Invisible Effects of Arab America’s “Whiteness”

posted on: Sep 3, 2025

By: Ramsey Zeidan / Arab America Contributing Writer

For the past century, the United States has rapidly evolved its understanding of race. From dehumanizing immigration quotas and exclusion to recognizing Arab American Heritage Month, the Arab community has accomplished remarkable progress. 

At the turn of the century, the US Census was met with a proposal to distinguish Arabs on the Census. 25 years later, it has yet to make the change. Arabs in the United States have struggled to break away from the “White” classification, both socially and institutionally. This has negative implications in politics, but it has a much more subtle, devastating effect in overall quality of life.

So, what actually happens when Arab Americans go under the radar?

Health Disparities

Perhaps the least documented but most immediately harmful effect of this lumping is noticeable health disparities. Recent studies have demonstrated how these manifest and why distinguishing Arabs is important. For example, Arab American women tend to have lower mammography rates and are diagnosed at later stages in breast cancer. Barriers include immigration, fear, stigma, and lack of accessibility.

A study by Sarah Abboud et. al reveals how the contested “whiteness” of Arab identity might manifest into disparities. In medical treatment, Arab Americans are labeled as White and treated as such in studies and in practice. The issue is that the health profiles of Arabs are vastly different from other White Americans. Very little research has been done in observing health outcomes in the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) group.

The study recommends the NIH “revise their definition of health disparity populations to include Arabs in the United States.” Otherwise, the authors say, Arabs will face a never-ending cycle of unrecognized medical disparities.

Another trailblazing study comes from Nicole Fleischer & Katherine Sadek, which suggested preliminary data demonstrates severe health disparities for Arabs. The authors concluded that treatment for Arab/MENA patients is not informed enough to the standard it should be.

Once again, the authors recognized the urgent need for further research. Arab Americans’ health profiles and representation in healthcare are not enough of a focal point in the world of medicine. The crux of the issue is not just clinical studies, but rather that clinical practice founded on misrepresentation and a lack of information is dangerous.

The Need for Visibility

For the most part, Arabs are effectively “invisible” in large data sets. Datasets and studies that are desperately needed to document the disparities Arab Americans face simply do not exist. The lack of a clear ethnic marker for Arabs in surveys means inadequate resources are allocated to Arab American communities. This creates broader problems in areas like policymaking, where Arabs’ status as a minority group is called into question. Despite the U.S. Census and many surveys saying otherwise, courts have consistently found that Arab ethnicity is markedly separate from whiteness. This contradiction only exacerbates the invisibility effect.

Though swept aside, there are troubling statistics that demonstrate the symptoms of invisibility. Nearly a quarter of Arabs in the United States live below the poverty line, compared with only 13% of non-Arab White Americans. Arab Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic White Americans to own a home. Further, this group had a higher prevalence of lack of health insurance.

Another facet of this invisibility reveals itself in comparing crises faced by several ethnic groups. As many of us know, America has been grappling with worsening suicide and mental health crises. Both Arab Americans and non-Arabs alike suffer from this crisis. Yet, people of color are less likely to receive mental health services compared to those who are white. The irony is that this statistic comes from a study that did not differentiate between Arabs and non-Arab White Americans. Worse, a lack of health insurance is one of the largest barriers obstructing mental health treatment, which unfortunately is a big problem in Arab American communities.

Due to stigma and general anti-Arab attitudes in the States, mental health problems are on the rise amongst Arabs. Whether it is language services, accessibility, or other factors, the invisibility only harms us.

Continued Progress

The battle against anti-Arab sentiment is still ongoing. People still use Arabs and Muslims synonymously, which ostracizes non-Muslim Arabs and non-Arab Muslims. Our history and contributions are minimized in American history curriculums. Data used to inform decisionmaking often sweeps Arab ethnicity under the rug.  

However, fighting back against discrimination requires formal recognition of Arab Americans. In a post-9/11 America rife with hate crimes and racial tension, we must fight for our respect and dignity. From Little Palestine in Chicago to Little Arabia in Anaheim, we continue to make our mark culturally and socially. Structural racialization is a relic of a bygone age, and it is up to Arabs to distinguish themselves meaningfully.

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