What's the difference between Arabian, Muslim, and Islamic? Asking this question is the equivalent of asking: what's the difference between a student, the student's high school, and the high school's rules? Really. Arab American is a cultural group, on a larger scale, just like African American, Hispanic American, etc. Muslim is a smaller sector, not under, but on the side of Arab Americans. It's like saying in a group of Hispanic Americans, there are Puerto Rican Americans, Mexican Americans, etc. The biggest difference between these two lie in Islamics. Islam is a religion, and Muslims follow this religion. The tricky part is this: not all Arabs are Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arabs...Okay pause and let this sick in....In simpler terms: not all African Americans are Baptist and not all Baptists are African American...It's a shame that we are so quick to judge and stereotype Arab Americans because of 9/11, but being Muslim doesn't mean someone is willing to self destruct in the middle of any random flee market. We should take time to learn about these people, their religion, what they're passionate about, and how they live their lives; their culture. But of course we don't. When we see an Arab American, the first thing we do is panic, and pray that by some miracle they'll get off the train that you're riding. It's sad, but it's true.
Trust me, there's more to an Arab American then just their confusing titles, and their respect and faithfulness to Allah and the prophet Muhammad. They've made many contributions to our own culture including many well-known works of literature (The Exorcist, by William Blatty), many actors and actresses, including Danny Thomas and Kathy Najimy, and also singers, including Paula Abdul.
The extent of our intertwined cultures is more extensive than we think, and I encourage you all to check out this link here:
http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/23/famous-arab-americans
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