United States has nearly doubled in the past two decades, according to the Census Bureau`s first report on the group.
Washington, Dec 04: The Arab population in the
United States has nearly doubled in the past two decades,
according to the Census Bureau's first report on the group.
Experts cited liberalised immigration laws and
unrest in the Middle East that led many people to come to US.
The Bureau counted nearly 1.2 million Arabs in the United States in 2000, compared with 860,000 in 1990 and 610,000 in 1980. About 60 percent trace their ancestry to three countries, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.
While earlier Arab immigrants came from countries with large Christian populations, newer arrivals come from heavily Muslim countries such as Iraq and Yemen.
“Immigrants from the Arab world come for the same reason all immigrants come, economic opportunity, opportunities to have an education, to develop a professional career,'' said Helen Samhan, Executive Director of the Arab American Institute Foundation, a research group.
Samhan said the lifting of US immigration quotas in the 1960s opened the door to people from Arab countries and many took advantage during the 1980s and 1990s, with a large number coming from nations such as Lebanon and Iraq.
Almost half of the Arabs in the US live in five states, California (190,890), New York (120,370), Michigan (115,284), New Jersey (71,770) and Florida (77,461). The backlash that occurred against Arab Americans following September 11 served to draw them closer and get more involved in politics.
Bureau Report
The Bureau counted nearly 1.2 million Arabs in the United States in 2000, compared with 860,000 in 1990 and 610,000 in 1980. About 60 percent trace their ancestry to three countries, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.
While earlier Arab immigrants came from countries with large Christian populations, newer arrivals come from heavily Muslim countries such as Iraq and Yemen.
“Immigrants from the Arab world come for the same reason all immigrants come, economic opportunity, opportunities to have an education, to develop a professional career,'' said Helen Samhan, Executive Director of the Arab American Institute Foundation, a research group.
Samhan said the lifting of US immigration quotas in the 1960s opened the door to people from Arab countries and many took advantage during the 1980s and 1990s, with a large number coming from nations such as Lebanon and Iraq.
Almost half of the Arabs in the US live in five states, California (190,890), New York (120,370), Michigan (115,284), New Jersey (71,770) and Florida (77,461). The backlash that occurred against Arab Americans following September 11 served to draw them closer and get more involved in politics.
Bureau Report