Muslim and Arab Americans
• Describe the impact of Orientalism on Muslim and Arab Americans.
• Identify causes of prejudice and discrimination against Muslim and Arab Americans.
• Compare and contrast United States-centric views of Muslim and Arab Americans with United States-centric views of Christian Americans.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. CheckPoint: Characteristics of Orientalism, Prejudice, and Discrimination
• Resources: Racial and Ethnic Groups, and “Making Enemies,” by S. Pyne at government responses affected prejudice and discrimination against Muslims, Arabs, and related groups?
o List two to three characteristics of Orientalism. How may Orientalism and prejudice contribute to hate crimes against these groups?
o In addition to the examples of tolerance identified in the article, what else can individuals do to promote tolerance and reduce prejudice in their towns
To supplement your assigned reading for these assignments, you may find this article useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism
We are not alowed to use anything from Wikipedia,the Dictionary or an Encyclopaedia. It makes it tough to find information.
You will find a wealth of information at these already answered questions on Orientalism.
http://www.jiskha.com/search/search.cgi?query=Orientalism
Your assignment states that you are to use these resources: "Resources: Racial and Ethnic Groups, and “Making Enemies,” by S. Pyne".
I have them both printed out and I still can not find the answers, Mostly how does Orientalism and prejudice contribute to hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs? That does not make sence to me since Orientalism (I thought) has something to do with Asin people.
I don't know how your resources define Orientalism, but here's a definition from Dictionary.com.
"American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source O·ri·en·tal·ism also o·ri·en·tal·ism (ôr'ē-ěn'tl-ĭz'əm, ōr'-) Pronunciation Key
n.
A quality, mannerism, or custom specific to or characteristic of the Orient.
Scholarly knowledge of Asian cultures, languages, and peoples."
Orientalism is not a term usually used in cultural diversity, sociology, or anthropology classes. That may be why you haven't found much about it on the Internet. The term Orient can refer to all of Asia, but usually connotes the people of eastern Asia (China, Japan, Indonesia, etc.). However, most Arabs and Muslims live in western Asia (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, etc.). North Africa (Egypt, Lybia, Morocco, etc.) also is made up of mostly Arabic Muslims.
Frankly, I don't think that Orientalism has much to do with hate crimes and prejudice against Muslims and Arabs. It's fairly common for groups of people with different cultures and languages to experience some discrimination in this country. But that's as true for s, Mexicans, Chinese, and Africans as it is for Arabs and Muslims. As immigrant families and their American-born children assimilate into American society, prejudice tends to diminish.
When Arabs and Muslims are singled out as a threatening group, it's likely because of 9/11 and subsequent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Muslims in many countries.
We've had these questions posted several times on this board over the last year or so -- so evidentally you're not the only one to have difficulty finding the answers in your assigned resources. You may want to ask your instructor for help in answering these questions. Good luck!
1 answer