Arab Americans and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Michigan
By: Rosina Hassoun/Arab America Contributing Writer
The data is already indicating that Dearborn, Michigan is becoming a hotspot for the spread of COVID-19. Henry Ford and Beaumont Hospitals that serve Dearborn and other parts of Metro Detroit are beginning to become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. I conducted my doctoral dissertation study in Dearborn and the Arab American community in the 1990s. I currently teach in the Masters of Public Health Program and the Sociology Department as a tenured Associate Professor at Saginaw Valley State University. Even though I live in Saginaw, I have many friends in Dearborn and I am concerned for the community there and Arab Americans in general. As a medical anthropologist, I see Arab-American culture as having both positive and some challenging elements in the fight against this invisible enemy.
First, communities like Dearborn contain many newer immigrants that have more international connections than other communities. COVID-19 has also spread to many Arab countries. There is a possibility that travel brought the virus into the community. Regardless of how the virus first arrived in Dearborn and other Arab communities, this is not a time for blame. It is now time to understand how the virus spreads and what we can do to be safe.
For those in our community that may have limited English skills and, or lower educational backgrounds, it is critical that people explain to them what is happening with this virus and how to avoid catching and spreading it. We need facts, not rumors. This is a new virus that no one is immune to, and there are no magic home cures. Good food, tea, and our traditional ways of healing might help the symptoms, but we must be wary of people spreading untrue stories or anecdotes about cures.
There are cultural and demographic factors that we should be aware of in order to stop the spread of the virus in Arab American communities. My own research indicated that the new immigrants and first-generation born in the United States tend to have larger family sizes. The size of families does appear to decline in subsequent generations. With larger families, there is a greater density of people per household. This crowding could be a factor that could spread the disease. In addition, many families are also multi-generational with grandparents that live with the family. If someone brings the virus home, this could spread it to other family members, especially the more vulnerable members of the family like the elderly or those with compromised immunity, diabetes, or respiratory illnesses.
Some people in Arab culture may tend to be fatalistic, thinking that it is God’s will if I get the disease and die. While this attitude may be cultural or religious, Arab culture and our religions also teach us that we have a responsibility to protect our family members. For this reason, Arab Americans need to take preventive measures seriously. If not for ourselves, we must do this for the people we love.
Part of combating this disease is washing hands and keeping the virus off surfaces. We are fortunate that Islam also places emphasis on cleanliness. Just as people may remove their shoes upon entering the house, we must now wash our hands at least 20 seconds in warm water and soap when we enter the house. Packages and mail may harbor the virus, so spray them with disinfectant before bringing them in the house. Better yet, remove cardboard boxes and packaging outside and throw it away immediately. Then, wash your hands and any items that are brought into the house. The Coronavirus can live for days on surfaces.
People can protect one another by ”social distancing” which is a concept that may be hard for all of us, but necessary. Many Muslim Arab Americans may not shake hands with non-family members of the opposite sex. But now may be the time for all of us, regardless of whether we are Muslim or Christian Arabs, to revive our traditional greeting of placing your right hand to your heart and saying salaam or salaamu aleikum with a slight nod. Other Americans may be bumping elbows to avoid shaking hands and spreading the virus, but I do not know how many members of our older population will be comfortable with elbow-bump greetings. Besides, we already have our own beautiful non-contact greeting.
Arab Americans also tend to have closer social distances than other ethnic groups when we stand with other Arabs and family. Standing and sitting six feet apart or approximately two meters apart will feel strange for us. We may not need to do this inside our houses with immediate family, but at least until this crisis passes, we need to do this with more distant relatives and other people at work or elsewhere. Arab-Americans inside our families love to hug and to touch. Sitti (grandmother) may want to kiss you and pinch your cheek, but right now touching each other and our faces may help spread the virus, and grandparents are the most at risk of dying from the disease. No one should touch their grandparents without washing their hands well first, or even taking a shower if you have been around other people at work or outside the house.
We love to gather together for family events, haflahs, graduation, and weddings. We cannot be in groups larger than ten (unless you have more than ten people in your immediate family). Visiting is a part of our culture, but we will have to wait, Now is the time for everyone in the community to learn to use FaceTime, Zoom, or other ways of virtual visiting. Luckily, talking on the phone is still pretty popular in our communities.
