Different migration motives divide Arab from South Asian Muslim communities in the U.S.

Evidence

Some women cover their hair fully, so that not even one strand is visible, while others cover their hair more loosely. In addition to cultural practices, Muslim communities are not completely integrated with one another due to their different reasons for migration to the United States. Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian immigrants who fled their countries as a result of war generally arrived without the resources of middle-class Pakistani and Indian professionals who migrated willingly to pursue economic opportunities. The latter group has tended to settle in white suburban communities in comparison to Arab refugees, who have relied on social services for jobs and housing. — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 103

Categorization

• XREF: Nuance to the reader’s map: ‘Muslim Americans’ are not one community — class/migration differences split them, relevant when treating surveillance as uniform.