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@therealarabamericans-blog
From Season 1, Episode 2 “The Man in the SUV” An Arab-American man dies car bomb in DC and is blamed by the FBI as a terrorist. It is later revealed in the episode that he was the victim of a crime, not a terrorist. The deceased’s family is dragged through a criminal investigation based on racial profiling, rather than forensic evidence. Great writing, Fox!
It seems barely an exaggeration to say that Arab and Muslim Americans are constantly talked about but almost never heard from. The problem is not that they lack representations but that they have too many. And these are all abstractions. Arabs and Muslims have become a foreign-policy issue, an argument on the domestic agenda, a law-enforcement priority, and a point of well-meaning concern. They appear as shadowy characters on terror television shows, have become objects of sociological inquiry, and get paraded around as puppets for public diplomacy. Pop culture is awash with their images. Hookah cafés entice East Village socialites, fashionistas appropriate the checkered kaffiyah scarf, and Prince sings an ode to a young Arab-American girl. They are floating everywhere in the virtual landscape of the national imagination, as either villains of Islam or victims of Arab culture. Yet as in the postmodern world in which we live, sometimes when you are everywhere, you are really nowhere.
Moustafa Boyoumi, “How Does It Feel To Be A Problem” (via zaman-al-samt)
Ever since the 911 attacks Arab Americans have been viewed as terrorists. Till this day the stereotype that Arab Americans are terrorists is still high.
After the 911 attacks everyone in the U.S. was guarded and afraid of all Arabs. We viewed Arabs in a way that we were deathly afraid of them. The impact of 911 will forever affect Arab Americans..
Paula Abdul is a proud Arab American television star.
Donna Shalala was the first Arab American in a president's cabinet. She served with President Bill Clinton.
This is my friend Yara.
Customs
Arab woman wear garments that cover their faces and heads, it's a religious practice not a cultural practice. (called hijab)
Everything should be covered except hands, faces, and feet. Long clothing and a scarf.
Some men wear checked garments on their heads. It's called a kafiyyeh and it's traditional not religious. A kafiyyeh shows identity and pride in one's culture.
Some Stereotypes
Are Arabs oil-rich? Some are, most aren't.
Do Arabs come from the desert? Most don't. Arabs tend to live in cities.
Is Islam a violent religion? The Quran teachers nonviolence. Throughout history, political groups and leaders have used Islam and other religions to justify many things, including violence.
Religion
Another stereotype about Arab Americans is that they all belong to the same religion. That's not true at all. Arab Americans belong to all types of religions. Most Arab Americans are Christians. Worldwide only 12% of Muslims are Arabs.
What is the difference between Islam and Muslim? Islam is the religion, and a Muslim is a follower of the religion. It is like the difference between Christianity and Christian.
Language
One stereotype about Arab Americans is that they all speak Arabic. the reality about the situation is that they don't all speak Arabic. Keep in mind that Arab Americans have been in the U.S. for generations so they speal English just like an American.
The Beginning
Ever since the 9/11 terroristic attacks the entire country has a mindset that all Arab Americans are terrorist. The reality of the situation is that Arab Americans are people just like you and me.
Have you ever asked yourself, who are Arab Americans? Well, Arab Americans are U.S. citizens and permanent residents who trace their ancestry to or who immigrated from Arabic-speaking places in southwestern Asia and northern Africa, a region known as the Middle East. Most Arab Americans were born in the United States. There are about 3 million Arab Americans in the U.S.
Where do Arab Americans live? They live in all 50 states but mostly in California, Michigan, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.
The beginning is just getting started..
Who says I can’t be a Muslim feminist?
People, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, often tell me that I can’t be both a Muslim and a feminist.
At a recent book reading in Oregon, for example, a male audience member asked me, “How does that even work?”. These questions demonstrate some of the rigid misconceptions individuals have about Islam and feminism; many people think that they’re mutually exclusive categories. In fact, as a Muslim feminist, I have found them to have more in common than people realise, especially when it comes to social justice.
Ethos – the fundamental spirit that guides my faith– is more important to me than edicts, or strict dogma, and so when religious questions arise, I defer to big-picture themes. One of Islam’s major themes is that of equity and justice. The Quran details equitable divorce proceedings, fair treatment of orphans and just conduct when it comes to prisoners of war — situations that differ in details and circumstances in our modern times, but which are often fraught with unfairness and injustice. When I read the Holy Book, the themes of justice and dignity for humanity stand out to me.
These themes are the same ideals I take from feminism. Some assume that feminism is concerned only with the protection and advancement of women. But as a bi-racial Muslim woman, I can’t ignore the ways that different socially constructed categories, such as gender and race, interact and interrelate. My feminism is concerned with the dignity and rights of every person. Regardless of gender, race, religion, ability, or anything else, we all deserve to have control over our own destinies, earn equal compensation for our work and have the same chances at happiness and success.
For these reasons, I don’t see contradictions between Islam and feminism at the big-picture level. There are echoes of Islam and feminism in each other; though Islam is about submission to God, an important facet of that is submission to what’s just. Thus, both Islam and feminism guide my outlook and my work.
In 2007, I founded Muslimah Media Watch, a website dedicated to critiquing global media images of Muslim women. I also write for Racialicious, which looks at pop culture and race, and an alumnus of the American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute, which works with civic leaders in the American Muslim community. I use my writing and editing skills as a way to advocate for what I believe is right.
There’s a wealth of scholarship on Islam and feminism. Margot Badran, an author and academic, has published extensively on Muslim women and Islamic feminism. In an article for Egypt’s Al Ahram Online, she wrote:
Islamic feminism, which derives its understanding and mandate from the Qur’an, seeks rights and justice for women, and for men, in the totality of their existence…. Islamic feminism advocates women’s rights, gender equality, and social justice using Islamic discourse as its paramount discourse, though not necessarily its only one.
Academics aren’t the only ones blending Islam and feminism in their lives and viewpoints. Dr Amina Wadud is an Islamic scholar who has written several books on Islam from a feminist perspective, as well as an activist who works to break rigid roles for women in the mosque by leading prayer.
Sisters in Islam, a non-profit group of Muslim women in Malaysia, advocates within legal and media frameworks for women’s and children’s legal and social rights within Malaysia. A student-owned independent network, Mideast Youth, embarks on projects using digital media that fight for the rights of marginalised groups in predominantly Muslim countries to “amplify diverse and progressive voices advocating for change throughout the Middle East and North Africa”. These people and organisations understand that egalitarian scholarship and ideas are essential to battling different types of oppression on the ground.
Writing and engaging with the media through Muslimah Media Watch has been my biggest step in blending my Islam and feminism. There are plenty of different ways to be Muslim and feminist: people write, rally around causes and live out feminist interpretations of the Quran. But one thing is for sure: Islam and feminism are not mutually exclusive.
