Middle Easterners Streaming Into Texas: Study Say Most Live In Houston

The HoustonChronicle.com ^ | August 14, 2002 | Edward Hegstrom

[yankeedame]

Aug. 14, 2002, 9:49PM

Middle Easterners streaming to Texas

Study says most live in Houston

By EDWARD HEGSTROM

Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

Texas has one of the nation's fastest-growing Middle Eastern populations, and most of the state's immigrants live in Houston, according to a study based on census data.

Researchers at the Center for Immigration Studies say Texas' Middle Eastern population more than doubled in the last decade, to just over 100,000, including more than 52,000 in Greater Houston.

The state, not known as a traditional destination for Middle Easterners, now ranks third behind New York and California.

"This shows Texas is not just a destination for Mexicans anymore," said Steven Camarota, author of the study released Wednesday.

He called the Middle Eastern population one of the nation's fastest-growing immigrant groups, and that they are, on average, far better educated and slightly better paid than native-born Americans.

Surprisingly, though, Camarota found, about 23 percent of the Middle Easterners use some sort of welfare, higher than the native population.

Greater Houston's Middle Easterners form the seventh-largest concentration in this country. Iranians are the biggest group locally, followed by Pakistanis and Saudis.

However, Middle Easterners may go virtually unnoticed in Houston "because they are spread out," said Nidal Zayer, a columnist at a local Arabic paper, Al Maraya. "They are in Pasadena, along FM 1960, in Sugar Land -- everywhere."

Pockets of Arabic culture are turning up even in outlying areas like the strip malls along Veterans Memorial Drive north of Beltway 8, where women wearing shawls can get their hands painted with henna, and shoppers can purchase the halal Muslim meat.

"People go wherever the jobs are, I guess," says Shaukat Shah, managing the register Wednesday at Fyza's Grocery and Halal Meat along Veterans Memorial. Muslims and Middle Easterners, he said, don't want to be congregated in one area.

Down the road, past empty fields and a repair shop with a tractor parked out front, a local Muslim leader leads boys in prayer at a mosque, one of more than 70 in the area.

"Houston is a more cosmopolitan city than people think," said Mustafa Tameez, a political consultant and Muslim. "Even some of us who live here don't realize that."

Camarota, a specialist at studying immigrant demographics, said he completed the study because so many people ask him about the size of this nation's Muslim and Middle Eastern populations. The census does not ask about religion, so estimates on the size of the Muslim population vary wildly.

Camarota chose instead to look at the Middle Eastern population, but he defined the region more broadly than is normally done by including Pakistanis and North Africans.

He estimated there were nearly 1.5 million Middle Easterners in the country in 2000 -- not including their U.S.-born children -- or seven times the number here 30 years earlier.

Camarota predicts the population will grow to nearly 2.5 million in 2010. As it grows and becomes more influential, he predicts, it will exert its influence politically, which could change U.S. policy toward the Middle East.

Some Arabs agree.

Tameez, the political consultant, says newly arrived immigrants think only of surviving. But as some settle down, become citizens and prosper, they begin to think of things like participating in politics.

"That's the pinnacle of success," he said. "Once you have money, you want influence, and that means political influence."

The Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies favors reducing immigration levels

[fivecatsandadog]

Tameez, the political consultant, says newly arrived immigrants think only of surviving. But as some settle down, become citizens and prosper, they begin to think of things like participating in politics. "That's the pinnacle of success," he said. "Once you have money, you want influence, and that means political influence."

Not a chance

[MissAmericanPie]

Not a chance you say? Just let me open my local phone book here, btw, I'm in a much smaller city than Houston.

Right off the bat, here in A's the first pages are headed, Abushair-to-Adejokun, second page, Adekunle-to-Ahmed, third page, Ahmed-to-Alderson (how did that Englishman get in there?), fourth page, Aldiwan-to-Allen, fifth page, Allen-to-Almazan, sixth page, Almefeh-to-Amaro, seventh page, Anderson-to-Annen. Then we have Aziz, Balasubramaniam, Beshears.

