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Building Cultural Competencies and Dispelling Myths - 10 Questions to Foster Understanding of Arab and Muslim Americans Submitted By: Laurie Trousil, Multicultural Development Center - The Multicultural Center is a community partner of Northwestern Health Sciences University. For more information visit www.mcdc.org. With the beginning of the school year as well as the start of the Ramadan fast we designed this quiz for you to assess your knowledge of Arab culture and of Islam, and to provide you with resources and information that will help you to better understand and interact with Arab and Muslim colleagues, clients, students and friends. Keep track of your score; answers will be given at the end of the quiz.
ANSWERS: 1.Ramadan always begins on September 1st - FALSE. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon/lunar cycles, it does not directly coincide with the Gregorian calendar used in Western countries. The lunar calendar is about eleven days shorter than the solar calendar; thus, Ramadan is approximately eleven days earlier each year. In 2008, Ramadan began on September 2 (September 1 in some Muslim countries, depending on the sighting of the moon). In 2009, Ramadan is scheduled to begin on August 21. http://www.islamawareness.net/Calendar/Ramadan/qanda.html 2. Which of the following is NOT considered an Arab country? - B. IRAN The Arab world is culturally rich and complex, as well as diverse; it includes 22 countries. Arab people share commonalities such as language, history, culture, food, law, traditions and values. http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=1172 3.Most Arab Americans living in the United States are Muslim - FALSE. The majority of Arab Americans are Christian: Roman/Eastern Catholic (35%), Eastern Orthodox (18%) and Protestant (10%). Only 24% of Arab Americans are Muslim. http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics 4.Arab Americans are largely uneducated, employed in low-paying, low-skilled jobs - FALSE. Approximately 85% of Arab Americans have at least a high school diploma. More than four out of ten Arab Americans have a bachelor's degree or higher; significantly higher than the national average (24%). Seventeen percent of Arab Americans have a post-graduate degree, which is nearly twice the national average (9%). Seventy-three percent of working Arab Americans are employed in managerial, professional, technical, sales or administrative fields. The median income for Arab American households in 1999 was $47,000, compared with $42,000 for all households in the United States. http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics 5.During the daylight hours of the Ramadan fast, Muslims are not supposed to - D. ALL OF THE ABOVE. Muslims who fast abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, swearing, bad thoughts and intimate relations with their spouse during the daylight hours of Ramadan. It is a time for Muslims to contemplate their faith by actively increasing in worship, prayer and reciting the Qur'an. It is an opportunity for spiritual as well as physical purification. Many Muslims also feel that the Ramadan fast gives them greater understanding and compassion for those less fortunate who do not always have food to eat or clean water to drink. http://www.imuslimz.com/?p=135 6.The largest number of Americans with Arab heritage originate from this country – B. LEBANON Lebanese Americans constitute the greatest part of the total number of Arab Americans residing in most states, except New Jersey, where Egyptian Americans are the largest Arab group. Americans of Syrian decent make up the majority of Arab Americans in Rhode Island, while the largest Palestinian population is in Illinois. The Iraqi and Assyrian/Chaldean communities are concentrated in Illinois, Michigan, and California. http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics 7.Which of the following is NOT one of the five pillars of Islam? – C. HIJAB – WEARING THE VEIL (FOR WOMEN) The 5 Pillars of Islam are 8.Maronites, Copts and Chaldeans are all Arab Christian groups - TRUE. Contrary to popular stereotypes, not all Arabs are Muslims. Arab Christians are people who are ethnically Arab but are followers of Christianity. Large numbers of Arab Christians can be found in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and the Occupied Territories, and in the United States. The largest concentration of Arab Christians is found in Egypt (Coptic Christians), numbering over six million and comprising 10% of the population. Lebanon contains the highest percentage of Arab Christians; the country is approximately 48% Christian (over 1.8 million mainly Maronite, with sizable numbers of Greek Orthodox, Syrian Catholic and other churches). In Syria, Christians form just under 15% of the population at about 2.7 million. About 6% (over 192,000) of all Palestinians are Christian. There are significant Christian populations in Iraq, including Assyrian and Chaldean Christians. There are many communities of Roman Catholics in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Arab-Christian 9.Name three famous Arab Americans There are many Americans of Arab descent that have made significant contributions in a variety of fields. Some of the more well-known are: Paula Abdul (singer-dancer-choreographer and American Idol judge) General John Abizaid (head of U.S. Central Command in Iraq) Dr. Michael DeBakey (Houston surgeon who invented the heart pump) Shannon Elizabeth (actor in "American Pie", "Scary Movie" and "Tomcats") Jamie Farr (Corporal Klinger on the TV show "M*A*S*H") Doug Flutie (San Diego Chargers quarterback and 1984 Heisman Trophy winner) J.M. Haggar (started Haggar Clothing Co.) Lisa Halaby;aka Queen Noor (married King Hussein of Jordan and became the only Arab American to be queen of a foreign country) George Latimer (former Mayor of St. Paul, MN) John Mack (Chairman of the Board and CEO of Morgan Stanley) Christa McAuliffe (schoolteacher and astronaut who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster) Kristy McNichol (co-star of the series "Empty Nest") George Mitchell (former U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Ralph Nader(consumer advocate and Green party presidential candidate) Kathy Najimy (award-winning comic actress starring in "Sister Act" and "Hocus Pocus") Paul Orfalea (founder of Kinko's) Bobby Rahal (all-time earnings champ among Indy car racers) Joe Robbie (former owner of the Miami Dolphins) George Shaheen (founder and CEO of Andersen Consulting, now called Accenture) John H. Sununu (Former Governor of New Hampshire and White House Chief of Staff under President George Bush, Sr.) Vic Tayback (portrayed Mel in TV's "Alice") Andrew Thomas (President and CEO of Heinekin USA) Danny Thomas (comedian, actor and founder of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital) Helen Thomas (correspondent for United Press International and dean of the White House press corps) Vince Vaughn (actor in "Wedding Crashers", "Psycho", "The Break Up") Frank Zappa (composer, electric guitarist, and film director) For a comprehensive list of famous Arab Americans, visit http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/23/famous-arab-americans 10.In terms of population, the largest Muslim country in the world is Saudi Arabia - FALSE. Home to a total of 196,281,020 Muslims, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in terms of population. Second place goes to India, having 133,295,077 Muslims and third place goes to China, with 133,100,545 Muslims. http://islamicweb.com/begin/population.htm Other helpful resources: http://www.freep.com/legacy/jobspage/arabs/index.htm {Copyright 2008, MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC)}. |
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