{{Short description|Americans of full or partial Palestinian descent}} {{protection padlock|small=yes}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox ethnic group | group = Palestinian Americans | native_name = {{native name|ar|فلسطينيو أمريكا}} | image = | population = '''~160,000'''<br/>(2023 [[American Community Survey]]; 0.05% of U.S.'s population)<ref name=ACS2023>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSSPP1Y2023.S0201?q=Palestinian|title=American Community Survey Palestinians 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2024}}</ref> | popplace = [[Chicago]] • [[New York City]] and [[Northern New Jersey]] • [[Philadelphia]] • [[Houston]] • [[Detroit]] • [[New Orleans]] • [[Los Angeles Metropolitan area]] • [[San Francisco Bay Area]] | languages = [[American English|English]], [[Palestinian Arabic|Arabic]] | religions = [[Islam]], [[Palestinian Christians|Christianity]] | related_groups = Other [[Arabs]], [[Arab Americans]] }} {{Palestinians}}
'''Palestinian Americans''' ({{langx|ar|فلسطينيو أمريكا|translit=Filasṭīnīyū Amrīkā}}) are [[Americans]] who are of full or partial [[Palestinians|Palestinian descent]].
There are around 160,000 Palestinian Americans according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population.
The Palestinian community is concentrated in the [[Chicago]], [[New York City]],<ref name=NYCLargestPalestinianPopulation>{{Cite web |title=Largest Palestinian Community in the United States by City |url=https://zipatlas.com/us/city-comparison/largest-palestinian-community.htm |access-date=May 24, 2024|website=Zip Atlas}}</ref> [[Philadelphia]], [[Houston]], and [[Detroit]] metropolitan areas, with other populations in the [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco]] metropolitan areas. Some Palestinians have emigrated to smaller metropolitan or micropolitan/rural areas, such as [[Gallup, New Mexico]], in the late 20th and 21st century.
==History== [[File:Chicago at Sunrise (43640372875).jpg|left|thumb|170x170px|The [[Chicago metropolitan area]] is home to the largest Palestinian population in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-16 |title=More Palestinians live in Cook County than any other county in the nation |url=https://www.wbez.org/race-class-communities/2023/11/16/cook-county-has-more-palestinians-than-any-other-county |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=WBEZ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-19 |title=1982 Versus 2024: A Tale of Three Cities |url=https://www.aaiusa.org/library/1982-versus-2024-a-tale-of-three-cities |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Arab American Institute |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
=== Early immigration === The first Palestinians who immigrated to the United States arrived after 1908, when the [[Ottoman Empire]] passed a new [[conscription]] law mandating all Ottoman citizens into the military.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/palestinian-americans|title=Palestinian Americans facts, information, pictures {{!}} Encyclopedia.com articles about Palestinian Americans|website=www.encyclopedia.com|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2018}}</ref> These Palestinians were overwhelmingly [[Palestinian Christians|Christian]], and only a minority of them were Muslims. The [[1922 census of Palestine]] lists 1,778 Palestinians living abroad in the United States (1,352 Christian, 426 Muslim, along with 19 [[Druze]]), the second highest number behind the group listing of South and Central American republics.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922 |title=Palestine Census ( 1922)}}</ref> Palestinian immigration began to decline after 1924, with a new [[Immigration Act of 1924|law limiting the number of immigrants]], as well as the [[Great Depression]], which heavily reduced immigration.