Not to worry, they will never become political activist.

[TADSLOS]

I was visiting my Mom at the Methodist Hospital in Houston this past weekend. Arabs everywhere. The hospital's prayer room in the front lobby was dedicated for Muslim prayer. There are giant billboards along major corridors of Houston, including I-45 advertising Islam. Here's their site:

Why Islam

[Frank_Discussion]

Am I feeling just REEEEEAL comfortable right about now? Nope.

[varon]

I was visiting my Mom at the Methodist Hospital in Houston this past weekend. Arabs everywhere.(my emphasis)

Christians send a handfull of missionaries to other countries whereas Muslims flood other countries with millions of true believers/activists. Which approach do you think will get quicker results?

[fivecatsandadog]

It just seems unlikely that any of them would be able to advance beyond local politics, if they got elected at all.

[dix]

As a long time Houston resident, I have a few observations. Enron aside, the influx of Middle Easterners including yes Israelis (I'm not an anti Semite, just telling the truth), have lowered the standards of our business practices to an unprecedented level. They cheat on their business practices. They have out of date food in their stores. You can go into most any convenience store and the pin ball machines pay off with money. I think that is fine, but it is illegal. As far as this strict Islamic moral code goes, you can buy any kind of sexual material in any of their stores. Once again nothing wrong with that either. It's legal, but I thought it was against their code. I don't want to even get started on dealing with them on real estate matters. The fact is they have lowered our culture to a different level. BTW, I make it a point to keep an eve on the local Mosque, I drive by every chance I get.

[goodnesswins]

I've heard what you say about other "cultures" here in the Pacific NW......I think it has more to do with "values" than with race/religion.....Islam seems to be an opportunistic "religion".....that's stuck in the 12th century. (And, their values are under the microscope right now - but there's a few pockets of Asian culture here, that others would say need their day of reckoning, too.)

[Ranger Drew]

My friend, this country WILL fall from within. ...and all because we lacked the cajones to stand up and tell our leaders "NO". Now, those same leaders must be either arrested for treason, or left to go about their destructive and corrupt devices.

[FreedomFriend]

Hey, I saw that billboard when I was in Houston a few months ago. It made me sick to my stomach. Don't forget the homosexual flags, too. They were visibly seen from the interstate, not to mention tons of strip bar advertisements. A modern day Tower of Babel, along with a Soddom & Gomorrah, COMBINED.

[mombonn]

Christians send a handfull of missionaries to other countries whereas Muslims flood other countries with millions of true believers/activists.

Those countries are HOSTILE and/or closed to Christian missionaries. In many cases, they have to go in disguised as workers of some sort (like Heather and Dana in Afghanistan).

We, on the other hand, open our arms to just about anybody. The blessing and curse of being a democracy.

[Joe Hadenuf]

There are giant billboards along major corridors of Houston, including I-45 advertising Islam. Here's their site:

HUH? I hope your joking....

[TADSLOS]

HUH? I hope your joking....

I wish it were a joke, but it isn't.

[Consort]

It just seems unlikely that any of them would be able to advance beyond local politics, if they got elected at all.

Is that a line from "Ship of Fools" or does it just sound like it?

[seeker41]

No joke, I saw it last week. Right on I-45.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Now this is freaking scary...

[Freebird Forever]

I make it a point to keep an eye on the local Mosque, I drive by every chance I get.

Might not be a bad idea to start photographing autos & license numbers, too.

[FreedomFriend]

I saw it, too. Houston seemed very weird. Mexicans were all over the place (most illegal, I'm sure), Homosexual flags flying alongside the interstate, Muslim advertisments, strip bar advertisements everywhere you looked, Mexican food stores named, "Fiesta". The place is second only to Los Angeles in foreign occupation. I don't know how much longer it will remain an "American City". You've got to go up to Conroe or the Woodlands in the north, Katy in the west, or Clearlake in the south to get away from it.

[Guillermo]

Keep your head in the sand, it's exactly what the Jihadists want.

And, Bush is all for this. He can't get enough of our open borders.