Race and Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity have been hot button topics in the USA for the entirety of its history, and that does not appear to be changing anytime in the foreseeable future. Many groups have faced discrimination upon first arriving in the USA and many times the discrimination is based on socio-political factors as well as the actual difference in race or ethnicity. The current social and political climates of the USA and the world have made hate, discrimination and prejudice a daily event for Pakistani’s. Immigrants from Pakistan, and those with Pakistani heritage, face discrimination as a minority from those who are a majority in terms of race, but also other minorities like Indians and African Americans. Currently, Pakistanis are plagued with a plethora of troubles that have been exasperated by the events of September 11, 2011. While the immigration history of this group does not span back very far, they have already secured an uncomfortable place in society with regard to equality and fairness. It is important to understand how the political and social events within the USA and external to the USA have compounded the problem. That history is what colors the current problems and hate they face in the communities that they live in.

Pakistan as a nation is an interesting nation in terms of its history because that history is long and also quite recent. By this, I am referring to the fact that Pakistan only very recently became a nation on its own. Up until 1947 Pakistan was a part of other nations and colonies. Persians, Greeks, the British and India have all had their hand in controlling the history and story of Pakistan at some point in history. Pakistani independence came about after WWII and was motivated by a complex and intricate mix of religious, social and cultural factors. These factors led to intense regional conflicts and hatred between the newly formed Pakistan and some of its neighbors. In areas like Kashmir, an area between Pakistan and India, there is still a physical conflict being fought on an ongoing basis. This is an important factor to remember because as immigrants came from both Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent to the USA, these conflicts followed them to their new country. Pakistani immigration started in the 1970s and 1980s at the same time as the other immigration waves from the Asian continent. Pakistani’s came to the USA for better educational opportunities. These better opportunities translated into professional degrees that gave them a successful life in their new country. Up until the events of 9-11 Pakistani immigrants were professional members of their community and blended into the U.S. economy and social systems quite well. The events of that one day changed the circumstances of all immigrants that were seen as having ties to those responsible. Whether or not they were responsible did not matter. All that seemed to matter were “possible” ties and not actual ties. This translated into people who looked a certain way, had certain religious beliefs or came from parts of the world remotely close to the nation at fault for the events. The social injustices poured in at that point and have not eased up since.

There are many problems facing those who are from Pakistan at this time in America. The first problem is one that many previous immigrants, as well as current immigrants, face. This is the reality that when there is a political or social problem involving the USA and another country, it seeps into the daily life of the US. This is a problem that plagued immigrants from Japan, Germany, and Italy during WWII, Koreans during the Korean War, Vietnamese during the Vietnam War and Eastern Europeans and Russians during the Cold War. Since 9-11 those with ties to the nations in North Africa, the Middle East as well as Western Asia all now deal with the repercussions of 9-11 on a daily basis. Pakistan is one of the countries at the forefront of this ongoing conflict and it has become a daily impediment in their lives as a minority in the USA. Pakistani’s are a minority in many ways. They are a racial minority, a cultural minority and amongst them there are religious and ethnic minorities as well. The people of Pakistan have not been here very long and since their arrival until this very day they are a minority. This causes Pakistani’s to face multiple layers of discrimination and bias. Amongst the major groups in the USA Pakistani’s are now facing the hate crimes and discrimination associated with being seen as a Muslim. This translates into discrimination during the hiring process as well as being the subject of profiling (Shah Sikander 637). Finding employment has become difficult for many from Pakistan and this is a blow to a group proud of their educations and careers (William Darity & Patrick Mason 72-78). Many other minority groups have also lashed out at Pakistani’s for reasons related to the War on Terror, as well as for financial reasons related to the recent recession. This recession has led to those who have businesses in neighborhoods dominated by other minorities to lash out at them for “invading” their communities (Patricia Greene & John Butler 53). Having brought their own previous conflicts with them to the USA there are prejudices between Indians and Pakistanis that are the cause for hate and discomfort at many levels as well. It has led to those of Indian heritage many times joining in the discrimination while trying to distance themselves from their neighbors. Despite the long history of dislike on both sides many Pakistanis are attempting to pass themselves off as Indians to attempt to avoid the hate and prejudice they have been facing in society. The chairman of the Brooklyn Pakistani American Merchant Association, Asghar Choudhri, stated that Pakistanis are pretending to be Indian to secure jobs (“Pakistanis are Posing as Indians to Secure Jobs”). The same piece went on to state that some Pakistani’s longed for the days that they were lumped in with all other ethnicities of the Indian subcontinent so that they would not have to deal with the intense discrimination associated with being Pakistani.