=== Palestinian exodus === The population in the United States began to increase after [[World War II]]. During the 1950s, many Christians from Ramallah started immigrating to the states, then followed by Muslims from nearby towns. The establishment of the state of [[Israel]] led to many [[Palestinian Jews]] becoming [[Israeli citizenship law|Israeli citizens]], and those that remained Palestinian were principally Arab, many of whom were then displaced in the [[Nakba]] due to the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]. However, the greatest wave of Palestinian immigration began in 1967 after the [[Six-Day War]], or as Middle Easterners and North Africans call it, the [[June War]]. This wave of immigrants reached its peak in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Palestinian Americans|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/palestinian-americans|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref>
=== Modern history === After the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965|Immigration and Nationality act of 1965]] was enacted, many Palestinians started immigrating again into the United States. Most Palestinians that immigrated to the United States in this period were more educated than the Palestinians that arrived before 1965, due to the preferential status for educated immigrants, and a "brain drain" of professionals and the more educated Palestinians.<ref name="Palestinian Americans">{{cite web|last=Kurson|first=Ken|author-link=Ken Kurson|url=http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Palestinian-Americans.html|title=Palestinian Americans|publisher=everyculture.com|access-date=July 21, 2017}}</ref>
Beginning in the 1990s, many Palestinian communities were subject to intensive government surveillance under Operation Vulgar Betrayal (OVB), an FBI-led dragnet operation launched in collaboration with Israeli intelligence which sought to uncover networks of financial support for [[Hamas]] and [[Hezbollah]] among Palestinian Americans. These suspicions proved to be unsubstantiated, and no terrorism-related convictions were ever made. In 2015, filmmaker Assia Boundaoui produced a documentary on the experience of Palestinians living in [[Bridgeview, Illinois]], revealing the unscrupulous tactics used by the FBI as well as the total lack of transparency surrounding the surveillance effort.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Niva |first=Steve |date=2019-09-23 |title=Countering the Surveillance State |url=https://merip.org/2019/09/countering-the-surveillance-state/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=MERIP |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Demographics == === U.S. cities === [[Chicago, Illinois]], is home to the largest Palestinian concentration among US metropolitan areas: There is an estimated population of 85,000 Palestinians in greater Chicagoland, and Palestinians form 60% of the [[Arabs|Arab]] community in the region.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Illinois Arab American Community |url=http://www.arabamerica.com/illinois/ |access-date=January 16, 2018 |work=Arab America |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Palestinians |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/946.html |access-date=January 31, 2018 |website=www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org}}</ref> [[Bridgeview, Illinois]] (often referred to as "Little Palestine"),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herman |first=Max |date=2015-08-07 |title=They call it Little Palestine |url=https://www.chicagoreporter.com/they-call-it-little-palestine/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=The Chicago Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> and its surrounding suburbs in southwest Cook County also have a significant population of Palestinian Americans, alongside a large [[Jordanian Americans|Jordanian American]] community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abowd |first=Mary |title=Arab Community has Deep Roots in Chicago |url=http://www.chicagoreporter.com/arab-community-has-deep-roots-chicago/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=The Chicago Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> The southwest suburban Palestinian community features prominently in [[Ta-Nehisi Coates]]' 2024 book, ''[[The Message (Coates book)|The Message]]'', with the author visiting a survivor of the [[Deir Yassin massacre|Deir Yasin Massacre]] now living in [[Orland Park, Illinois]], and dining in a Middle Eastern restaurant alongside local Palestinian activists and leaders.
