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Should ‘Middle Eastern’ be a US census category?

The US Census Bureau is considering adding a new ethnic category to its forms: MENA. It would allow people to identify as Middle Eastern or North African. But Syrian-born writer, Alaa Basatneh, says she would feel conflicted about checking that box. So what does she tick now on census documents?

(Image: Completed 2010 census forms are collected in Washington, DC. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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3 minutes