Arab Student Organizations in the U.S.

Arab students are proud of their heritage. They embrace their culture and are committed to representing the diversity of their homeland and raising awareness of its lived realities in universities all over the U.S.

At the University of Michigan, the Arab Student Organization gives the following mission statement:

"The Arab Student Association is an organization aiming to unite and serve the Arab community on campus while educating the general student body of the University of Michigan about Arab culture. The association is committed to benefiting both Arab and non-Arab communities while promoting Arabic culture and heritage, thus adding to the diversity of the campus, as well as increasing public awareness about Arabs."

The photo above shows members of University of Michigan Arab Student Organization cheering for their favorite teams during the 2007 Arab World Soccer tournament from Ann Arbor.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Arab Student Organization (MIT-ASo) has similar goals:

"We are young Arab and Arab-American men and women studying engineering, science and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). We are graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in the Arab world and in working together and with others in pursuing these interests. The MIT Arab Student Organization (MIT-ASO) is an event-driven student group for members of the MIT community to engage in cultural, social, political and educational activities that encourage dialogue and understanding between the Arab world and the US."

The MIT-ASO logo in the traditional MIT colors of red, grey, and black is shown above. It reads: "Arab Student’s Organization (Munazzamat attulaab al-’arab): Massachusetts institute of Technology (jaami’at maasatuusish lil-teknuluujia)

Likewise, the Duke University Arab Students' Organization strives to actively and accurately represent Arabs to the University community:

"The ASO is a cultural organization aimed at bringing students with an interest in the Arab world together to exchange ideas and embrace Arab culture. The organization also is involved with various volunteer and community service efforts both here and abroad. Through our programming we are able to raise awareness and correct misconceptions about Arab culture, while at the same time keeping our members in touch with culture and issues relevant in the Arab world."

The DU-ASO recently hosted the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour (performers are shown above) in collaboration with Duke University and the Persian Student Organization. The comedy tour uses humor to raise awareness of contemporary issues relating to Arab men and women.

The student organizations at these U.S. universities are only three out of countless others. They represent thousands of Arabs all over the world in their goals of raising awareness and promoting cultural diversity. As Arab students continue to globalize the lived realities of the Middle East, they will reverse false, overgeneralized stereotypes and to promote acceptance of their culture in the West. Additionally, the members of these organizations have enormous potential to expedite the political and social reforms that are already happening in the Middle East by using their education and patriotism to become leaders.