A large number of Palestinians settled in the areas surrounding [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]],<ref name="PalestinianPaterson1">{{cite news|last=Adely|first=Hannan|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/world/local-community-shows-support-of-palestinians-1.1054058|title=Hundreds of Palestinians rally in Paterson in protest of Israeli military campaign|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=July 19, 2014|access-date=July 19, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724011034/http://www.northjersey.com/news/world/local-community-shows-support-of-palestinians-1.1054058|archive-date=July 24, 2014}}</ref><ref name="PalestinianPaterson2">{{cite news|last=Cowen|first=Richard|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/paterson-s-palestinians-celebrate-annual-flag-raising-at-city-hall-1.1018509|title=Paterson's Palestinians celebrate annual flag-raising at City Hall|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=May 18, 2014|access-date=July 19, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010091709/http://www.northjersey.com/news/paterson-s-palestinians-celebrate-annual-flag-raising-at-city-hall-1.1018509|archive-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref> and [[Bay Ridge, Brooklyn|Bay Ridge]],<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/04/nyregion/palestinians-struggling-to-rebuild-their-lives.html|title=Palestinians Struggling To Rebuild Their Lives|last=Hedges|first=Chris|date=October 4, 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 16, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which together make up the [[New York metropolitan area]]. Many other Palestinians settled in the [[Houston metropolitan area]], [[Los Angeles metropolitan area|Los Angeles metro area]], [[Metro Detroit]], [[Greater Cleveland]], [[New Orleans metropolitan area|Metro New Orleans]], [[Jacksonville metropolitan area|Metro Jacksonville]], and [[Miami metropolitan area|Metro Miami]]. [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]], [[New Jersey]], has its [[South Paterson|southern half]] of the city nicknamed ''[[Little Ramallah]]'', with an [[Arab American]] population estimated as high as 20,000 in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last=Yellin|first=Deena|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/palestinian-flag-raising-is-highlight-of-heritage-week-in-paterson-1.1324680|title=Palestinian flag-raising is highlight of heritage week in Paterson|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=May 3, 2015|access-date=May 4, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505040613/http://www.northjersey.com/news/palestinian-flag-raising-is-highlight-of-heritage-week-in-paterson-1.1324680|archive-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> It is one of the most concentrated areas of Palestinian Americans in the entire United States.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/food/2017-12-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/welcome-to-little-palestine-new-jersey/0000017f-f44f-d497-a1ff-f6cfaa7c0000|title=New Nablus Welcome to Little Palestine, New Jersey|last=Yoked|first=Tzach|date=December 20, 2017|work=Haaretz|access-date=February 10, 2018|language=en}}</ref> It is also called ''[[South Paterson|Little Istanbul]],'' since it also has a growing [[Turkish Americans|Turkish American]] community.
[[Bay Ridge, Brooklyn|Bay Ridge]]'s Arab community in [[Brooklyn, New York]], is also a significant neighborhood home to an estimated population of 35,000,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/89421/the-stranger|title=The Jew Who Helps Run an Important Arab-American Organization in Brooklyn|work=Tablet Magazine|access-date=January 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref> of which its largest Arab ethnic groups are Palestinians and [[Yemeni Americans|Yemenis]].<ref name="nytimes"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/nyregion/worry-and-disbelief-in-yemeni-american-community-in-brooklyn.html|title=Worry and Disbelief in Yemeni-American Community in Brooklyn|last=Robbins|first=Liz|date=2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 16, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, it is also home to many other Arab ethnic groups, making Bay Ridge's Arab community a diverse population. [[File:Babil in Brooklyn.jpg|thumb|[[Bay Ridge, Brooklyn|Bay Ridge]] in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]]; also has a strongly diverse [[Arabs|Arab]] community, in which its largest Arab groups are [[Palestinians]] and [[Yemenis]]. Its strong presence is noticeable from Arab shops to Babel Barber Shop, shown above during the January 2016 snow storm. ]]
There are nearly 3,000 Palestinians in [[San Mateo County]], accounting for a half percent of its population; while still small on a large scale, it is ten times higher than the national rate of Palestinians Americans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDDHCA2020.T01001?q=United%20States&t=1123:1195:1201&g=050XX00US06085&d=DEC%20Detailed%20Demographic%20and%20Housing%20Characteristics%20File%20A|title=Total Population Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics|publisher=[[U.S. Census]]}}</ref> The [[San Francisco Bay Area]], including [[San Francisco]] proper, has had a history of Palestinian settlement since the early 20th century.
According to the [[2000 United States census]], there were 72,112 people of Palestinian ancestry living in the United States, increasing to 171,969 by the 2022 [[American Community Survey]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2022.B04006?q=B04006:%20PEOPLE%20REPORTING%20ANCESTRY |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> It is difficult to count the numbers of Palestinian Americans, since the United States does not recognize [[Palestine]] as a country, and only recognizes "Palestinian" as a [[nationality]].
