The Main Problems of Arabs and Muslims in America: Seven Problems
I will talk about the most important problems facing Arabs and Muslims inside America. Most of them concern the Arab community or the whole Muslim community, because Arabs are mostly new to American society. The truth is that Islam in America is much older than some believe, as it was present four or five hundred years before the United States became what we know.
First: lack of organization
The problem Arabs and Muslims suffer from here is that we do not care about organization enough. I will give you the numbers: at the time of recording, the number of Muslims in America was close to seven to eight million, and the number of resident Arabs was about two and a half to three and a half million, and about 80% of them hold citizenship. So we are talking about a number estimated in the millions, and sadly they suffer from poor organization. This may go back to poor management from the beginning, or to differing interests, or to clashing narrow points of view.
Second: little interest in the American surroundings and presence in them
Arabs in particular are not very interested in getting involved in American issues, and so, sadly, they are not in the equation of influence at all.
Third: complete dissolving into American values
And the first thing given up, deliberately or not, is the Arabic language. Interest in the American surroundings is commendable, as I said in the previous point, but dissolving into it and giving up your values is blameworthy. And I do not think Americans themselves will respect you if you do that.
Fourth: isolation from society
This is the opposite point: not integrating into American society, especially in raising children. People fear more than necessary and surround their families and children with a fence, and I have seen many men do this with their wives too. The result is that many members of Arab communities isolate their families from society as a whole.
Fifth: lack of professional planning
Many imagine that planning your life in America begins from the first day you set foot on American soil, and that is not true. I said before that whoever wants to emigrate to America must start planning from the first day he makes the decision.
Sixth: lack of will to develop
As fast and materialistic and grinding as America is, it gives you very many opportunities to develop. Someone who did not succeed in his country, God forbid, may succeed here, and I do not say easily, but with reasonable and logical effort.
Seventh: little interest in education
Arabs, like other minorities, are not interested in the quality of the education their children receive. I understand that the first generation that comes to America has money as its concern, and most of them are under financial pressure, with families back in the homeland waiting for the money sent every month. So it can be understood that the first generation’s concern is not education and good study that secures a decent future. But for the second generation there is no justification for their parents not to put their children in a good place and do the impossible to educate them well.
Article originally published on 3 October 2026.