Are Arabs and Iranians white? Census says yes, but many disagree - LA Times

[ای ایران]

America is strange.

https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-census-middle-east-north-africa-race/

 

[Foxtrot Delta]

White = caucasian caucasia is backyard of turkey russia and iran. Not sure about arabs but other 3 do have majority caucasian population.

But race doesn't matter. It is just appearance.

 

[Hamza913]

As much as some Iranians and Levantines like to think they are, no, Iranians and (especially) Arabs are not white.

 

[Agnihotra]

"White/Caucasian"= (N.)Europeans

America banned Immigrants from even southern Europe and actively promoted immigration from North White European countries like Fatherland Britain, Germany, Sweden etc.

They call their Southern Neighbors such as Italians and Greeks wogs and you guys are hoping that they will accept you as "Whites"

 

[Dubious]

Arabs are Mediterranean - Brown- mixed ones maybe...
Iranians - Mixed -ish....Some white some not...

 

[Gangetic]

White means European but for some reason, Americans add Middle Easterners and North Africans as white. Maybe to boost their white percentage up?

 

[Falcon29]

People don't get this, in the US there is no Middle Eastern ethnicity when it comes to population consensus figures. There is Asian, Latino, Black and White. Arabs and Middle Easterners are pretty much figured in as white people for some reason.

White means European but for some reason, Americans add Middle Easterners and North Africans as white. Maybe to boost their white percentage up?

Nobody understands why, but European Americans are upset that it might overrepresent actual population of Americans of European heritage.

 

[MastanKhan]

White = caucasian caucasia is backyard of turkey russia and iran. Not sure about arabs but other 3 do have majority caucasian population.

But race doesn't matter. It is just appearance.

Hi,

It does matter when you are filling a loan application / grants etc etc etc here in the US---.

 

[nahtanbob]

America is strange.

https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-census-middle-east-north-africa-race/

If not for their names most Iranians would pass as white

People don't get this, in the US there is no Middle Eastern ethnicity when it comes to population consensus figures. There is Asian, Latino, Black and White. Arabs and Middle Easterners are pretty much figured in as white people for some reason.



Nobody understands why, but European Americans are upset that it might overrepresent actual population of Americans of European heritage.

dating sites have category for Middle Eastern

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Anthropologically, I’ve read that some studies suggest that even most Pakistanis are a subset of the Caucasian group. Within Europe you have a pretty wide range of skin, hair, eye color and features. Blonde Scandinavians vs the ‘swarthy’ darker Greeks, Sicilians, Spaniards etc for example.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Alhamdullilah , thankfully we Pakistanis (atleast 99.99%) of us dont have such racial inferiority complex.

I swear to God, till my late teens i thought white (Europeans not wannabe iranis and arbis) were physically weak people, like sugar cane/billet is after its juice is extracted?

Anthropologically, I’ve read that some studies suggest that even most Pakistanis are a subset of the Caucasian group. Within Europe you have a pretty wide range of skin, hair, eye color and features. Blonde Scandinavians vs the ‘swarthy’ darker Greeks, Sicilians, Spaniards etc for example.

“Caucasian” is basically our facial features. Not complexion.

Yes we are “caucasian” but not “white”.

 

[Falcon29]

Basically the discussion is to include more ethnicities in the consensus for people to fill out. It's not about who is historically caucasian or not.

 

[KediKesenFare3]

I don't understand this obsession with being white. Yes, I'm a fully European looking Turkish guy. Usually, people (especially my Pakistani and BD friends) describe me as "Northern"/"white" which makes me feel excluded and offended because my genes aren't white, my history isn't white, my religion isn't white, my mind isn't white. I could have brown children like many in my family but then again, why do I feel offended? It's just skin colour, isn't it?

 

[Falcon29]

I don't understand this obsession with being white. Yes, I'm a fully European looking Turkish guy. Usually, people (especially my Pakistani and BD friends) describe me as "Northern"/"white" which makes me feel excluded and offended because my genes aren't white, my history isn't white, my religion isn't white, my mind isn't white. I could have brown children like many in my family but then again, why do I feel offended? It's just skin colour, isn't it?

It's not about wanting to be white, it's about this:

Basically the discussion is to include more ethnicities in the consensus for people to fill out. It's not about who is historically caucasian or not.
...
...

When you take exams(testing, not regular college exams), apply to jobs or population consensus in the US you have a ballot to fill out and there are no options for Middle Easterners. Thus they want those options to be added.

 

[KediKesenFare3]

It's not about wanting to be white, it's about this:

Basically the discussion is to include more ethnicities in the consensus for people to fill out. It's not about who is historically caucasian or not.
...
...

When you take exams, apply to jobs or population consensus in the US you have a ballot to fill out and there are no options for Middle Easterners. Thus they want those options to be added.

That's good. But does the official definition of MENA or Middle East include Turkey?