The story of Arab American immigration begins with the auto industry and Henry Ford’s desire for laborers in the early 1900s. With this opportunity for work, Yemeni migrants joined the immigrants from what is now Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq in the Detroit area. Though many of these early immigrants were Christian, Arab Muslims began immigrating to Michigan in the last few decades of the 20th century. Though Dearborn’s Arab American National Museum documents the community’s diversity, food is another means of cultural transmission, with Lebanese dishes of shish kababs and stuffed grape leaves served in several Arab restaurants.
Detroit
