One of the reasons that account for numerous misunderstandings concerning Arab-Americans is perhaps the fact that, as Shibley Telhami puts it in his article, "most Arabs in America are not Muslim, and most Muslims are not Arabs." Americans got used to associate all the Arabs with the same religion, while the situation is much more complicated. Telhami writes about this misconception and explains, "Most Arab Americans came from Lebanon and Syria, in several waves of immigration beginning at the outset of the 20th century. Most Muslim Americans are African American or from South Asia.".

Telhami observes that the Arab community is one of the most diverse ethnic communities in the United States. The Arabs differ not only in their re

The second group described by Shain is "Islamic-leaning Isolationists". They respect the Islamic law that forbids them to build a minority life in a non-Islamic country. They feel obliged to propagate Islam as the only acceptable religion and, as Shain puts it, "try to bring the infidels into the House of Islam". As a logical consequence of their beliefs, they perceive full assimilation as impossible, and their goal is to establish a religious community detached from the mainstream American society. Their attitude to the Palestinian question is similar to the one presented by the left-leaning isolationists, however it is treated as a religious rather than political question. Members of this group set up their own organizations too, such as the Islamic Society of Northern America or the Muslim Arab Youth Association. They all share a view that "Islam should become the primary referent in all aspects of life", they remain conservative as to the dress for women in public or frequent mosque attendance. The radical views of this group, according to Shain, are inspired by exiles from Arab countries and occasional visits of leaders from radical Middle Eastern groups. Members of this group often fund and actively support organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah. They are extremists, who view the world outside their faith as an enemy, calling it a "House of War". As one of the leaders of the Islamic Society of North America put it, they will never be able to understand a "system organized by design to elevate the will of man above the will of God".

Arab-Americans remain a somewhat mysterious group among the many ethnic minorities living in America. The events of September 11, however tragic and dangerous, provide hope that this group will receive more attention from sociologists, and perhaps some of the misunderstandings and misconceptions will be cleared up.

However, the situation became much more difficult after the WTC attack. Telhami observes that the Middle Eastern background of the terrorists, and the terrorists' attempt to use religion to justify thei

Some common words found in the essay are:
Arabs Muslims, Yossi Shain, Arab Muslim, Middle Eastern, President Bush, House Islam, Youth Association, Despite Telhami, Institute Conference, Islamic-leaning Isolationists, arab americans, september 11, arabs muslims, arab community, united arab, middle eastern, telhami observes, arab american institute, american society, muslim woman, america muslim,
Approximate Word count = 1402
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)