Syrian Americans

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Syrian Americans are Americans of Syrian descent or background. The first significant wave of Syrian immigrants to arrive in the United States began in the 1880s.^[10] Many of the earliest Syrian Americans settled in New York City, Boston, and Detroit. Immigration from Syria to the United States suffered a long hiatus after the United States Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, which restricted immigration. More than 40 years later, the Immigration Act of 1965, abolished the quotas and immigration from Syria to the United States saw a surge. An estimated 64,600 Syrians immigrated to the United States between 1961 and 2000.^[11]

The overwhelming majority of Syrian immigrants to the U.S. from 1880 to 1960 were Christian, a minority were Jewish, whereas Muslim Syrians arrived in the United States chiefly after 1965.^[12] According to the 2016 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, there were 187,331 Americans who claimed Syrian ancestry, about 12% of the Arab population in the United States. There are also sizeable minority populations from Syria in the U.S. including Jews, Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, and Circassians.^[13][14]

History

The earliest known

Although the number of Syrian immigrants was not sizable, the Ottoman government set constraints on emigration in order to maintain its populace in Greater Syria. The U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, which greatly reduced Syrian immigration to the United States.^[24] However, the quotas were annulled by the Immigration Act of 1965, which opened the doors again to Syrian immigrants. 4,600 Syrians immigrated to the United States in the mid-1960s.^[11] Due to the Arab-Israeli and religious conflicts in Syria during this period, many Syrians immigrated to the United States seeking a democratic haven, where they could live in freedom without political suppression.^[23] An estimated 64,600 Syrians immigrated to the United States in the period between 1961 and 2000, of which ten percent have been admitted under the refugee acts.^[11] Between 2011 and 2015, the U.S. received 1,500 Syrian refugees fleeing the war in their country. In 2016, the country received 10,000 more refugees.^[25] However, the Trump administration banned Syrian migration to the U.S., as well as the migration of any refugee in 2017.^[26]

Demography

According to the

The traditional clothing of the first Syrian immigrants in the United States, along with their occupation as

In 1890, the writer Jacob Riis wrote How the Other Half Lives, a book focused on Syrian children,^{[dubious – discuss]} representing the children as pitiful but dangerous.^[31][27] In 1899, the National Conference on Charities declared children engaged in the street market to be equivalent to begging, opening the possibility that women street merchants with children could be deported.^[27]

However, Syrians reacted quickly to assimilate fully into their new culture. Immigrants

Immigrant writers often balanced an adopted culture with a home culture, such as in Ameen Rihani's 1911 "The Book of Khalid", which revolved around an imagined Arabic text inscribed with images of skyscrapers and pyramids.^[16]: 307 Others argued for the possibility of both identities in public discourse, including Syrian academic Abbas Bajjani, who wrote that "inhabiting two separate worlds—physically and socially—was not only possible but actually desirable, since it was the only hope for the salvation, edification, and modernization of "Syria".^{[34][16]: 307}

Additionally, military service during

Christian Syrians arrived in the United States in the late 19th century. Most Christian Syrian Americans are

The first wave of Syrian religious communities in the United States established ninety Maronite, Melkite, and Eastern Orthodox churches across the country by 1920, many establishing firm contrasts between themselves and American Christian faiths such as the Episcopalians or Catholics.[16]^: 311 Historian Naff writes that as a broad global diaspora threatened the Syrian identity, the preservation of its religious traditions became increasingly important.^{[38]: 241–247}

Muslim Syrians arrived in the United States chiefly after 1965.

Druze form the third largest sect in Syria, which is a relatively small esoteric monotheistic religious sect. Early Syrian immigrants included Druze peddlers.^[19] The United States is the second largest home of Druze communities outside Western Asia after Venezuela (60,000).^[42] According to some estimates, there are about 30,000^[43] to 50,000^[42] Druze in the United States, with the largest concentration in Southern California.^[43] Most Druze immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon and Syria.^[43]

The majority of the early Syrian immigrants arrived in the United States seeking better jobs; they usually engaged in basic commerce, especially peddling.

