We all have, at one point, had to bubble in a "select your race" bubble on some form, whether it be for taking a test, applying for colleges, or applying for a job.
Now, the U.S. government wants to fulfill its diversity promise of having a certain percentage of different races to occupy jobs and schools. As a result, when applying to something such as college, being Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, black, etc. provides one with an advantage to admission, so that colleges will be considered "diverse".
Middle Easterners who have applied to things like colleges or jobs, or have taken standardized tests have faced confusion with bubbling in their race. And as we have all found out, all middle easterners (and Armenians as well) are considered White. Of course, we have no problem with the white race. However, if being considered white prevents an advantage to getting accepted into college or getting a job because we are not Hispanic or black, then this racial classification is a problem, and we'd like a separate racial classification. And obviously this traces back to politics, and a stereotypical view of middle easterners. Middle eastern = Arab = Muslim = terrorists. And the U.S. does not want to encourage these "terrorists" to come and pursue a future. Yet there are many Middle Easterners, such as myself that study hard and want a successful future, and are being held back.
