Stereotypes and Prejudices

COMMON STEREOTYPES AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PAKISTANI-AMERICANS:

1. Pakistani-Americans are Arabs.

At times, we as Americans have a tendency to group the people into single category. That makes it difficult to distinguish people from each others.

Pakistani-Americans are of South Asian heritage. They are separate from Arabs. Their culture, political beliefs, language, educational systems and backgrounds are different from Arabs. Pakistani Americans are referred to as Arabs, or Middle-eastern which is NOT correct.

Pakistani-Americans and many Arab Americans may share a similar faith. Majority of the Pakistani-Americans are Muslims (Believer of Islamic Faith), and many of the Arab-Americans are also Muslims.

2. The women are subservient to men.

The Pakistani-American women are essentially as educated as the men. Culturally in certain remote parts of Pakistan, the women may not receive the same respect or rights as men. However, this is not true for the country in general. Moreover, Islam gives equal right to men and women. Majority of the Pakistani Americans residing in the US are educated, and women have equal rights in the house holds. A small minority of people (which are in every community) should not define a generalized view of all. There are significant proportion of women in the Pakistani political system. Moreover, Pakistan has had a female head of state not once, but twice.

3. Pakistani-Americans believe in a caste system.

The Pakistan and Pakistani-Americans do not believe in a caste system. This is a culture based on equality for all human beings. Only the one who are pious, or believed and are supposed to have more respect than the others. However, people cannot be divided into different caste or are believed to be superior based on the color of the skin, appearance or other reasons, etc. The caste system is a part of Hindu traditions, and according to our information is decreasing in India rapidly as the society get further educated.

4. Pakistanis are same as Indians.

The Pakistani-Americans are of separate heritage as compared to the Indian-Americans who come from Indian heritage. At times the appearance, speech may be similar and the accents may be similar.

However, they are from different backgrounds. Majority of the people of Pakistani Heritage is Muslims while majority of the people from Indian heritage are of Hindu faith.

However, it is believed that about one third of Indian-Americans are Muslims. In most evaluations, the Indian-Muslims are essentially completely aligned with the Pakistani-Americans with respect to core issues and concerns. Moreover, even the Hindu Indian-Americans are aligned with the Pakistani-Americans with respect to the domestic issues of civil rights and other concerns in the United States.

5. Pakistanis-Americans are against Indian-Americans.

While Pakistan and India as Countries have had political differences based on regional conflict of Kashmir, the majority of the people of Pakistan and the people of India share common views and values, and do respect each other. There is significant interest amongst the people of both countries to resolve all outstanding issues including the core issue of Kashmir in a civil and fair manner.

Similarly, majority of the Pakistani-Americans and Indian Americans work closely with each other in similar workplaces and respect each other’s perspectives and work in a congenial manner.

In a recent poll of Pakistani-Americans when asked if Pakistani-Americans had more than one good Indian-American friend, 81% of the Pakistani-Americans had more than two good Indian-American friends. Moreover, only 48% of the Pakistani-Americans had more than five good Indian-American friends. There were only 3% of Pakistani Americans, who did not believe in making Indian-American friends. This again suggests that majority of the Pakistani-Americans do work and have a congenial and friendly relationship with Indian-Americans.

6. Pakistani Americans are against Jews.

Majority of the Pakistani-Americans are highly concerned about the ongoing conflict in Middle East, and are of the view of a separate free homeland for Palestinians in Palestine. They are interested in a peaceful and a fair resolution of the conflict. While a vocal minority of people in Pakistan may at times use anti-Jewish language that in no way represent the views of the majority as being against any state.

Actually, the South Asian Muslims are not directly involved in the Middle East conflict, therefore, are at times are in a better position to look at the different situations more objectively. The Pakistani Americans are against the use of violence by any party anywhere to justify their struggles for freedom, and the use of violence to stop the struggle.

In a recent poll conducted by PAKPAC of the Pakistani-American community to evaluate and address the views of the Pakistani-Americans with respect to Pakistan accepting Israel, 75% of the responders responded in yes.

7. Pakistani-Americans are Wahabis.

The overwhelming majority of the people of Pakistan do not subscribe to Wahabi school. Even though in the last many years, there was a slight increase in institutions in Pakistan with focus towards the Wahabi perspective, this was not accepted by the majority of the students. However, this has remained a very small minority and the influence in Pakistan has been a very small minority. In the United States, the overwhelming majority of the Pakistani-Americans do not identify themselves as of Wahabis or prescribe to their beliefs.

8. Pakistani-Americans are not educated and mostly are cabdrivers.

Two-thirds of American Muslims have bachelors or higher versus 44% for U.S. average. 33% have masters or higher versus 9% for U.S. average. Within the American Muslims, the Pakistani American community is the most organized, and educated with higher average income than Americans and even American Muslims. The Pakistani Americans are well represented in all different walks of life.

7. Pakistan or Pakistani Americans were involved in the September 11th incident.

None of the 19 perpetrators of the attacks were of Pakistani heritage or in anyway directly or indirectly linked to Pakistan. As of right now, no Pakistani-American has been identified or being proven to be in anyway involved in any security threat to United States. Actually Pakistan has been our number one ally, who has suffered the most after us in the war against terror. Pakistan has lost more soldiers and people in the war against terror. Moreover, Pakistan has had significant loss in its economy with the war or terror. Despite the economic set back the economy continues to rise and a robust 6.4% essentially every year.

8. Pakistani-Americans have NOT contributed to the growth of United States, and are not an important part of the US Society.

Pakistani-American community has been part and parcel of the United States. Pakistani-Americans have contributed tremendously in different ways to the Unites State culture, society and the benefit of people. Some of the examples include:

(1). The discovery of method of giving chemotherapy to cancer patients and children, which has helped thousands of American children to get chemotherapy and millions in the world.

(2). New technique for providing a back pain relief with surgical transplant of disc will help millions of Americans with back pain.

(3). Pakistani American have been hand in hand protecting us, whether it is giving up his life even though being off duty on Sept 11, or it is being recommended for the Bronze Star for Valor in combat in the Afghanistan war, or helping you better protected in other ways.

(4). Pakistani American cop has been selected amongst the top 10 cops in the United States

(5). Pakistani families have been involved in giving millions of dollars of the US Universities

(6). Pakistani-Americans have also been elected to serve in the United States political system to make decisions to continue to make our lives better.

(7). Many Pakistani Americans serve as CEOs in important companies, which positively affect our lives.

(8). Pakistani American has also been selected to become mother of the year in working women magazine.