Watch part two

Arab Americans have been in the US since before its founding but are often treated with hostility and distrust by their countrymen.

With the American government heavily involved in the Middle East, they must deal with the political and emotional challenges of belonging to a country that sometimes pursues policies that are unpopular in their family's homeland.

What is it like having your feet straddle two worlds?

On this episode of the Riz Khan show we look at the challenges and prospects facing Arab Americans today and ask a bigger question: The US is a nation of immigrants, but what does it take to actually become American and succeed?

Joining the programme are Alia Malek, the author of A Country Called Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories, and Steven Roberts, the author of From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They Made in America.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009.