Southeast Michigan has served as a center of migration from the Middle East to the United States since the 19th century. Today the Detroit metropolitan area remains the capital of America’s Arab-American community, with an estimated population of 300,000. The largest concentration of Arab-American families and institutions is in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit. Dearborn’s Arab-American community is a unique microcosm of the Arab world, with families from Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Yemen, and other countries. These national subcommunities are diverse in their foodways, language, and cultural and religious values. A drive through Dearborn will reveal entire streets with Arabic shops and restaurants, with Arabic script on each storefront and the Arabic language on the lips of residents. Chain banks and supermarkets are bilingual, and even McDonald’s serves a halal chicken sandwich (with the meat specially prepared according to Muslim observance). Arab Americans in Dearborn and the Detroit region have found ways to flourish in America without alienating themselves from their own cultural traditions.

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