Live from MSU: Middle Eastern Communities in Michigan

Settlage, Elmir, Stiffler

While enjoying lunch, we had the opportunity to learn about Middle Eastern communities in Michigan.

Matthew Stiffler of the Arab American National Museum set the stage by describing who Arab Americans are: folks who can trace their heritage to any of the 22 Arab countries. Go ahead. Try to name them. (Click here for the answer).

He presented on the history of Arab migration to the U.S. and, in particular, the more than 100 years of Arab migration to Michigan. That bland statement hardly does justice to the charisma and humor with which he delivered a veritable fount of information.

Rana Elmir, of the Michigan ACLU, noted that the current anti-Arab and anti-Muslim (two concepts conflated by the government and media) movement is something that well predates 9-11 (citing Aladdin “I come from a land / From a faraway place / Where the caravan camels roam./ Where they cut off your ear / If they don’t like your face / It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.”)

She spoke about the particular challenge of recruiting efforts by the U.S. government, looking to secure informants in Michigan’s Middle Eastern communities. And the use of immigration status as leverage to secure assistance.

She also identified the problem of watchlisting – noting that Dearborn has the second largest number of individuals on the terrorist watch list of any city in the United States. That is not because Dearborn is a hotbed of terror but because the watchlist itself is fundamentally flawed.

In addition to those topics, Rama also discussed Syrian refugees as well as how Arab Americans should be counted on the U.S. census (they are currently pigeonholed as white).

Thank you, Rachel Settlage (Wayne State), for moderating this high-energy and wholly engaging panel.

-KitJ