Why don't all Middle Easterners drive BMW's and Mercedes, is the question some might ask. Contemplating the need for Middle Easterners to drive these lavish, high-end cars, what comes to mind is the hit 1995 teen movie, 'Clueless'. The popular, ever-loved main character Cher explains that the Persian clique requires you to drive a BMW. The scene focuses on a group of Middle Eastern-looking boys holding their keys to their Beamers while they sit around their beloved cars. When I watched this movie at 11 years old, this part didn’t confuse me at all; even at that tender age, I was aware of this stereotype.

Why does the stereotype exist that Middle Easterners drive these luxurious German vehicles? It’s based partially on truth and on history. Old Arab movies never fail to depict a sheik hastily driving a Benz through a barren desert. As a first-generation Egyptian/Palestinian, my mother explained that when she was growing up in various countries in the Middle East, people preferred to drive these German cars because they were simply "reputable and looked nice." She also mentions that even those without a substantial income had at least an older Mercedes or BMW. Maybe it’s the Middle Eastern version of the American infatuation with the Honda.

However, it’s not so simple. The question requires more explanation and depth as to why Middle Easterners in America elect to drive these high-end vehicles. The majority of families started from scratch in a country far from their homelands. Many purchase a Mercedes or a BMW to maintain a sense of familiarity and prestige, to bring a little piece of what they had “back home” overseas to the unknown territory of America. On that same note, people from the Middle East have an ingrained sense of pride that is hard to shake. Andre Dubus III captured this unrelenting pride in his 2000 bestseller, House of Sand and Fog. In this now-famous story, Dubus introduces us to a Persian family who came from royalty in Iran only to sulk in mediocrity here in the States. Working hard for a working-class status here, the father struggles to maintain a prestigious image and buys the family luxurious things such as these cars. It is important to capture the familiar sense of dignity they were once accustomed to in Iran, even if it is accomplished by a façade.

The BMWs and Mercedes are reminiscent of the Middle Eastern culture that was left behind; they symbolize both familiarity and status. Samer, an Iraqi-American from Westwood, California, says driving a Mercedes is "…just expected--it was what our family drove when I was little and what I wanted to drive when I had the chance to buy my own car." Of course, opinions and situations differ from one person to another. Tina, a UCI student whose family is from Lebanon, puts it bluntly that,

If my family could afford a Benz, we would probably have one…

The roots of the Middle Eastern affair with these German luxury cars, the Mercedes Benzes and the BMWs, lie in tradition, reliability, and status. Tradition arises because many people in an array of Middle Eastern countries choose to buy them. This tradition survived the trip overseas and remains a both a truth and a stereotype among Middle Easterners today. The reliability of these cars plays an important role because in the Middle East every car repair shop is knowledgeable as to how to fix them, so the repair is not the stressed or pricey issue that it can be here in the states. Status also rears it head in this debate as to why the perception remains that all Middle Eastern people drive these two particular makes of automobiles. The vehicles are a status symbol of both wealth and prestige, two things that MEs, like many others in this world, seek to establish and maintain. Many Middle Eastern families faced a fresh start in this country and sought to preserve this abovementioned status in the United States. These cars solely did not establish status, but rather they contributed to it. A little something to ponder the next time you see a mayonnaise-colored Benz with a license plate that reads "AHMAD'S."