Top 10 Cities with the Largest Palestinian Community in the United States are, according to [[Zip Atlas:|Zip Atlas]]:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Largest Palestinian Community in the United States by City |url=https://zipatlas.com/us/city-comparison/largest-palestinian-community.htm |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Zip Atlas}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Rank !! City !! No. of Palestinians |- | 1 || [[New York City|New York, NY]] || 4,376 |- | 2 || [[Chicago|Chicago, IL]]|| 2,554 |- | 3 || [[Houston|Houston, TX]]|| 2,134 |- | 4 || [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, PA]]|| 1,971 |- | 5 || [[Orland Park, Illinois|Orland Park, IL]]|| 1,876 |- | 6 || [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, CA]]|| 1,861 |- | 7 || [[Tinley Park, IL]]|| 1,381 |- | 8 || [[Cleveland, OH]]|| 1,285 |- | 9 || [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus, OH]]|| 1,211 |- | 10 || [[Alafaya, Florida|Alafaya, FL]]|| 1,170 |}
Also according to [[Zip Atlas]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Percentage of Palestinian Population in the United States by City |url=https://zipatlas.com/us/city-comparison/percentage-palestinian-population.htm |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Zip Atlas}}</ref> the top 10 Cities with the Highest Percentage of Palestinian Population in the United States are: {| class="wikitable" |+ !Rank !City !Percent of Population as Palestinian |- |1 |[[Junction, Illinois|Junction, IL]] |16.07% |- |2 |[[Orland Hills, Illinois|Orland Hills, IL]] |13.51% |- |3 |[[Apple Mountain Lake, Virginia|Apple Mountain Lake, VA]] |9.20% |- |4 |[[Chicago Ridge, Illinois|Chicago Ridge, IL]] |7.87% |- |5 |[[Clarkson, New York|Clarkson, NY]] |7.62% |- |6 |[[Willards, Maryland|Willards, MD]] |6.52% |- |7 |[[Hickory Hills, Illinois|Hickory Hills, IL]] |6.10% |- |8 |[[Spring Valley Village, Texas|Spring Valley Village, TX]] |5.57% |- |9 |[[Bridgeview, Illinois|Bridgeview, IL]] |5.28% |- |10 |[[Roseland, Indiana|Roseland, IN]] |4.99% |}
=== Religion === Palestinian Muslim Americans practice the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] sect of [[Islam]], of the [[Hanafi]] and [[Shafi‘i|Shafi'i]] [[Madhhab|madhab]].<ref name="everyculture">{{Cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Palestinian-Americans.html|title=Palestinian Americans - History, Israel, Modern era, Significant immigration waves, Settlement patterns|website=www.everyculture.com|access-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref>
A large part of Palestinian Christians belong to the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem]], with a significant presence of the [[Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem|Latin]] and [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite]] church followers. Smaller minorities adhere to various sects of [[Protestantism]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}
=== Language === Besides English, many Palestinian Americans speak [[Palestinian Arabic]]. Palestinians who once lived or worked in [[Palestine]] may have spoken [[Modern Hebrew]] as a second language.<ref name="everyculture"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2013/0318/The-latest-hot-language-among-Palestinians-in-Gaza-Hebrew|title=The latest hot language among Palestinians in Gaza? Hebrew|date=March 18, 2013|work=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=January 26, 2018|issn=0882-7729}}</ref> Many Palestinians are fluent in other languages.
