Metro

SEND US YOUR MIRACLE STORY
AND WIN A GIFT FROM TAPPER'S

We've all experienced those moments when a seem-
ingly random event also seemed strangely meaning-
ful, even miraculous. Small miracles happen every
day; it is up to us to open ourselves to receiving them
and understanding their meaning.

Knowing Our
Neighbors

As we approach Chanukah, we commemorate the
miracle of the light that endured for eight days, and
we are asking you to share your personal miracle, or
epiphany or extraordinary coincidence, whatever
you choose to call one of life's inexplicable events. In
250 words or less, tell your story. Some of the sto-
ries will be published in the November issue of
Platinum. Tapper's Fine Jewelry in West Bloomfield
will donate two $500 gift certificates to the winning
male and female essay.

U-M study reveals the makeup and mindset of
Detroit's Arab American community.

SHARON LUCKERMAN
Staff Writer

You must be 18 or over to enter. Please send your
personal miracle essay to:

Carla Schwartz, Platinum Miracle Contest
29200 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 110
Southfield, MI 48034

Or via e-mail with the subject line "Miracle"
to cschwartz@oaklandstyle.com

Deadline: October 1st

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ciple investigator of the study.
The Detroit Arab American corn-
munity is one of the largest outside
the Middle East. The 2000 U.S.
Census pegs the metro Detroit Arab
population at about 125,000.
"Given the size of the local Arab
American population it's essential
that Jews and their leaders are famil-
iar with the composition and atti-
tudes of that community," said
David Gad-Harf, executive director
of the Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan
Detroit.
Sharona
Shapiro,
Michigan area
director of the
American Jewish
Committee, says
the Arab and
Chaldean (Iraqi
Catholic) com-
Lin
munities have rec-
ognized similari-
ties with Jews and
have begun to
reach out to the
Jewish communi-
ty and its models
of organization.
She says that
community lead-
ers, such as the
president of the
Chaldean Federation of America, •
have shown an interest in the Jewish
community's resettlement services,
fund-raising and policy development.
Baker says that when the Arab
American community was asked
what are the three most pressing
needs, the main replies include fight-
ing stereotypes, being better under-
stood and building bridges to other
communities.

majority of Arab Americans
in the Detroit area are
Christians (58 percent), not
Muslims (42 percent). While 75 per-
cent of them were born outside the
United States, 79 percent of these
immigrants became citizens, and 91
percent of the new citizens say they
are proud to be Americans.
Fifteen percent of the local Arab
Americans inter-
viewed said they
personally had a
bad experience
with harassment or
discrimination
after the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist
attacks — while 24
percent said they
or someone in
Baker
their household
experienced verbal
abuse or a slur
related to ethnicity
or religion.
These are part of
the preliminary
findings of the first
comprehensive
Arab American
Shapiro
population study
of its kind, says
University of Michigan Professor
Mark Tessler, one of the seven princi-
ple investigators.
"After 9-11, it became clear that
most Americans knew very little
about Arab Americans," says U-M
Professor Wayne Baker, team leader
of the 35-page study that was report-
ed locally and around the world on
BBC, Al Jazeera and Voice of
America. "One of our objectives was
to counter this stereotyping," Baker
says. "Our goal is to increase mutual
Other Highlights
understanding among all
Americans."
The study, a collaborative project of
While much more analysis is nec-
the U-M Institute of Social Research
essary, the preliminary findings give
in Ann Arbor and the Center for
a community portrait, says U-M
Arab American Studies at U-M-
Associate Professor Ann Lin, a prin-
Dearborn, is funded by a $775,000
grant from the Russell Sage