The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks aftermath radically changed USA’s society and politics. The country found itself in a state of fear, distrust, and increased surveillance of the Muslim community in particular. This type of environment exposed Arab-Americans, especially Muslim people, to an elevated degree of scrutiny, stigma, and discrimination. Such a setting stirred Dearborn, Michigan, to become a major hub for Arab-American Muslims. Owning to one of the highest Arab American populations in the country, Dearborn became a perfect illustration of the dynamic of identity formation in post-9/11 America. Dearborn, an Arab-American community just outside of Detroit, has been a strong cultural, economic, and social force that has transformed, redefined, and unified the city. These mosques, businesses, and cultural organizations form the backbone of the Arab-American community, a place of rootedness and belonging where they can stand firm and well beyond external challenges. In this background, the Arab-American Muslims of Dearborn must simultaneously deal with the complications of local, tribal, religious, and national identities molded by history, cultural traditions, and contemporary realities. This essay will explore through which means and ways the Arab-American Muslims of Dearborn combine and form their identities in the context of the post-9/11 era of America. By focusing on how they relate to the community they reside in, uphold their ethnic heritage, exercise their faith, and find compatibility between their national allegiance and residency and issues of discrimination and connection, we begin to comprehend the diversity of people’s identities in a multi-ethnic society.
Local Identity
Dearborn, located in Michigan, is known as the Arab-American Muslim population’s significant center of gravity, distinguished by its strong cultural history and the fact that people in such a concentrated location have often migrated from various Arabic countries. The cityscape is dotted with mosques, community centers, and businesses, which locals usually view as symbols of cohesion and unity. They usually create a strong sense of belonging and solidarity among them. This documentary allows us to understand better how these local institutions are fundamental in forming local Arab-American identity in Dearborn. The case with Fordson High School, the film’s main location, illustrates the local residents’ community identity and spirit. The school, with its majority Arab-American student body, reflects not only the wider community of Dearborn. As one interviewee notes, “Dearborn is a unique city. There isn’t a single city in the United States that has the Arab community concentration that Dearborn has” (Fordson, 5:05 – 5:13). The homogeneity that is formed helps to cement a strong bond to the community itself, as one can witness in the large attendance and support of the Arab-American community in the football games of Fordson. These games have now developed into a tradition for Arab-American families. These accounts exemplify a movie that shows how institutions like Fordson High define the Arab-American Muslims in Dearborn who experience strong ties and customs from their point of origin.
Ethnic Identity
Arab-American Muslims in Dearborn express their ethnic identity through cultural practices such as customs, language, and family connection dues. The community’s cohesion is evident in the quote from the film: “Every time they move, there’s always 20 people that will be attending” (Fordson, 3:11 – 3:13); by the time she starts working in Ford, her family relationships and her belonging to an Arab-American community are at the center of the attention, which is shown in minute 11: 31. Arabic speech as well as culture soak through the daily existence. For instance, some Arabic-speaking people or families enjoy traditional meals. These cultures made heritage preservation and gave rise to a sense of attachment to their communities and a desire to be a part of them. In addition, family relationships are in the same category as the most important tools in being ethnically identified with the preceding generations who have passed their cultures and values from one generation to the other, which are of great importance. In the movie, the family members’ conviviality scenes imply the significance of such relationships in crowning individual and shared identities. Primarily, the continuation of ethnic identity and its explication in Dearborn bind the Arabs and Muslims of post-9/11 USA and provide them with power and resistance in perspective of culture and lifestyle.
Religious Identity
Islamic identity serves as the very basis of who Arab-American Muslims are in Dearborn. Eventually, it leads to a brand of individual faith and a specific community interaction process. The video provides insight into the significance of religious identity, as evidenced by the statement, “Probably gonna be impossible for a Muslim to be a good citizen in America because he must swear his allegiance to Allah” (Fordson, 1:37 – 1:44). Such was the vitality he breathed into his plays that they remain popular to this day, as evidenced by a YouTube video where a rich individual and a poor man go head to head to woo a love-struck woman, mimicking the classic Greek story. The sentence evokes the hardships and prejudices that Muslim Americans suffered; even though they did not share any fault, the perception was that the loyalty to America and the loyalty a Muslim would give to the Islamic faith were incompatible. For sure, many prejudices prevent the attention of the public to the fact that religious activities and beliefs remain one of the most sacred facets of everyday life in Dearborn, where centers of Joint Worship at the same time also function as meeting buildings for the members of the communities where people unite for prayers, discussions, and happy events. The movie depicts people performing aspects of religious rituals, such as praying or fasting during the month of Rebad, which are prominent components of the Islamic faith that determine the conduct of individuals and bring a sense of cohesion among the community. Another layer here is that it is often engrained with one’s other identity factors, too, thus influencing morality, interpersonal relations, and the feeling of “being at home” in local and global contexts.
National Identity
Arnold-Americans who are Muslims in Dearborn struggle to sort out their identity as Americans along with their ethnic and religious identities after the incident of 9/11. The documentary captures the struggles and complexities of navigating dual identities, as exemplified by the quote, “Every time they move, there is always 20 people that will be attending” (Fordson, 1:19 – 3:22). Such statement is a subtle reference to the bonding of the Arab-American Muslims in Dearborn; where they feel no hesitation in showing their ethnic and religious pride together with their consistent participation in the American society. On the contrary, the post-9/11 atmosphere in the United States turned out to be a challenging factor for Arab-American Muslims, many of whom face the dilemma of being suspected, discriminated and judged. The movie depicts the instances of Islamophobia and racial profiling, showing that the national identity is an unending war in a foreign land. Although Arab-American Muslims face these obstacles in Dearborn, they also discover places where different cultural groups trade ideas and speak about the misrepresentations of Islam. Furthermore, the movie demonstrates the different ways people approach their national identity, with some fully adapting to American beliefs and customs and others remaining more loyal to their ancestral homeland. Most Arab-American Muslims feel that their national identity is a layered one, which is American citizenship and worldwide Muslim’ communalness. Through the demonstration of these complexities, the documentary reveals the strength and flexibility of Arab-American Muslims as they become familiar with the maze of identities after 9/11 in the US culture.
Conclusion
The study of the identity development of Arab-American Muslims in the city of Dearborn, MI, unveils a complex interplay in which the local, ethnic, religious, and national identities are constantly interacting. The community members of Dearborn use local institutions like mosques or community centers to grow and sustain a high degree of ethnic and religious identity expressed in cultural traditions, language, and family relationships. In addition to this, Muslims identify themselves with their religion, Islam, which is the source of their moral character, values, and daily lifestyle. Sport, faced with all the challenges by itself, plays the role of a focal point for the identity expression and community unity of Arab-American Muslims of Dearborn. The film shows that involvement in sports is not just about team spirit but also plays a vital role in breaking stereotypes apart and making communities understand each other better. In the long run, appreciating and recognizing various identities is one of the vital characteristics of the United States, which consists of many cultures. Through recognizing and respecting the sensitivity of identity development, people can construct bridges over cultural gaps and incite kindness and open-mindedness. Using dialogue and mutual respect, communities can build a unified society in which every person’s identity is accepted and highly regarded.
Works Cited
Fordson. “Fordson: Faith, fasting, football – Feature length documentary.” YouTube, January 8, 2016, you. Be/l45Ekl_5uuQ?list=PLHet_hWbmOmR1vVyWiDp3Yt7Uwt4cP5zO
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