[Karim]

I am interested in the way Americans view Arabs. Do you think all Arabs are Muslims? Do you think they're all ugly, bearded or veiled people? Do you classify them as whites, or as blacks? Do you think most people in a country like Egypt are nomads who ride camels and wander the desert? I promise I won't be offended by your comments, as I've heard so many baseless assumptions made about my people that I am starting to think this is actually amusing.

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Name : Karim, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lucy-H22665]

I haven't had very much personal experiences with any Arab people, but given my limited first-hand experience, here are my impressions. Many times, such as in a store, I feel almost ignored when being helped by an Arab man. For instance, I went to test drive a car, and I took my cousin with me - who was male. The car salesman was Arab would only talk to my cousin, even though I was the one interested in buying the car, and I was the one asking the questions. He absolutly would not address his answers to me. I do not want to base my opinions of a group on the actions of one person, esspecially a car salesman, but this was just the most glaring example of being ignored by an Arab man. I have also been habitually interupted by Arab male students at school, as if what I have to say is nowhere near as important as what they have to say. My experiences with Arab women have been quite different. I have been in classes and study groups at school with Arab women and gotten along very well.

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Name : Lucy-H22665, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Anonymous]

Although I don't necessarily subscribe to these beliefs, I think for the most part Americans view Arabs as Muslims and terrorists. I know it sounds a little harsh to make such a sweeping generalization, but I think it's important to note, too, the way Arabs have been portrayed in American media, movies, news, etc. What's even more amusing is the way many Americans refer to all Middle-Easterners as 'Indians' or 'Pakistanis,' as if they were all from the same country!

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Name : Anonymous, Gender : F, Age : 26, City : Southern, State : NJ Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kim]

I would have to admit that until I worked with and got to know people from Egypt, I would have most likely answered yes to your questions. I have worked for nine years with two Egyptians (one a female and the other a male named Karam) who are of a religion very close to my own Catholicism. They have become like family to me over the years. It's all in getting to know people of other cultures. We've all attended weddings, funerals, etc. of one another. From them, I've learned a lot about Egypt and the Middle East in general, and some of the differences between the different Arab countries. It's sad to say, but had I not met these two and others since them, I probably would not have reached out to any other Arab and learned about them.

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Name : Kim, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Catholic, Age : 30, City : Oceanside, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Govt., Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Teresa]

I have to admit I had some incorrect stereotypical thoughts in my mind about Arabs and Muslims in general. I think most Americans associate polygamy, violence, female oppression and rigidity with Arabs and Muslims. About six months ago, I met a guy from Saudi Arabia who has shattered my misconceptions about Arabs. Granted, he has lived in the United States for more than four years and is 'Americanized' a great deal, but he still holds onto a great deal of his culture, as it is ingrained in him. He and his Arab friends are some of the most laid-back, considerate, humorous, trustworthy men I know, and all are very respectful of women. My lack of understanding of Islam and the Arab culture created a lot of problems for a while, but I now have a much greater respect and reverence for the Arab way of life. I cannot say that I understand Islam completely or that I agree with the Muslim belief system, but I realize now how wrong I was in my thinking before I met my Saudi friend.

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Name : Teresa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 29, City : The Panhandle, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : social worker, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Andres]

In general Americans have a vision of the crazed anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, beats-his-wife-if-she-dare-escape-his-Islamic-tyranny, and lops-off-the-head-of-every-infidel-he-meets Arab man. Arab women are seen as being horribly oppressed and beaten, forced against their will to be covered from head to toe b/c Arab men cannot control themselves, and basically in desperate need of some good ol' Western democracy; or forced to join a Harem at a young age. Americans do think Arab is synonomous to Muslim and would be shocked to hear some Arabs are Christians. They are usually classified as 'Arabs' or 'Mideastern.' Though many think they are a white-black mix. Turks, Iranians, Afghans and Pakistanis are also thought to be Arabs.

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Name : Andres, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : Chambersburg, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Jennifer R.]

When I think of Saudi Arabia and Oman, I think of oil and wealth. When I think of Turkey, I think of strong coffee, and, perhaps because of the Olympics, the origin of great weightlifters. When I think of Jordan, I think of the Royal Family, and the tragic passing of King Hussein. When I think of Iraq, I think of Sadam Hussein, Bin Laden, and yes, somewhat of terrorism. When I think of Morocco, I think of the elaborate traditional wedding ceremonies, and beaches. When I think of Egypt, I think of its ancient empires, and yes, of the desert and camels, but I'm smart enough to know that not everyone there is a bedouin. When I think of Algeria, I do admit I think of the oppression of women and of the Taliban. I'm also smart enough to know that not everyone who could be called 'Arab' is a Muslim. As far as looks go, I think some Arab people I've seen are among the best looking. They have the lovely diversity of skin tone of my own people, coupled with glossy black hair and dark eyes. Of course, I realize there are people who could be considered 'Arab' who have light eyes and hair.

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Name : Jennifer R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Humanist, Age : 29, City : Saint Paul, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Writer/Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Renee30143]

After 9-11, the perception of Caucasians of Islamic countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, etc, was set back. All Americans know right now is that 'people who look like that' or are 'from there' are scary. We need for all the peace-loving people of these ethnic groups to stand up and show their humanity right now because people are quite naturally afraid of 'them,' but we are also a hugely generous people and would like to embrace them as our brothers more than we want to fear them. Detroit has a high population of Arabs and Middle Eastern peoples. Many of the newly arrived tend to work in or own gas stations, auto shops and resturants - probably we see these people more because they are more in the public's path. My own father emigrated to the States from Albania and opened a restaurant because it is an easier business to run. You also see a lot of Greek emigres do the same.

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Name : Renee30143, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 30, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Andres]

Where I live the overwhelming majority of people think of Arabs as crazed suicide-bombing terrorists who want to convert the infidels of the world to Islam. They are cowards who love killing innocents and 'hate peace and democracy' (to quote the President). They think "Arab" is synonomous with "Muslim" and are shocked when I tell them of Christian Arabs. 'Arab' or 'Middle Eastern' is considered their race, but more derogatory terms like raghead (the most popular), Towelhead and Sand Ni**er are always used instead. They seem to think all Mideasterners are 'Arabs,' and probably think Afghans, Indians and Pakistanis are, too, and would be surprised if I told them North Africa was not black, but Arab. They also think Arabs are dunces who never invented anything and would be living in the 'sand age' if not for the United States, whom they credit with giving the Mideast ALL of its technology and advances. I wish they would put the beer down for 2 seconds and read a book for a change, rather than wax ignorance.

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Name : Andres, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : Chambersburg, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Jessica]

The majority of our media diet on the subject of the Middle Eastern world consists of pictures of terrorists, irate fundamentalist Muslims who despise the West, and raped, abused women. Those who don't seek other sources of real life information on the subject are left to assume that these things define the existence of Middle Easterners. It's too bad. That said, I don't think there are many people who seriously think that everyone in Egypt rides a camel to work, etc. We regularly see pictures of modern cities in the Middle East. I hate to say it, but a lot of those pictures came from when the United States carpet-bombed the hell out of Baghdad. A lot of people were glued to their TV sets and could see that it was just a regular city, not a big lump of mosques and picturesque minarets with the occasional camel wandering in search of an oasis. People here are gradually coming to understand that there may be more to the picture of that area of the world than has been shown to the general public. As for what race Americans use to label Middle Easterners, I think the closest I can come is to say white, but with some differences from the European that is the norm for whites in the U.S.

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Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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