Growing up with an Arab father and grandparents, when my sister or I got sick everyone wanted to feel your head, bring you tea, and visit the bedside. Now is not the time for us to do this. If someone begins to cough, have a fever, or a sore throat, it might just be a cold, but it might be COVID-19. That person must be isolated in a separate room for at least 14 days.
It is better if food and water are left at the door of the room and only young healthy people handle the dishes that should be washed in hot water right away. If there is difficulty breathing, a doctor must be called and told that this could be a case of the virus before you go to a clinic, the doctor’s office, or the hospital. You need to protect your doctor too by giving him or her a warning. This disease can get very bad very quickly. Do not wait to get medical help.
On the other hand, some people have little or no symptoms. This is why even healthy people with no symptoms must wash their hands and keep a distance from others. If we have a cough or sneeze, doing so in the fold of your elbow is now recommended. If someone thinks they may have a mild cold, they should use a mask if possible, stay for away from others, and self- isolate just in case. The reason we all do this is for the protection of the people we love. Although the elderly are most vulnerable to die from the disease. no one is immune. People of all ages have been severely sickened, and have died.
Young people must not think that they will not get it or not be harmed by the disease. A small baby died of the disease recently in the United States. We have traditions of visiting the sick, but this is not allowed in hospitals now and is discouraged generally even at home. This disease is so serious that people who are dying in hospitals must die alone to prevent others from getting it. In Arab culture, as in other cultures, the idea of dying alone must give us pause and make us all take precautions against getting the disease.
Another thing that is important at this time is to take very good care of our health. Diabetics are particularly susceptible to COVID-19. Arab Americans have a large number of diabetics in our families. We need all of them to take their medicine, drink water, exercise any way that is safe, and eat a low-carbohydrate diet. For those of us who are diabetic, this means staying away from the bread and rice. Arab cuisine has wonderful salads. Eat more salad and fewer carbohydrates. When I buy vegetables from the store or have them delivered to protect my health, I am buying food that is packaged in plastic. I wash the outside of the plastic container before putting it in the refrigerator. I wash fruits and vegetables again well before chopping or eating them.
Arab Americans with diabetes or other chronic diseases need to stay healthy, get their blood sugar down, lower their high cholesterol, and lower their blood pressure, as well as take their medicine. Check your blood sugar and blood pressure regularly at home if you can. Other people in the community need to help them. We need to protect all these vulnerable people by especially avoiding spreading the disease to them and aiding them in getting healthy.
Dearborn has many working-class families. The average income in my study was low, with some incomes of $10,000 or less per year and some families reliant on assistance. With the factories shut down, many families have been cut off from their incomes. Dearborn is full of small restaurants and businesses that demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Arab Americans. At this time, many of those shops may be closed. In addition, small businesses may not have been able to obtain health insurance. Many people may not have access to health care. Some people in the community may have essential jobs like working in the grocery stores, trucking or be nurses or doctors that are at greater risk for getting the virus or spreading it to others. This financial vulnerability of some people in the community may also increase stress at home. The financial issues are important.
Fortunately, Arab Americans have strong traditions of helping one another and of being generous. Now is the time for us to do so. We have strong family traditions and we like being together for the most part, so stay-at-home orders may be easier for us who are used to living together than some Americans that do not have these traditions. But being mindful of children who are having trouble with being inside and away from their friends requires special patience at this time. We can be inventive in creating things for the children and ourselves to do. We have to be patient with spouses and other relatives when we are together for such long hours.
I am concerned about the cultural and demographic vulnerabilities of Arab Americans, especially in areas like Dearborn, the Southside of Chicago, and in the Somali community in Minneapolis that have dense concentrations of newer immigrants and refugees. However, I take heart in the fact that our culture has a strong desire to protect one another. This virus too shall pass, inshallah soon, and our lives will someday return to normal. I believe that the best elements of our culture can help us through this difficult time.
Rosina Hassoun holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Florida with a focus on biological and medical anthropology. She conducted her dissertation research on hypertension in Arab Americans in Metropolitan Detroit. She is also the author of Arab Americans in Michigan (Michigan State University Press). Dr. Hassoun is an Associate Professor at Saginaw Valley State University where she teaches in the Sociology Department and the Master’s Program in Public Health.
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