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Are Middle Eastern People Really “White”?


Imagine you are filling out the census. You get to the “race” section and scan all the options. You feel confusion. You feel frustration. You feel exhaustion. There are many people in our world who feel this when trying to put their background physically into a box that may not accurately represent them. One group of people where this has been exhibited is Middle Eastern people. On a census, Middle Eastern folks have been pushed into the category of “White”. But, are Middle Eastern people really considered “White” in our America? Why has the US Census not broken down racial identities into more categories that accurately represent a large group of people in its country?

Middle Eastern people in America have typically had a “Brown” experience although they are considered “White” when it comes to their race. What does this do for the Middle Eastern community? Persis Karim, director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State said that “it’s another erasure of both Middle Eastern and North African people”.

Besides Middle Eastern people having self-identity issues when it comes to checking the box that says “White”, it also actively harms this group of people in terms of community benefits. Maya Berry, the Executive Director of the Arab American Institute, said that “years of undercounting have deprived our community of access to basic services and rights, from language assistance at polling places, to the allocation of educational grants for cultural competency training…” and more. When Middle Eastern people cannot have accurate translation services, educational grants or trainings, they experience a lack of support that hinders their success. This is another form of discrimination that our American society has placed upon an underrepresented group of people.

However, a few years ago there seemed to be a spark of hope. In 2015, the census began testing new racial categories including MENA, which stands for “Middle Eastern or North African”. This would include numerous countries, including Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, that have been under the “White” category for decades. The issue that census officials have with this change is that MENA could be considered part of ethnicity, not race. This still needs to be researched, according to census officials. The next chance that census officials have to add MENA is in 2030, when the next set of census data will be collected.

The question stands…are Middle Eastern people really considered “White”? It’s complicated.

On the other hand, there are Middle Eastern people who are “white-passing”, which is when a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) person is perceived as a white person. To many, I have been considered a white-passing Iranian-American. This gives me White privilege in many cases. I have heard people say, “You don’t have to worry about this, you’re White” or “Why are you annoyed you have to check ‘White’ on the census?”.

I have also felt the other side. There have been times when I have been the “most diverse person in the room” or heard phrases like, “Wow, you are so ethnic!”. As a white-passing woman of color, it can get complicated. Depending on the scenario, you can be White but you can also be Brown. If you see my face, you could think I’m White. If you hear my name or the language I speak with my family, you would think I’m Brown. It can be confusing and frustrating for Middle Eastern people when they don’t know where they lie on the spectrum of race. I have heard of white-passing folks in other underrepresented communities have similar struggles and can say from personal experience that it puts people in a tough spot – are you truly Brown if you look “White”?

Here’s what it comes down to – can you honestly tell me that when a White person and a Middle Eastern person go to the airport, both technically “White” people, that they will be treated the same? If you can look me in the eyes and say that you think they would be treated exactly the same, then I applaud your color blindness.

Considering Middle Eastern people as “White” is disparaging and confusing for more ways than one. Sure, people want to be considered “White” because that’s what our colonized homogenous society wants. People don’t want to be different, especially after all of the trauma they have gone through for being “Brown”. Will the census and our country decide that Middle Eastern people should stand as their own community? Time will tell. For now, we have to check “White”.

Source: Are Arabs and Iranians white? Census says yes, but many disagree

Source: The 2020 census continues whitewashing of Middle Eastern Americans

Source: When You’re White-Passing, White People Treat You Like The ‘Acceptable Ethnic’

Yasi Agah is a born and raised Californian living out her dreams in New York City. She loves to read, write, listen to podcasts, and teach yoga. Becoming by Michelle Obama makes her cry every time she reads it.

Comments:

  1. Carreme B Nackashi

    I think you are conflating race and ethnicity. There are 5 races, but hundreds of ethnicities.

    1. Yasi Agah

      I hear you, there are hundreds of ethnicities and I could see why you think I am conflating it. It’s my opinion & I think that the Middle Eastern and North African ethnicities deserve to be considered a race considering their history and background.

  2. I agree with some of what you are saying because I am black but I know some middle eastern people at my school and they do not see themselves as white but as a person of color. They want to be classified as a person of color with the Middle Eastern I know are but it dose take away from your opportunities of advances but the why I see it you can select whatever race you want to because they won’t really know in the end. I am black but if I want to put white I can it is not a crime so you can choose what you want but I’m gonna choose black in the Middle East ones that I know also choose black.

    1. Yasi Agah

      Thank you for sharing. A lot of people have similar stories and it’s important to hear them.

    2. Liar

      It doesn’t matter
      Most middle easterners especially Persians and Levant see themselves as white

      1. Yasi Agah

        It doesn’t matter to some, it matters to others! I am Persian and know many people who consider themselves POC and other Persians who consider themselves white.

  3. Neshoba Elias Avalos

    I want to thank you for writing this article. I’ve never heard anyone convey the same experience as myself being a white-passing Lebanese woman, I’m continually told in so many words I’m lying yet treated as a brown person whenever my name enters the arena, especially at airports with “random checks” every single time. My brothers who came out much more ethnic looking than myself are treated quite differently than myself which has given us a distinct understanding of how differently these categories are seen in everyday life.

    1. Yasi Agah

      I appreciate you sharing your experience. It’s so important that we hear your voices! It can be disparaging to be treated as a Brown person in some scenarios and “white” in others.

  4. Pingback: middle eastern ethnicity – Priority Articles

  5. Renaz Baghchaiy

    Hi there. I’m absolutely familiar with this issue 🙄 as I’m a woman from Persian and Kurdish decent, raised & grew up in Germany. My brother looks like the typical/stereotypical guy from the middle east with brown skin and dark bushy face and body hair. In comparison to me (thanks to my father; the Kurdish part of my parents) who has fair skin and light brown hair and eyes. 😬
    White-passing and thus subliminal racism are part of my life since as long as I can remember… Would you mind if I’d re-post parts of your article on my Instagram story? ❤️ It speaks right from my heart!

    1. Yasi Agah

      Of course, feel free to share it! I’m sorry that you and your family have experienced this type of discrimination but am happy to hear you found solace in this piece.

  6. nilgun

    No bc same I’ m turkish but my mother is a white turk (white middle eastern ppl exist too ofc ) n my dad isn’ t white but idk if i should consider myself white or not tbh

    1. Yasi Agah

      It’s hard to balance the conflicting narratives, I understand that. Ultimately, you must do what feels right to you and your experiences.

  7. Angelica

    My father is a Lebanese immigrant, and does not consider himself to be a person of color, and does consider himself white.
    I am half white and half Lebanese, and I’ve never known how to identify myself. Am I brown? Am I a person of color? Am I a white person because I am half white and am white-passing? You definitely cleared some things up but I’m still confused as to what to call myself.
    I identify more with my Lebanese culture than I do with my whiteness.

  8. Stop the lies

    The problem with the question is that we look at it from a very contemporary perspective.

    Because Europeans want to lay claim to the cultural and religious history in the area, they created a system that calls those people white.
    The fact is Europeans and their children (the Americans) used the white designation as a way to insert themselves into a history that they are not a part of.
    If you can create a system of race that creates a “MIddle East” and a “North Africa” you can by extension insert and project a Euro or white identity on the people on that region. It is another means of colonization.

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