Identifying As Arab In Canada

While “Arabs” now attract considerable attention – from media, the state, and sociological studies – their history in Canada remains little known. Identifying as Arab in Canada begins to rectify this invisibilization by exploring the migration from Machrek (the Middle East) to Canada from the late 19th century through the 1970s. Houda Asal breathes life into this migratory history and the people who made the journey, and examines the public, collective existence they created in Canada in order to understand both the identity Arabs have constructed for themselves here, and the identity that has been constructed for them by the Canadian state. Using archival research, media analysis, laws and statistics, and a series of interviews, Asal offers a thorough examination of the institutions these migrants and their descendants built, and the various ways they expressed their identity and organized their religious, social and political lives. Identifying as Arab in Canada offers an impressively researched, but accessibly written, much-needed glimpse into the long history of the Arab population in Canada.

This groundbreaking work identifies the challenges facing the Canadian-Arab community vis-a-vis racism, integration, government policy and community building. The first Part provides a comprehensive snapshot of the position of Arabs in Canada in a post September 11 world. The second Part outlines the internal and external barriers to community development from a conflict management framework. Together, these primary narratives provide insight into an often-misunderstood community.

Eid looks at the significance of religion to ethnic identity building, a largely understudied issue in ethnic studies, and the extent to which social and cultural practices are structured along ethnic and religious lines. Being Arab also analyzes whether gendered traditions act as identity markers for young Canadians of Arab descent and whether men and women hold different views on traditional gender roles, especially regarding power within romantic relationships and sexuality.

Following 9/11, the securitization of state practices and policies has chipped away at the citizenship and personal rights of all Canadians, particularly those of Arab descent. This book argues that in a securitized global context and through racialized immigration and security policies, Arab Canadians have become "targeted transnationals." Media representations have further legitimized their homogenization and racialization. The contributors to this book examine state practices towards, and media representations of, Arab Canadians. They also present voices that counter the dominant discourse and trace forms of community resistance to the racialization of Arab Canadians.

By providing migration experiences of Arabs to various nation-states, this volume examines socio-historical factors that allowed Arab communities to settle in several places, including Latin America, Singapore, the United States, Europe and Africa. It bridges several fields to provide context that is useful in today’s globalized world.

Despite Islam's long history in the "new world", the majority of Muslims in Canada are relatively new immigrants. How do Muslims in Canada cope with living in a non-Islamic environment? Are they able to maintain their Islamic values or do they prefer to become assimilated? To what extent does observance of the "five pillars" of Islam influence their identity? What effect do Canadian values such as drinking alcohol, eating pork, celebrating Christmas, premarital sex, bank interest, etc. have on a Muslim's identity, particularly since many of these are forbidden by Islam? What role do Muslim's community groups and organizations play in the adaptation of Muslims immigrants to their new homeland? How are Muslim's living in Canada affected by the political structure at the community, national and international level? This book examines these questions as well as many others, in an attempt to determine the extent to which Muslims in the Canadian multicultural mosaic are able to maintain their identity.