The stereotypes that plague the Pakistani community in the USA range from offensive to just simply misguided. Pakistanis have the misfortune, like many since 9-11, of being branded a terrorist as well as many that are incredibly vulgar. Terms such as “sand nigger” and “towel head” have been used with increased frequency and are aimed at anyone who is perceived to be the “enemy”. This relationship between seeing Pakistanis as the enemy and using slurs against them is a common theme in racism and prejudice. Many minority groups, as well as those that are dominant groups, have been faced with ethnophaulisms that are meant to hurt and alienate the individual. The conflict approach explains some of the difficulties faced by Pakistanis. There are inequalities as well as competition for resources that can be accounted for in this situation. The competition between groups causes some of the minority on minority conflicts that are seen in neighborhoods. The perception that “outsiders” like Pakistanis are siphoning away resources that could be used by another minority group leads to anger and prejudice that affect the life of both the one it is directed against as well as the one dishing it out. This Race-Conflict situation can also be seen in the interactions between Pakistanis and Indians. Here the focus would be on the ongoing inequality and conflict between these 2 groups that are based solely on their ethnic/ racial affiliations. Even the dominant groups that attack Pakistanis can be explained by understanding that there appears to be an eternal set of group conflicts and many are based on attempting to attain power or be the dominant group. 9-11 allowed the Pakistani’s, who led an unfettered status in American society to be “knocked” down and lumped in with an entire group of individuals that were seen as negative. This shift allows the group doing the profiling to put down and attempt to have dominance over them in society. The dominant groups attempt to minimize the exploited group (the Pakistani’s) to elevate themselves to a higher position and status. The complication here is that depending on what angle the discrimination is coming from, the group that is dominant to the Pakistani could be very varied. This group can be any individuals who see themselves as “true” Americans, or those who are of religious background that they deem is superior to the Pakistani’s, or even Indians who see themselves as separate from the biases faced since the advent of the War on Terror.

I am hopeful and pessimistic about where I can see this group in the future. The hopeful part of me feels that like many other groups in the USA, the Pakistani’s will also be able to ride out this wave of fear and discrimination brought on by 9-11. If this were to be the case then the Pakistani’s can regain the security and belief they had in the equality that being an American Citizen would bring them. I simultaneously cannot help but be a little worried about whether or not there could be a conclusion to a war that is a war on an idea versus an actual war. Although this was a similar case with the cold war, and that was resolved. Until there is a conclusion to this conflict I do not believe there can be reconciliation between society overall and those seen as tied to the war whether it is 20 years from now or 40 years from now.

The end result of this scenario has not come to fruition as of yet. Other groups have been able to overcome the widespread discrimination that plagued them due to external conflicts, like the Japanese and the Germans. Only time will tell if the Pakistani’s will also be able to overcome these troubled times to find a place in American society as they had before the events of 9-11. As it stands now, as a minority in the USA they are facing a culture of discrimination from multiple angles and from multiple groups.

Works Cited

Darity, William A., Mason, Patrick L. “Evidence on Discrimination in Employment: Codes of Color, Codes of Gender.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 12, No. 2 (1998) 63-90

Greene, Patricia G, Butler, John S. “The minority community as a natural business incubator.” Journal of Business Research. Vol. 36, Issue 1 (1996): 51-58. Web.

“Pakistanis are posing as Indians to escape discrimination.” The Times of India. 2008. Web 5 Oct. 2013.

Shah, Sikander. Human Rights and Non-Discrimination in the War on Terror.” The American Journal of International Law. Vol.103, No. 3 (2009): 635-640. Jstor. Web.