NT; SLOPE; YELLOW PERIL; VIETNAMESE SLURS; YELLOW SKIN.
HAJJ/HAJ (typically not capitalized):
A pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. Every Muslim able to afford the journey is to make the hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. Similar to Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages but more urgent. A person who has undertaken this pilgrimage is known as a hajji (or haji). Many East Asians and South Asians are seen in Mecca. See ISLAM.
Once considered derogatory, hapa comes from the Hawaiian phrase hapa haole (pronounced “hah-puh how-lee”) meaning “half white/ foreigner.” It now describes anyone whose heritage is white plus another racial or ethnic group, but especially Asians and Pacific Islanders. The term is now considered by many to be one of positive self-identification. See ETHNIC GROUP; HAWAIIAN; PACIFIC ISLANDER; RACISM, social construct of.
Caution. An ethnic group. Refers to a person who is of Polynesian descent. Unlike a term like Californian, Hawaiian should not be used for everyone living in Hawaii. The distinction is not trivial. If Wales were the 51st state, not everyone living in Wales would be Welsh. Possible alternative: islander. See ETHNIC GROUP; ETHNICITY; PACIFIC ISLANDER.
A scarf or other head covering worn by Muslim women and, broadly, a metaphor for female privacy and modesty. Wearing one in most Muslim societies is a matter of choice, but there can be pressure to use one in fundamentalist communities. In countries such as Turkey and Egypt, there are different styles of hijab, including wearing none at all.
The primary language of a plurality of India’s citizens, and one of almost two dozen major languages spoken around that country. It is derived primarily from Sanskrit, using the Devanagari script. Do not confuse Hindi with Hindu, which is a religious designation. See HINDU; INDIA; SOUTH ASIA.
Designating the faith practiced by most Indians, and designating certain cultural features of South and Southeast Asia. Hinduism is a largely polytheistic religion and has evolved over thousands of years. Many Hindus regard the 2,000-page Vedas and the Gita (a segment of the epic Mahabharata) as sacred texts. Do not confuse Hindu with Hindi, which is a language. Ethnic conflict with Islam one of the bloodiest in the world. See HINDI; INDIA; ISLAM; SOUTH ASIA.
HMONG (also Mong or Muong):
An ethnic group living in southern China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Laotian civil war in mid-1970s led to an exodus to the United States. See ETHNIC GROUP; LAOS; THAILAND.
Typically family name first, personal name second, often one-syllable names.
Former British colony. Independent of Britain in 1997 and now one of China’s two “special administrative regions” (the other is Macau). Capitalist after many years of British rule, Hong Kong’s character was preserved by agreement with the British under China’s “One Country, Two Systems” policy. Continuing tension over what that policy means. See CHINA; MACAU; TAIPENG REBELLION; TAIWAN; TIBET.
Caution. Most journalism organizations use this phrase because it is a legal description. Advocates for illegal immigrants, however, argue that the term interferes with the dispassionate presentation of the news. They argue that while actions can be and are illegal, a person cannot be. An immigrant who has lived in the United States for many decades may be, depending on individual circumstances, unfairly described as an immigrant. See ETHNIC GROUP; ILLEGALS; RACE, biological basis of; RACE, sociological construct of; STEREOTYPES.
“ILLEGALS”: Avoid. A slur.
Caution. A racially or ethnically charged term in some contexts. Like race and ethnicity, the status of being a first-generation immigrant should be mentioned where relevant and its relevance can be explained. For example, a person whose accent leads to a bar fight or whose lack of English may have led to his failure to stop when requested by police to do so can be described, along with other biographical details, as a recent immigrant. The date of entry to the United States might also 