Arab Stereotypes In The American Society
Arab Stereotypes have long been implemented in people’s brains unconsciously. The most evident event that affirmed Arab stereotypes to the American citizens was the 9/11 attack, which was also the opening scene in the short documentary movie “The Art of Jihad” directed by Alaa Al Dajani. He opened the short documentary movie with this catastrophic event to pull in the viewers because it is when all stereotypes peaked. The short documentary movie addresses stereotypes that have been portraying Arabs and tries to replace them with the truth. Dajani chose different ways to present the story through the art of a screenwriter, an artist, and a poet to change the perspective of Americans.
The movie is trying to portray muslims from a different angle and to show American Citizens that they are humans just like them and shouldn’t be treated as inferiors. Mohja Kahf was the most effective and credible artist because she lived in the United States of America and is also a veiled woman so for sure she has experienced stereotypes. Mohja Kahf who is an Arab-American poet and “a professor of comparative literature at the University of Arkansas” as stated by the article ‘She Carries Weapons Which are Called Explosives’ by ‘Neil MacFarquhar’. She’s introduced first in “The Art of Jihad” by ‘Alaa Al Dajani’ by displaying her house surrounded by snow, which is a typical American household and if anyone passes by would never assume that a Muslim is living inside. Her house was full of family pictures and books. She had an American flag on a shelf in her house, which proclaims that she is equally American as an Arab. She wrote a book called “Western Representations of the Muslim Women from Termagant to Odalisque” and lots of poems. American citizens told her that it was the first time they’had seen people like her reflected in literature. This confirms another stereotype because people think that it’s not normal to have an Arab Muslim as well known and talented artist as she is.
In her book signing there was a soldier who was joking with her and they were both laughing which shows that her words are appreciated and accepted by some parts of the community. She’s dressed moderately as an ordinary Muslim woman and speaks fluent English. She states in “the Art of Jihad” that she’s “not from a country where women can’t drive cars”, she knows the repressions and unfairness other women face but tries to deliver a message that not all Muslim women face these segregations. “I do not like to defect, I’m already American. ” She doesn’t have to take sides nor become a traitor, she’s only delivering an honest message without losing her Arab-American identity. “I carry explosives which are called words and if you don’t get up off your assumptions they’re gonna blow you away” in a sorrowful angry tone which represents how aching she is from the treatments Arabs are facing. She doesn’t use force to voice her opinion which is what Islam asks people to do. Islam doesn’t force religion on others. People decide to join Islam because they believe in it and the way people interact with each other.
The origin of the Odalisque is a Turkish word, and it stands for the word ‘oda’ as in room and it means ‘room girl’. It exemplifies Arab women as mute and sexually repressed yet more sexual. She had to hide her face and never express anything nor talk. In the short documentary movie there was a short video showing a Western man removing a scarf that was partially covering an Arab woman’s face while having her say “why do I feel that you truly see me when others do not”. It indirectly introduces the fact that a Western man gets rid of the oppression Arab women are living in. She was described as exotic and backwards. The Odalisque was sometimes treated as a slave. It was stated in the short documentary movie that Matisse found “these exotic women intoxicating”. Part of the harem stereotype is calling these women exotic. They’re expected to be darker, and they believe that they can’t fit the model of the enlightenment man. She’s mute, but a Western education gives her a voice. It’s viewed as if Islam is beating the Muslim women while they are cringing under it until Westerners save them from the oppression they’ve been living in. Mohja Kahf is trying to explain to people that her hair won’t make a difference to anyone whatever way it is. She portrayed her hair as a shield that will “not save us from attackers if shielded from sun”, “not your battle ground” in a pitiful tone which makes Americans understand her point and even some might get convinced that what she’s saying makes sense. “It argues that the symbol of the veil is not universal as many Western theorists and feminists aver. The veil is not a sign of oppression but rather a shifting signifier with multiple meanings. ” as stated in the article 'The Symbol of the Veil in Mohja Kahf’s the Girl in the Tangerine Scarf’ by Dr. Areen Khalifeh. It argues that the veil is a sign of love and peace rather than oppression. Women love to wear the veil as a symbol of Islamic identity which is what they show loyalty to. Islam is a decision a person takes without compulsion.
In ‘Personality Types for Self Discovery’ edited by ‘Robert Frager’, it was stated that “these stereotypes distort our perceptions and our understanding of others” which confirmed that the way Arabs are seen is all because of the way people are used to perceive them. Our ego prevents us from seeing the world as it really is. According to Frager, if we understand typology, people would accept themselves more as well as accepting their differences without categorizing them as ‘others’ or as a minority. Mohja Kahf’s aim is to reshape the world as she empowers people who read her works. She gives hope to Arab women that one day they will reach the success that they dream of and will have the courage and ability to voice their opinions as they wish without feeling hesitant. Since stereotypes are implemented in people's unconscious mind without them noticing, she feels that it’s her duty to change this image by making use of her fame and of having lots of supporters to increase the number of people who get the true image of Arabs. Arabs are viewed as “others. ”
Mohja Kahf’s unbelievable success is all because of her confidence and moderation. She’s not biased against one side, she understands American citizen’s perception and tries to prove that it’s untrue. Westerners are raised with the thought of Muslims being terrorists, with this in mind they grow up with hatred injected in them towards all Muslims. According to the article “Don’t Judge a Book by It’s cover” by Nurunnahar Kashem, the clearest example that parents and kids don’t notice is through Disney cartoons. For example, Ali Baba is previewed as a mean Arab who “earns a reputation as the mad dog of the desert”; also, Princess “Jasmine, who lives in an Arab city, is more sexualized, while Snow White is in a “princess-y” gown. ” In the article ‘7 movies where Arabs or Muslims are everything but the heroes’ it is stated that “We've all gotten used to the fact that an Arab or a Muslim is almost always used as the villain in a Western produced film. ” Any person who watches Hollywood movies or even Disney cartoons will have the idea that Arabs and Muslims are terrorists embedded in their mind while they’re unaware of it.
In conclusion, stereotyping is dangerous because it does not take the obvious forms of other vices such as direct bullying or verbal attacks but exists as subtle and unnoticeable queues in the interactions and media we consume daily. Those tiny comments and gestures end up influencing our socio-political environments causing grotesque levels of antagonization and triggering racial, religious and xenophobic barriers.
