I’m Arab and Christian- why are people always so surprised ?

[Anonymous]

I mean, if 90% of a region is one religion then yes, those outside the region may know less about the 10%. Before assuming Americans are uniquely ignorant, I’d ask the same question to people in China, Sweden, South Africa, Italy, and Poland. That should do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get that the large majority of Arabs are Muslim .. but he was Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus of New Jersey!

A lot of Americans are ignorant. I lived in Africa and Middle East, there are a lot of christians in both areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family is Lebanese Catholic, so I feel you, OP.

I always associate Lebanese people with Catholicism because there were a couple of Lebanese-American families in my hometown that owned major businesses like grocery stores and the big clothing store in town.

But yeah, Americans are basically ignorant. They all grew up with pictures of Jesus having blue eyes and long light brown hair surrounded by little white children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- There are about 5000 Jews in India for a population of over 1.4 billion.
I’d say about 10% of Arabs are Christian . Egypt alone has about 10 million Copts. I’m from one of the Levantine countries.
In the US, the majority of Arab Americans are Christians but somehow people are still perplexed at the combination.

only 10%. This is not a high percentage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Americans don't really know about world stuff

Generally poor education in the U.S. around geography, religion, economics, governments other than our own (even our own).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Americans don't really know about world stuff

Generally poor education in the U.S. around geography, religion, economics, governments other than our own (even our own).

^^ adding that this seems to be changing. My children have received a much better education in these areas than my generation did, but maybe that's because we live in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family is Lebanese Catholic, so I feel you, OP.

I always associate Lebanese people with Catholicism because there were a couple of Lebanese-American families in my hometown that owned major businesses like grocery stores and the big clothing store in town.

But yeah, Americans are basically ignorant. They all grew up with pictures of Jesus having blue eyes and long light brown hair surrounded by little white children.

I'm American and I'm also the child of an immigrant. I know that ethnicity and religion are not the same. I think you have gone from complaining about the error or one blanket statement to making an equally erroneous blanket statement about these "Americans."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- There are about 5000 Jews in India for a population of over 1.4 billion.
I’d say about 10% of Arabs are Christian . Egypt alone has about 10 million Copts. I’m from one of the Levantine countries.
In the US, the majority of Arab Americans are Christians but somehow people are still perplexed at the combination.

only 10%. This is not a high percentage.

The percentage in Arab countries used to be much higher. Arab Christians have had a much higher propensity to emigrate than Arab Muslims and tend to have fewer children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- There are about 5000 Jews in India for a population of over 1.4 billion.
I’d say about 10% of Arabs are Christian . Egypt alone has about 10 million Copts. I’m from one of the Levantine countries.
In the US, the majority of Arab Americans are Christians but somehow people are still perplexed at the combination.

only 10%. This is not a high percentage.

The percentage in Arab countries used to be much higher. Arab Christians have had a much higher propensity to emigrate than Arab Muslims and tend to have fewer children.

Early Arab immigration to the U.S. was mostly Christians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- There are about 5000 Jews in India for a population of over 1.4 billion.
I’d say about 10% of Arabs are Christian . Egypt alone has about 10 million Copts. I’m from one of the Levantine countries.
In the US, the majority of Arab Americans are Christians but somehow people are still perplexed at the combination.

only 10%. This is not a high percentage.

The percentage in Arab countries used to be much higher. Arab Christians have had a much higher propensity to emigrate than Arab Muslims and tend to have fewer children.

Early Arab immigration to the U.S. was mostly Christians.

Massacres, intolerable discrimination from the Muslim Arab majority, and forced conversions to Islam drove them to seek better lives in the United States. America is better for it. Meanwhile the countries they fled (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, etc.) are a mix of failed states and totalitarian regimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm super ignorant. I have no idea what holidays people who are Arab celebrate. I also can't keep track of how Arabs and Muslims are different despite it being explained to me a hundred times. I have a lot of learning disabilities and some information will just never stick.

Wait until you learn that the most populous Muslim country isn’t even in the Middle East, rather it is in Southeast Asia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- There are about 5000 Jews in India for a population of over 1.4 billion.
I’d say about 10% of Arabs are Christian . Egypt alone has about 10 million Copts. I’m from one of the Levantine countries.
In the US, the majority of Arab Americans are Christians but somehow people are still perplexed at the combination.

I doubt that the majority of Arab Americans are Christian. I grew up with Arab friends who were Christian but a lot of it was that one parent was Muslim and one Christian and they converted. Most were not Christian in their country of origin. One of my close friends was Christian from Lebanon. I believe they were Eastern Orthodox.

I wish I knew more about this though. There have been a lot of middle eastern wars since I learned history. It seems through the news that most Christians left a long time ago. In my travels I met Christians in Israel but that’s it.

[Anonymous]

Christians keep a low profile in the middle east. A church is not allowed to be taller than any mosque in the area. Also, Arab Muslims are elite compared to Asian Muslims, who look down on African Muslims.

[Anonymous]

I dated a Lebanese Catholic man for years. He was a Maronite.

I kinda wish I had married him.

Lebanon used to be a catholic majority country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- There are about 5000 Jews in India for a population of over 1.4 billion.
I’d say about 10% of Arabs are Christian . Egypt alone has about 10 million Copts. I’m from one of the Levantine countries.
In the US, the majority of Arab Americans are Christians but somehow people are still perplexed at the combination.

I doubt that the majority of Arab Americans are Christian. I grew up with Arab friends who were Christian but a lot of it was that one parent was Muslim and one Christian and they converted. Most were not Christian in their country of origin. One of my close friends was Christian from Lebanon. I believe they were Eastern Orthodox.

I wish I knew more about this though. There have been a lot of middle eastern wars since I learned history. It seems through the news that most Christians left a long time ago. In my travels I met Christians in Israel but that’s it.

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Wait what- really?