Arab immigration to the United States began before the United States achieved independence in 1776. Since the first major wave of Arab immigration in the late 19th century, the majority of Arab immigrants have settled in or near large cities. Roughly 94 percent of all Arab immigrants live in metropolitan areas,[1][2] While most Arabic-speaking Americans have similarly settled in just a handful of major American cities, they form a fairly diverse population representing nearly every country and religion from the Arab world.[3] These figures aside, recent demographics suggest a shift in immigration trends. While the earliest waves of Arab immigrants were predominantly Christian, since the late 1960s an increasing proportion of Arab immigrants are Muslim.[4] Arab immigration has, historically, come in waves. Many came for entrepreneurial reasons,[5][6] and during the latter waves some came as a result of struggles and hardships stemming from specific periods of war or discrimination in their respective mother countries.
- ^ Race and Arab Americans before and after 9/11 : from invisible citizens to visible subjects. Jamal, Amaney A., 1970-, Naber, Nadine Christine. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. 2008. ISBN 9780815631774. OCLC 156822834.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Demographics. 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ "Demographics" (PDF). Arab American Institute. 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ Orfalea, Gregory (2006). The Arab Americans : a history. Northampton, Mass.: Olive Branch Press. ISBN 1566565979. OCLC 57594047.
- ^ J. Bawardi, Hani (2015). The making of Arab Americans : from Syrian nationalism to U.S. citizenship (First ed.). Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 17 and 18. ISBN 978-1-47730-752-6.
- ^ Orfalea, Gregory (2006). The Arab Americans: A History. Olive Branch Press. p. 180.