Syrian Americans gradually started to work in various métiers; many worked as physicians, lawyers, and engineers. Many Syrian Americans also worked in the bustling auto industry, bringing about large Syrian American gatherings in areas like Dearborn, Michigan.^[52] Later Syrian emigrants served in fields like banking, medicine, and computer science. Syrian Americans have a different occupational distribution than all Americans. According to the 2000 census, 42% of the Syrian Americans worked in management and professional occupations, compared with 34% of their counterparts in the total population; additionally, more Syrian Americans worked in sales than all American workers.^[53] However, Syrian Americans worked less in the other work domains like farming, transportation, construction, etc. than all American workers.^[53] According to the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which represents American health care providers of Syrian descent, there are estimated 4000 Syrian physicians practicing in the United States representing 0.4% of the health workforce and 1.6% of international medical graduates.^[54] However the reported number of Syrian American physicians does not include the second and third generation of Syrian descent, therefore it is estimated that 10,000 Syrian American physicians practice in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

The

Culture

Cuisine

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Syrians consider eating an important aspect of social life. There are many Syrian dishes which have become popular in the United States. Unlike many Western foods, Syrian foods take more time to cook, are less expensive and usually more healthy.

Modern Syrian music has incorporated instruments from the West, including the electric guitar, cello, double bass, and oboe, and incorporated influences from jazz and other foreign musical styles.^{[citation needed]}

Traditional clothing

Traditional dress is not very common with Syrian Americans, and even native Syrians; modern Western clothing is conventional in both Syria and the United States. Ethnic dance performers wear a shirwal, which are loose, baggy pants with an elastic waist. Some Muslim Syrian women wear a

of hijab.

Holidays

Syrian Americans celebrate many religious holidays, with Christian Syrian Americans celebrating most of the Christian holidays that are already celebrated in the United States, but in addition to a few others or at different times. For example, They celebrate Christmas and Easter, but since most Syrians are Eastern Orthodox, they celebrate Easter on a different Sunday from most other Americans, and various Saints' days.

Syrian American Jews celebrate the

Thanksgiving Day.^{[citation needed}

]

Muslim Syrian Americans celebrate three main

Eid ul-Adha (which means The Festival of Sacrifice) 70 days after at the end of the Islamic year, a holiday which is held along with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Hajj.^[58]

Dating and marriage

Many Syrian Americans prefer traditional relationships over casual dating. For example, The Muslims can only date after completing their marriage contact, known as kitabt al-kitab (Arabic: كتابة الكتاب, which means "writing the book" in English), a period that ranges from a few months to a year or more to get used to living with one another. After this time period, a wedding takes place and fulfills the marriage. Muslims tend to marry other Muslims only, and same with Christians, but can tend to be dynamic in terms of other ethnic groups; Unable to find other suitable Muslim Syrian Americans, many Muslim Syrian American have married other Muslim Americans.[19]

Syrian American marriages are usually very strong; this is reflected by the low

United States 2000 Census, almost 62% of Syrian American households were married-couple households.^[53]

Education

Syrian Americans, including the earliest immigrants, have always placed a high premium on education. Like many other Americans, Syrian Americans view education as a necessity. Generally, Syrian and other Arab Americans are more highly educated than the average American. In the

2000 census it was reported that the proportion of Syrian Americans to achieve a bachelor's degree or higher is one and a half times that of the total American population.^[53] Many Syrian Americans now work as engineers, scientists, pharmacists, and physicians.^{[citation needed}

]

Language

While some may speak the formal Literary Arabic, many Syrians speak Syrian Arabic, a dialect which belongs to the Levantine Arabic family of dialects. There are also sub-dialects in Syrian Arabic; for example, people from Aleppo have a distinct and distinguishable accent, one that differs considerably from that of people from Homs or Al-Hasakah. Syrians can usually comprehend and understand the dialects of most Arabs, especially those who speak any form of Levantine Arabic.^{[citation needed]}

Many old Syrian American families have lost their linguistic traditions because many parents do not teach their children Arabic. Newer immigrants, however, maintain their language traditions. The 2000 census shows that 79.9% of Syrian Americans speak English "very well".

Eastern Orthodox churches

which hold Arabic services.

