Good Movie Review On Sociology

Jen'nan Read - Muslims and Arabs

Based on the video, Arab is an ethnic group, based on a language. It is traced back to twenty different countries and the Middle East. Most Arabs in the US are Christians who immigrated during WW1. Muslim is a religious categorization, they are not Arabs. Even though Muslims and Arabs are assumed to be the same group, they are not. A small category overlaps, but most Muslims are south Asians and African Americans and most Arabs are Christians. Since 9/11 both Arabs and Muslims have become more politically active because of their changed status, it went from them living the American dream and doing well, to them being singled out. The “racialization” occurred because after 9/11, the Arabs and Muslims have become marginalized; they felt oppressed and singled out and no longer felt that they had a voice. The differences between the populations of Muslims are that they are a diverse group and they are clustered into six large metro centers, in the same way as immigrant groups. They are not dispersed. Just like Christians there are some who are devout, those who are secular and worship one time per year, or not at all and others who are extremists. Arab-Christians are similar to Christians; they are both religious and secular. Both Arabs and Muslims work cohesively in the same way to mobilize the community, mostly in the Muslim group. They realized that they were not effective when they acted on their own. It was a small group to begin with, so breaking it down would make them even smaller, so they came together after 9/11. Both Muslim-Christians and Arab-Christians maintain the same views as Christians on same sex marriages and abortions. The differences in Arab and Muslim populations before and after 9/11 are that before 9/11 the Arabs and Muslims were not politically active. They were doing very well because of selection, immigrant selectivity. After 9/11 they felt the need to become more politically active, because they felt that they were being marginalized and were not being heard. They became increasingly more active in order to get the word out. The increase in converts to Islam, mostly Caucasians and African-Americans, is because they want to get a sense of identity and community. They want to feel a sort of inclusion and belonging, or to be a part of a sort of community, which gives them a voice. Muslim Americans are very educated and are in the middle to upper class. Many of the affluent Americans are Muslims who have made huge contributions to the American Society. Before September 11, they could vote either way, for republicans or democrats. Even though their statuses and conservative views could have made them republicans. After 9/11 they felt disenchanted with Bush’s policies, they felt oppressed and singled out, their votes shifted to democrats. If the Muslim women wear a veil they can preserve their cultural identity, it can give them a sense of belonging, show them as being different from American women and to show their religious status. In not wearing the veil, they stand the chance of hindering their success, their family life and their chances of getting and keeping a job. The women willingly wear the veil and are not forced by their family to do so.

Works Cited

Wwnorton.com,. 'Chapter 9: Race | You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction To Thinking Like A Sociologist, Third Edition: W. W. Norton Studyspace'. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.