=== Education === In the United States approximately 46% of Palestinians have obtained at least a college degree, compared to 18% of the American population.<ref name="Educational Attainment in the United States: 2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2012/tables.html|title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2012 - Detailed Tables|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 25, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704235511/http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2012/tables.html|archive-date=July 4, 2013}}</ref>{{Failed verification|reason=All XLS tables only address higher level race (i.e., Black, Hispanic, etc.). No breakdowns per ethnic group are given.|date=July 2017}} The study of culture and the [[Arabic language]] is increasingly important among Palestinians, especially in college and graduate school. Thus, some Palestinian or Arab organizations are working to monitor and improve the teaching of Arab history and culture in the American schools.<ref name="Palestinian Americans"/> Palestinians, along with Jordanians, have one of the highest education rates among the Arab countries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.arabamerica.com/arab-countries-ranked-by-literacy-rate/|title=Arab Countries Ranked by Literacy Rate|date=September 8, 2018|work=Arab America|access-date=October 31, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Socioeconomics === Among the 90 percent of Palestinian American men and 40 percent of women who are in the [[Workforce|labor force]], 40 percent and 31 percent, have either professional, technical, or managerial positions. There are also large numbers in sales: 26 percent of men, and 23 percent of women. The [[self-employment]] rate for men is a significant 36 percent (only 13 percent for women), compared to 11 percent for non-immigrant men. Of the self-employed, 64 percent are in [[Retail|retail trade]], with half owning grocery stores. In terms of income, the mean for Palestinian families in 1979 was $25,400,(adjusted for inflation $109,728) with 24 percent earning over $35,000 and 20 percent earning less than $10,000.<ref name="everyculture"/>
==Culture== Palestinian culture is a blend of [[Eastern Mediterranean]] influences. Palestinians share commonalities with nearby peoples of the Levant, including [[Lebanese Americans|Lebanese]], [[Syrian Americans|Syrians]], and [[Jordanian Americans|Jordanians]]. [[File:Kanafeh Nabulsieh.jpg|thumb|[[Kanafeh]] is a popular Palestinian dessert which originated from [[Nablus]]. Kanafeh is becoming very popular in the United States, including [[New York City]].]]
=== Cuisine === Palestinians cook many similar foods to [[Levant|the Levant]]. Examples are [[kanafeh]], [[hummus]], [[falafel]], [[musakhan]], [[Grape leaves|waraq al-'inib]], and other [[List of Palestinian dishes|Palestinian dishes]]. These foods, such as Kanafeh, have been very popular in the United States, such as in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Knafeh-New-York-Bearded-Bakers-Queens-Night-Market-451285773.html|title='Bearded Bakers' Bring Epic Dessert Party to NYC|work=NBC New York|access-date=January 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
=== Business === Palestinian Americans have owned Middle Eastern groceries, shops and restaurants ever since their immigration to the United States. Most of these businesses are in large cities such as New York City and Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/reviews/24rest.html|title=Tanoreen Restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn|last=Sifton|first=Sam|date=February 23, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 17, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== Notable figures == {{Main list|List of Palestinian Americans}} [[File:Yousef Erakat by Adam Hendershott.jpg|thumb|[[FouseyTube|Yousef Saleh Erakat]], better known as FouseyTube, is a successful Palestinian American [[YouTuber]] and [[online streamer]]]] [[Edward Said]] was a U.S. naturalized Palestinian professor at [[Columbia University]], and widely known as the "Father of [[Orientalism]]". He was also a strong voice and advocate for the [[American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee|American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC)]] and studied the breaches of [[civil liberties]] of Arabs and Muslims in the United States during the 1990s and later after [[September 11 attacks|hijacking on September 11th 2001.]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 25, 2020|title=Edward Said: American intellectual, Palestinian patriot, breaker of dogmas {{!}} Opinion|url=https://www.newsweek.com/edward-said-intellectual-breaker-boundaries-1534342|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=Newsweek|language=en}}</ref>