Notable people

• entertainment industries.^[60]
• choreographer of Jewish descent^[61] According to Abdul, she has sold over 53 million records to date.^[62] Abdul found renewed fame as a judge on the highly rated television series American Idol
  .
• Jerry Seinfeld, billionaire comedian, actor, and writer, best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the long-running sitcom Seinfeld, which he co-created and executively produced. His mother was of Syrian Jewish descent, his grandparents emigrating from Aleppo.^[63]
• Kelly Slater, widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, he holds 56 Championship Tour victories.
• F. Murray Abraham syndrome
  ", attributed to Oscar winners who have difficulty obtaining comparable success and recognition despite having recognizable talent
• Mohammad, Messenger of God films.^[64]
• Tige Andrews, Emmy-nominated character actor who was best known for his role as "Captain Adam Greer" on the television series The Mod Squad.^[65]
• Teri Hatcher, actress known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Hatcher is Syrian from her mother's side
• Mitch Daniels, former Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana (2005–2013) and the current President of Purdue University.
• Pan-American Airlines, and father of Queen Noor of Jordan.^[66]
• Paul Anka, singer-songwriter.^[67] Anka rose to fame after many successful 1950s songs, earning him the status of a teen idol.^[67]
• Frank Harary, widely recognized as the father of modern graph theory
• Stanley Chera, billionaire real estate developer.
• Jeff Sutton, billionaire real estate developer.
• Joseph Nakash, billionaire businessman, founded along with his brothers Jordache clothing company.
• Joseph Cayre, billionaire businessman.
• Joseph Sitt, real estate developer; founder of Thor Equities and Ashley Stewart
• Victor George "Vic" Atiyeh, 32nd Governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987, American politician and member of the Republican Party.
• Rosemary Barkett, first woman to serve on the Florida Supreme Court, and the first woman Chief Justice of that court. She subsequently served as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and currently serves as a judge on the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal. The Barkett family originated in the village of Zaidal on the outskirts of Homs.
• Hunein Maassab, professor of epidemiology and the inventor of the live attenuated influenza vaccine.
• Wentworth Miller, actor on Prison Break
• Rowan Blanchard (born October 14, 2001^[68]), actress. Blanchard is Syrian from her paternal grandfather's side.^[69][70]
• Malek Jandali, composer and pianist.
• Justin Amash, member of the House of Representatives from Michigan from 2011–2021 (Republican from 2011–2019, Independent from 2019–2021), mother is Syrian.
• Helen Corey, cookbook author who introduced American audiences to Syrian food beginning with her book, The Art of Syrian Cookery (1962).^[56]
• Huda Akil, neuroscientist and medical researcher.
• Shadia Habbal, astronomer and physicist specialized in Space physics.
• Hala Gorani, news anchor and correspondent for CNN International.^[71]
• Rahme Haider, toured the US from the 1910s to the 1930s as "Princess Rahme", speaking on Syria.^[72]
• Italian American film roles.^[73]
• Robert M. Isaac, former Republican Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado
  . Elected in 1979, he was the first elected Mayor of the history of Colorado Springs, serving through 1997.
• Alan Jabbour, folklorist and musician.
• Muslim reformer, and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy
  .
• Alan Jouban, UFC fighter.
• Mohja Kahf (born 1967), poet and author.
• Dina Katabi (born 1971), Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and the director of the MIT Wireless Center.
• electro funk, and dance music artist, DJ, remixer, and producer. Mantronik was the leader of the old-school band Mantronix
  .
• Jack Marshall, author and poet.
• Charles T. Meide, underwater archaeologist and the Director of LAMP at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. His ancestors (Meide, originally Maida, and Barket, alternatively spelled Barkett) emigrated from the villages of Fairouzeh and Zaidal near Homs around the turn of the 20th century.
• Dean Muhtadi (born July 17, 1986), professional wrestler signed with the WWE under the name "Mojo Rawley".
• Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992), professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks. Saad was a finalist in the 2012–13 season for the Calder Memorial Trophy, along with winning the Stanley Cup in 2013, and 2015 with the Blackhawks.
• Far Right
  . Author of numerous books and articles, Safi is active in the debate on nuclear race, social and political development, and Islam-West issues. He is the chairman of the Syrian American Congress.
• grandmaster and 4-time US-champion.^[74] Seirawan is the 69th best chess player in the world and the 2nd in the United States.^[74]
• Mona Simpson, novelist and essayist;^[75] Simpson is also the biological sister of Steve Jobs.^[76]
• secular activist and vocal critic of Islam.^[77] In 2006, Sultan was chosen by Time magazine to be on the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in 2006.^[78]
• Golden Globe Awards for his role in the television series Alice.^[79]
• Lisa Brennan-Jobs, writer
• Fawwaz Ulaby, R. Jamieson and Betty Williams Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan
  , and the former vice president for research.
• Diana al-Hadid (born 1981), contemporary Syrian sculptor from Aleppo based in the Brooklyn, New York.
• Sam Yagan, American entrepreneur and business executive, co-founder of SparkNotes, eDonkey, OkCupid, and Techstars Chicago, also CEO of Match Group, including Tinder.
• Souhel Najjar, neurologist and psychologist whose story with Susannah Cahalan turned into an American Drama Film. He studied medicine in the University of Damascus and in Albany Medical College
• Eddie Antar, founder of Crazy Eddie, of Syrian Jewish descent.
• Amal Kassir, international award-winning spoken word poet.^[80]
• Riad Barmada, orthopaedic surgeon.

See also

• Syrian American Council
• Syrian Jewish communities of the United States
• Syria–United States relations
• Syrian Americans in New York City
• Syrian Jews

Notes