Arab Canadians
Arab Canadians are individuals of Arab descent who have immigrated to Canada, contributing to the country’s diverse cultural landscape. The initial wave of Arab immigrants, primarily Syrian-Lebanese Christians, arrived in the late 19th century, fleeing economic hardship and Ottoman oppression. By 1912, a notable number of Arab immigrants had settled in major Canadian cities, particularly in Quebec and Ontario. The post-World War II period saw a second wave of immigration, which included a more diverse group of Arabs, including Muslims and Druzes, who were often better educated and sought professional opportunities.
As of the 2011 census, Arab Canadians numbered approximately 380,620, representing about 1.2% of the Canadian population. Family plays a central role in Arab Canadian social life, and cultural traditions often emphasize patriarchal structures. Organizations and religious institutions, such as mosques and churches, help maintain Arabic language and cultural identity, while the federal multicultural policy supports ethnic expression. Arab Canadians generally value Canadian society for its justice and freedoms, yet they also express concerns about certain aspects of Canadian culture, such as family dynamics and social norms. Overall, Arab Canadians have made significant contributions to various sectors while actively preserving their cultural heritage.
Subject Terms
Arab Canadians
Significance: Arab Canadians, who immigrated in two major waves, hail from a variety of countries and are affiliated with several religions. Despite their differences, they are unified by the Arabic language and by their cultural traditions, especially those affecting the family and social life.
The first wave of Arab immigrants to Canada were Syrian-Lebanese Christians in the late nineteenth century who were escaping from poverty and Ottoman Turk oppression. Located close to the Sublime Porte (the Turkish court and government in Constantinople), Syria could not resist Ottoman control. The Turks’ millet system of administration divided the population into Christian and non-Christian groups, thereby creating hostilities and strengthening Turkish rule. Economic conditions were miserable, particularly in the mountainous region of Lebanon, where the silk industry and agriculture declined. A large number of European and American nationals and missionaries exposed the Syrian-Lebanese to Western influences, and Canada appeared to be a land of freedom and opportunity. By 1912, about 7,000 Arabs were in Canada, chiefly in Montreal, Quebec City, Three Rivers, Ottawa, Toronto, London, Windsor, Sault-Sainte Marie, and North Bay, with some immigrants in the Maritimes and prairies. Many of the immigrants began as peddlers; however, this type of work declined during and after the 1920s for three main reasons: the curtailment of Asiatic immigration, shifts in Canadian business practices (mail and telephone orders replaced door-to-door sales), and the stock market crash, which wiped out most Arab businesses.
The second wave of immigrants arrived in the postwar period, 1941–1951, after economic and political upheaval and the emergence of the Zionist movement. A broader mixture of Christian groups and a substantial number of Muslims and Druzes left their homelands, motivated by a desire to escape adverse conditions. Ontario and Quebec accounted for about two-thirds of the Canadian Arab population. Nova Scotia ranked third, followed by New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Between 1961 and 1971, Ontario established itself as the province most favored by Arab Canadians. The postwar immigrants were more highly qualified, better educated, and more sophisticated than those in the first wave and were able to obtain white-collar and professional jobs.
As of the 2011 census, there were 380,620 Arab Canadians, making up about 1.2 percent of the country's population. Quebec was the province with the greatest Arab Canadian population, followed closely by Ontario; the two provinces together are home to more than 80 percent of Canada's Arab population.
Social, Cultural, and Religious Life
Arab Canadians make the family the focus of their social organization. Many have experienced, at some point in their family cycle, an extended family living arrangement, but even this underlines the patriarchal prerogative that emphasizes sex-role differentiation, with women often being subordinate to men in the family hierarchy and expected to work primarily if not exclusively within the home. Men are given greater freedom from domestic duties, and they are expected to be protectors of family honor. Although monogamy is characteristic, Muslim law does allow a man to have more than one wife; it also allows men to choose a spouse without requiring her to convert to his faith, largely because after divorce, the children traditionally remain with the husband’s family and so are not lost to Islam. Traditional Arab husbands are loath to have their wives working outside the home because this gives women financial independence and removes them from under the family’s surveillance, though the wives of early Arab immigrants helped their husbands run small businesses either directly or behind the scenes.
Traditional Arab Canadian parents encounter a problem when their children have extensive contact with eligible young people of the opposite sex and so rebel against having their mate selected by their elders. Problems can also arise from prevailing teenage behavior patterns and nuclear family structures.
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world, and mosques and churches are being built in every major Canadian city. Religious institutions consolidate a group’s identity by maintaining the Arab language and providing a link between Arabs in Canada and those in the United States.
Mass media (newspapers, magazines, books, radio, and television) have also consolidated Arab Canadian identity, along with food, music, dance, and group organizations. One of the most important means of cultural preservation is the Arabic language, which is taught in heritage language classes on weekends for those unable to attend Arab private schools. The federal government’s multicultural policy enhances the development of ethnic identity without diminishing loyalty to Canada.
Ethnic Assertion
The immigrant generations are generally more likely than their Canadian-born counterparts to maintain links with their cultural heritage, but most Arab Canadians are aware of their origins. Relatives often enter into cooperative business ventures, and many nonrelated Arab Canadians form joint business ventures, with intermarriage occurring among the business partners’ families. Many Arab Canadians live in neighborhoods that are mainly populated by other Arab Canadians, which helps to preserve their cultural identity but can also be alienating from the wider Canadian culture—a 2005 study conducted by Statistics Canada found that those whose neighbors were mostly native-born Canadians were more likely to report a sense of belonging to Canada than those whose neighbors were mostly other immigrants. A friendly neighborhood environment was found to be more important to Arab Canadians than to other immigrant groups in fostering this sense of belonging. On the reverse side, higher levels of interaction (and particularly friendly interaction) with Arab Canadians lead non-Arab Canadians to have a more positive opinion of Islam and Muslims, according to a 2006 study by the Environics Institute.
Arab Canadians tend to like Canadian justice, freedom, and respect for human rights. They also appreciate the Canadian political system and work ethic, along with technological sophistication and modern conveniences. However, Arab Canadians reportedly dislike weak Canadian family bonds, the relative absence of social controls over youth, the harsh climate, and the Canadian sense of social superiority. Overall, however, Arab Canadians have adapted successfully to the Canadian way of life, contributing with distinction to various fields. Although they acknowledge the value of the Canadian school and sociocultural system as factors of acculturation, they also show by their identity that Canada does not suffer from a melting pot syndrome.
Bibliography
Hayani, Ibrahim. "Arabs in Canada." Global Research, 24 Nov. 2014, www.globalresearch.ca/arabs-in-canada/5415869. Accessed 13 Apr. 2017.
Hennebry, Jenna, and Bessma Momani. Targeted Transnationals: The State, the Media, and Arab Canadians. Vancouver: UBC P, 2013. Print.
Kazemipur, Abdolmohammad. The Muslim Question in Canada: A Story of Segmented Integration. Vancouver: UBC P, 2014. Print.
Rana, Abbas. " 'We Live in a Globalized World,' House Most Ethnically Diverse in Canadian History, But Still Has Long Way to Go: Research." The Hill, 21 Nov. 2016, www.hilltimes.com/2016/11/21/mps-50-59-age-group-26-mps-four-children-politics-common-field-study-majority-mps-study/88112. Accessed 13 Apr. 2017.