[[Rashid Khalidi]] is a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East and former Edward Said Professor [[Emeritus]] of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. His many works include the 2020 publication of ''[[The Hundred Years' War on Palestine]]: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017,'' in which he examines the Zionist claim to Palestine through the lens of [[settler colonialism]] and European and American [[imperialism]]. Khalidi retired from his position at Columbia University in October 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iqbal |first=Razia |title=Rashid Khalidi, America's foremost scholar of Palestine, is retiring: 'I don't want to be a cog in the machine any more' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2024/oct/08/rashid-khalidi-palestine-israel-scholar-columbia-university-retires |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=the Guardian |date=October 8, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
[[Huwaida Arraf]] is a Palestinian activist, author and lawyer based in the city of [[Ramallah]] who founded an organization called the [[International Solidarity Movement|International Solidarity Movement (ISM)]] which seeks to help the Palestinian side of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through [[Nonviolent resistance|non-violent protests]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 30, 2010|title=Huwaida Arraf|url=https://www.afsc.org/story/huwaida-arraf|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=American Friends Service Committee|language=en|archive-date=November 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116030520/https://www.afsc.org/story/huwaida-arraf|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was also part of a peace initiative called [[Seeds of Peace]] which sought to create communication between Palestinian and Jewish youth.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.seedsofpeace.org/|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=Seeds of Peace|language=en-US}}</ref>
[[Ismail al-Faruqi]] was a Palestinian-American philosopher and theologian, known for his significant contributions to Islamic studies and the philosophy of religion. He founded the [[International Institute of Islamic Thought]] (IIIT) and was a leading figure in the [[Islamization of knowledge]], advocating for the integration of Islamic principles with contemporary academic disciplines. Al-Faruqi's work emphasized the importance of cultural and religious understanding in addressing global issues.<ref name="Yusuf2014">{{cite journal |last=Yusuf |first=Imtiyaz |title=Ismail al-Faruqi's Contribution to the Academic Study of Religion |journal=Islamic Studies |volume=53 |issue=1/2 |pages=108–110 |date=Spring–Summer 2014 |publisher=Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad |doi=10.52541/isiri.v53i1-2.181 |jstor=44627369 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44627369}}</ref>
Khaled Mohamed Khaled, better known by his stage name [[DJ Khaled]], is an American [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] artist and record producer of [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] descent who rose to fame in the 2000s with the debut of his first album ''[[Listennn... the Album]]'' which reached the 12th spot on the [[Billboard 200|US Billboard 200]] chart.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Chris Harris|title=AFI Score First Billboard #1; Ice Cube And Yung Joc Open Big|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1534263/afi-score-first-billboard-1-ice-cube-and-yung-joc-open-big/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206170211/http://www.mtv.com/news/1534263/afi-score-first-billboard-1-ice-cube-and-yung-joc-open-big/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 6, 2014|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref>
[[Gigi Hadid]] and [[Bella Hadid]], two sisters who are both models, are of Palestinian descent through their father [[Mohamed Hadid|Mohamed]]. Both sisters have expressed their public support for Palestine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gigi Hadid Weighs in on Israel–Palestine Conflict|url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/gigi-hadid-israel-palestine-conflict-social-media.html|website=The Cut|last=Petrarca|first=Emilia|date=May 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bella Hadid says 'proud to be Palestinian' after Instagram deletes story showing her father's birthplace|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200708-bella-hadid-says-proud-to-be-palestinian-after-instagram-deletes-story-showing-her-fathers-birthplace/|website=[[Middle East Monitor]]|date=July 8, 2020}}</ref>
[[Belal Muhammad]], the current UFC Welterweight Champion was born and raised in [[Chicago, Illinois]], to Palestinian parents. He often drapes the Palestinian flag around his shoulders both before and after his fights and is vocal in his support for a Free Palestine.
