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How About This for Stereotype?

By Nicholas Hoover
The Examiner
Posted on Wednesday July 20, 2005

Majority of Arab Americans are Christian

The small church just off Massachusetts Avenue NW differs from most. The congregants sing traditional hymns, take Bible lessons and listen to the pastor’s sermon just like most Protestant churches – but they do it all in Arabic.

And according to assistant pastor Sameh Sadek, nearly 90 percent of the congregation emigrated from the Middle East in this generation.

The church is one of many Arab Christian churches in the United States. At 64 percent, a large majority of the 1.2 million Arab-Americans are not Muslim, but Christian.

Shortly after Sept. 11, the church’s marquee read “Don’t Mess With the U.S.” because pastor Esper Ajaj thought the congregation might become a target for anti-Arab sentiment. A slogan on some of the church’s literature refers to the church as “In the Heart of the Nation With the Nation at Heart.”

However, Ajaj has found little prejudice here.

“It all depends on how you receive it,” said Aziz Ahddad, who came to the United States from Jordan at age 7. But, he noted, “If you’re looking for it, you’ll find it.”

Sam, a medical student who requested partial anonymity for safety from what he termed a lack of understanding in some parts of the Muslim community, said stereotypes are a double bind.

He explained that many Muslims label him negatively, leading at times to arguments. Yet he is also frustrated that, for example, when he goes to airports, he is often pulled aside for security checks.

“I’m falling under the stereotype of those who are stereotyping me,” he said.

The congregation of the church is diverse. Some speak broken English, others can’t speak much Arabic at all. Members come from five Middle Eastern countries. Some have been citizens for decades, others just visiting on work visas.

According to Ajaj, the church brings familiarity to its members, both in culture and language. The community is visibly close. On Sunday, an afternoon baby shower was held in a common area of the church. Before and after services, members gather in the common area, many chatting in Arabic.

The church was founded in 1958 as perhaps the first Arab evangelical church in the United States. Membership has since grown from a handful to a congregation of about 150.

More facts

Sixty-four percent of the roughly 1.2 million people who identify as Arab-Americans are Christian – 35 percent are Catholic, 10 percent Protestant and 18 percent Orthodox.

There are Arab churches in metropolitan areas around the country and several others in the Washington region, including one in Fairfax and another in Manassas.

Sources: February 2000 Zogby poll, 2000 Census