Here are a few truths and misconceptions about Arab American Immigrants.

1) Arab women are all Muslim and follow the conventions  of Islamic teachings and practice

FALSE: Arab women consist of all religions and creeds including Islam, Catholoscism, Judaism, Maronite, Druz, and many more

2) All Arab women wear some type of covering even in conservative homes

FALSE: Not all women chose to wear a covering even if extremely religous or have faith in god. Nor do women who wear a covering are always forced by their families and communities to wear one.

3) All Arab women condone men to abuse them and treat them as second class citizens

FALSE: Some Arab women may see their place in the home as second to their husbands or brothers and fathers, however there are Arab feminist and Arab women who have established their place in society as equally powerful and worthy as men.

Source: ArabAmericanNews.com

4) All Arab women and Immigrants are not educated to the capacity of men:

FALSE: Women can and are educated and have the full support of their families. Others may not have support of loved ones and may still pursue a higher education on their own.

5) All Arab women and men dislike American life and services.

FALSE: Arab men and women live harmoniously in American society after immigration.

A common American stereotype about Arabs emphasizes that they are by definition Muslims and therefore are bloodthirsty, fanatical, and anti-Western. Another misconception is that Iranians are Arabs, when most Iranians are Persians who speak Farsi, an Indo-European language, which uses Arabic script. Arabic, on the other hand, belongs to the Semitic language family. Other misconceptions and stereotypes include: Arabs are desert nomads; however, only two percent of contemporary Arab society is nomadic; and, Arabs oppress women. While formal laws protecting women’s equality are fewer in Arab countries than the United States, the prevalence of rape and physical abuse of women in the Arab world appears to be lower than in American society.

–Nabeel Abraham, Arab Americans

6) All marriages are arranged

FASLE: Yes arranged marriages are still happening in Arab culture but this does not mean men and women do not have love marriages with their families approval.

7) Arab women who wear religious dress act subordinate to men

FALSE: This is highly inaccurate. What women wear is for the sake of religion not to stop women from being strong, powerful, and as powerful as men. Wearing a scarf has not stopped Arab women from being feminists or taking the lead as provider of the household or prominent members of the community.