== Politics ==
=== Domestic politics === [[File:Rashida Tlaib, official portrait, 116th Congress.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Rashida Tlaib]], the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress.]] A poll in October 2016 found that 60% of [[Arab Americans|Arab-American]] (including Palestinian-Americans) voters voted for [[Hillary Clinton]] (with 26% voting for [[Donald Trump]]). The survey found evidence of continued movement by Arab-American voters away from the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], and that 52% of voters identified as [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] with only 26% calling themselves Republicans.<ref name="huffpost">{{Cite web|last=Zogby|first=James|date=October 29, 2016|title=Arab American Voters: Clinton 60 Percent, Trump 26 Percent|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/arab-american-voters-clin_b_12697908|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref>
==== 2016 Election ==== Arab Americans who supported Hillary Clinton believed that addressing gun violence, health care, and Social Security were important to electing the President, while those who supported Donald Trump saw combatting terrorism, further regulating government spending, and creating stricter immigration policies as of chief importance after "Jobs and the economy".<ref name="huffpost"/> Both groups believed Hillary Clinton to be a stronger choice when it came to improving education and resolving racial tensions.<ref name="huffpost"/>
==== 2020 Election ==== Despite 26% of Arab-Americans voting for Trump in 2016, the President's Pro-Israel policies such as the recognition of [[Jerusalem]] as [[Israel|Israel's]] capital by moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv [[Embassy of the United States, Jerusalem|to Jerusalem]] considerably lessened his support from Arab-Americans and Palestinian-Americans in particular.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Arab American voters could play important role in key swing states|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arab-american-voters-play-important-role-key-swing/story?id=73588362|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> Initiatives such as "Yalla Vote" formed to encourage [[Arab Americans|Arab]] voters to register and participate in the [[2020 United States elections|2020 Election]] and boost the number of Arab-American votes. An exit poll indicated that the majority of Arab and Muslim Americans supported Biden in the election, with as much as 81% of Muslim voters casting their support in his favor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 12, 2021 |title=Muslim Voters Voted Overwhelmingly For Biden, Support Key Democratic Priorities |url=https://emgageusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Muslim-Voters-Survey-Memo-2.pdf |access-date=November 8, 2024 |website=Emgage USA}}</ref>
====2024 Election====
In the leadup to the 2024 election, Palestinians and Arab Americans more broadly were considered a key electorate, particularly in Michigan, which is considered an essential swing state for winning the election.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Myah |date=October 5, 2024 |title='It's not won': Democrats jittery over razor-thin race in Michigan |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/05/kamala-harris-michigan-battleground-2024-00182614 |access-date=October 5, 2024 |website=Politico}}</ref> Prominent Arab groups from Michigan had pressured Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris to break from President Biden's staunchly pro-Israel policy and act to end the fighting in Gaza. Other groups with Michigan roots, such as the Uncommitted Movement, decided not to support Harris while urging voters not to support Trump either.<ref name=":1" />
In response to concerns, Harris made efforts to reach out to Arab American leaders in the community, setting up a meeting in which she discussed her consternation about the scale of suffering in Gaza and her efforts to end the war the war there. Harris' VP-pick, Minnesota governor [[Tim Walz]], separately addressed Democratic Muslim groups with a promise to keep an open door to discussion and working to secure an end to the war, simultaneously pointing to Trump's documented history of Islamophobic policies and anti-Palestinian rhetoric.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-04 |title=Tim Walz makes direct appeal to conflicted Muslim voters |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/tim-walz-makes-direct-appeal-conflicted-muslim-voters-rcna173863 |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
Granular data following Harris' defeat showed Trump and Jill Stein coming away with a substantial portion of the Arab Muslim vote; in the Detroit suburb of [[Dearborn, Michigan|Dearborn]], Trump won 42% of votes, followed by Harris at 36% and Stein at 18%.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-11-07 |title=In historic shift, American Muslim and Arab voters desert Democrats |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/in-historic-shift-american-muslim-and-arab-voters-desert-democrats/7854995.html |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}</ref> While demographic groups across Michigan trended to the right from 2020, the change was particularly pronounced in Dearborn, which had overwhelmingly supported Biden (by a 3:1 margin) in 2020.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Whisnant |first=Gabe |date=2024-11-06 |title=Michigan's Muslim voters sent Kamala Harris a "message"—Democrat |url=https://www.newsweek.com/michigan-muslim-voters-harris-trump-stein-election-1981566 |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref> A similar swing was noted in [[Hamtramck, Michigan|Hamtramck]], Michigan, the first majority-Muslim city in the US. With an estimated 200,000+ registered Muslim voters in Michigan, and Trump's winning margin of 84,000 votes, the lost Muslim and Arab votes significantly harmed Harris' bid to win Michigan.<ref name=":3" />
Exit polls found that between 50 percent and 63 percent of US Muslim voters supported Harris.<ref name=":2" /> Several Muslim and Arab voters who pivoted from supporting Biden in 2020 to Trump or Stein in 2024 mentioned wanting to exact accountability and punish Democrats for their perceived complicity in "genocide in Gaza", as well as an inability to procure a sustained ceasefire.<ref name=":2" />
=== Foreign politics === {{empty section|date=September 2025}}
=== Government === [[Ammar Campa-Najjar]] is a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate of Palestinian and Mexican Heritage from [[East County, San Diego|East County]] who ran for Congress to represent [[California's 50th congressional district]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.campacampaign.com/|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=Ammar Campa-Najjar for Congress {{!}} CA 50}}</ref> Ammar worked as a campaign official in San Diego raising awareness and helping to get [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] reelected in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Ammar Campa-Najjar|url=https://www.campacampaign.com/meet-ammar|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=www.campacampaign.com}}</ref> His opponent in the 2020 electoral season is [[Darrell Issa]] (another Arab-American of [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], [[Germanic peoples|German]] and Bohemian ([[Czechs|Czech]]) ancestry).
Only a couple Americans of Palestinian ancestry have served or are currently serving as members of Congress. [[Rashida Tlaib]], an American born to Palestinian parents, is a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] congresswoman of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]], who ran for [[U.S. House of Representatives]] seat from [[Michigan's 13th congressional district]]. She became one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress (along with [[Somali-American]] [[Ilhan Omar]] of Minnesota), and the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/08/us/politics/rashida-tlaib-congress-muslim.html|title=Rashida Tlaib, With Primary Win, Is Poised to Become First Muslim Woman in Congress|newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 8, 2018 |access-date=October 31, 2018|language=en|last1=Herndon |first1=Astead W. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/in-first-palestinian-american-woman-set-to-hold-seat-in-u-s-congress-1.6360911|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808100524/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/in-first-palestinian-american-woman-set-to-hold-seat-in-u-s-congress-1.6360911|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 8, 2018|title=With Primary Win, Rashida Tlaib Set to Become First Palestinian-American Congresswoman|date=August 8, 2018|work=Haaretz|access-date=October 31, 2018|language=en}}</ref> [[Justin Amash]] was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-turned [[Independent politician|independent]] congressman of Palestinian ancestry, serving in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S House of Representatives]] representing [[Michigan]]'s [[Michigan's 3rd congressional district|3rd District]].
At the State level, [[Athena Salman]] of the [[Arizona House of Representatives]] is of Palestinian ancestry. Palestinian-American [[Iman Jodeh]] was elected to the [[Colorado House of Representatives]] in the [[2020 United States elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 5, 2020|title=New State House representatives include Colorado's 1st Muslim legislator, military veteran|url=https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/politics/new-state-house-representatives-include-colorados-1st-muslim-legislator-military-veteran|access-date=November 9, 2020|website=KMGH|language=en}}</ref> [[Fady Qaddoura]], born on the [[West Bank]] was elected to the [[Indiana Senate]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sikich|first=Chris|title=Qaddoura becomes first Muslim elected to Indiana Statehouse as Dems pick up one Senate seat|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/05/indiana-election-qaddoura-becomes-first-muslim-elected-statehouse/6166572002/|access-date=November 9, 2020|website=The Indianapolis Star|language=en-US}}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|Palestine|United States}} * [[Arab Americans]] * [[Palestinian Christians]] * [[Palestinian cuisine]] * [[Palestinian diaspora]] * [[History of Palestinians in Los Angeles]] * [[Palestine–United States relations]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.pac-usa.org/ Palestinian American Council] * [http://www.aaiusa.org/demographics Arab Americans: Demographics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023235625/http://www.aaiusa.org/demographics |date=October 23, 2016 }}
{{Palestinian diaspora}} {{Arab diaspora}} {{Arab American}} {{Middle Eastern American}} {{Asian Americans}} {{Demographics of the United States}}
[[Category:Palestinian diaspora in the United States| ]] [[Category:Palestinian diaspora in North America|United States]] [[Category:Asian diaspora in the United States|Palestinian]]