For my Cultural Pluralism in American Society class (intimidating, right?) I had to read a book called Arab in America by Toufic El Rassi. It is not really a text book, but rather a graphic novel. I am not a very political person, but this book, although containing a lot of historical and political material, intrigued me and really made me see a different side of this whole thing. I highly suggest this book to Americans. Sometimes you need to see the world through someone else's eyes.
I find it ironic that the same day I finished this book, which dealt with the issue of racism as an Arab in this country that supposedly promotes freedom, and the struggles he went through, as any human being would, in dealing with the persecution because of his race, was the same day that Osama bin Laden was killed by Americans and suddenly everyone around me began to rejoice at this American "victory" because another human life was taken. While I admit that this event is probably a good thing for the world, I do not think we should approach it with rejoicing (who dares celebrate death?!), but rather with graveness and somberness.
The essay I wrote may not make total sense to you if you haven't read El Rassi's book, but I hope you get at least a little something out of it. The ending gets a little corny, and I'm aware that at times I sound like a total hippy (which I'm not), but just ignore that and try to get what I'm trying to say.
Enjoy!
El Rassi Reaction Paper
Maryann ______
Cultural Pluralism
Prof. ________
Arab in America by Toufic El Rassi amazed me. I had no idea that people in my country in modern times had to deal with such terrible discrimination, racism, prejudice, and persecution. I learned a lot of history and politics from it, as well.
The part that influenced me most in this book whas the part where Toufic is on the bus or train and a couple teenagers get on and start making fun of the guy next to him who is wearing a turban. They called him Osama and a terrorist and asked if he was going to blow them up. The man seemed to be hanging his head and lowering his head in shame, even though he is innocent, because he is being blatantly mocked for who he is, or at least for who those teenagers think he is. Toufic just sat there watching and didn’t say anything, for as badly as he wanted to stand up for the man and tell the teenagers they were wrong, but he just sat there and lowered his eyes as well. He said, “I felt like I should say something but I was scared. I wanted to tell them that he is not even Arab. I wanted to stand up for him but fear held me back. I was ashamed of myself after that. I still am” (84). Later, he also openly confesses to being a coward. I know how he feels because I am a very reserved person myself, and there have been many times where I have seen people being mocked or bullied and I didn’t do anything about it because I was scared. On the rare occasion I did muster enough courage to try to speak out, the words came out sounding automated and robotic and I was quickly shot down. In my fury, I become much less able to articulate how I feel, and so I almost have to wait until I have calmed down to be able to affectively express myself, and in certain situations, it will soon be too late. I myself wanted to jump into the book and tell those boys to shut up and show some respect, but I don’t think I would have been able to do it either, and I too, would have been ashamed for not saying anything at all.
Unfortunately, I have never known the fear of being kicked out of the country I live in simply because of my race or where I was born. I really have not even experienced any sort of racism, which makes it hard for me to empathize, but I try. However, Toufic’s style of writing makes him easy to relate to and understand. I best understood the parts where he was talking about how he was trying to find his identity, because even though I am the same race as most of the people I grew up with, I still struggled to fall into a category. I wasn’t a jock, or a brainiac (well, not always), or the class clown. I wasn’t a prep or a skater or rebel. I had a solid group of friends in middle school, but everyone had a hard time stereotyping us. We were just “that group of friends.” Once I got to high school, being in the marching band kind of put me in that group, but it still didn’t quite fit, because there was so much more to me than just a band geek. I always struggled to find identity, and I still do, but I am getting better. I know Toufic was confused with his identity too when his Arab friends took on bold identities, while he simply said, “I had no idea who I was. American? Arab? I spoke English perfectly and grew up here in the midst of this culture but I did not belong here and I knew that” (75). I know that later, he tried multiple identities, such as a revolutionary, even though he didn’t quite understand it. As a child, he went by the name “David” because it was more American than “Toufic.” He became an American citizen as well, but that was more for his protection than to give himself an identity. He tried to become a liberal and fit in with the people who he thought would be more sympathetic and tolerant of his ethnicity, but he said that even among them, he felt like an outsider. Eventually, I was relieved to find that he did eventually find a place where he felt like he belonged; in the midst of his own people. He told of an event he went to in college where he first felt this way, saying, “After years of being ashamed of who I am, having an ‘American’ name, obscuring my ethnicity, I began to realize that I had no reason to be ashamed. In fact, after learning the history of my people and understanding my culture more, I became proud of my nationality. I remember going to an event held by the Middle Eastern Students Association at my school. There was a musician playing classical Arab songs as people mingled during the performance. As the music filled the room, I noticed the beauty of the people around me. Long eyelashes and thick, full eyebrows. Big, round, piercing, dark, eyes. Rich, thick, black, hair. And I knew that I never have to hide who I am” (113).
I was also able to relate to the part when Toufic was telling a story about when he was 13 years old, he was in the car when his mother was listening to loud Arabic music. He saw a classmate and was immediate quite embarrassed of the music and turned it off, much to his mother’s dismay and confusion, before his classmate could see him. Growing up, around that age, I also was ashamed of who I was and how I was raised, when it came to my religion. I was raised in a Christian home with strong Christian parents who also played loud music. I was always embarrassed of this way of life that I grew up in, and that embarrassment increased the more I realized that other kids were not raised the same way I was. As a very young girl with no shame, I remember telling my young un-churched friends stories from the Bible and who Jesus was, but once I got older, I became ashamed of this identity. I probably would have done the exact same thing in Toufic’s situation in the car, or at least wanted to turn the music off, even if I didn’t because I was afraid of my mom getting angry with me. Now that I am older, and I have questioned my faith more, I have formed my own beliefs and still continue to follow Jesus in a more or less unashamed manner.
In conclusion, in many ways I was able to relate to Toufic’s story, but in many ways I was able only to imagine what it must have been like, since I have never had to deal with racism or major threats to my safety or security. However, I strongly sympathize with him and will do my best to live my life in a way that is respectful and loving to people of all nationalities. It is ironic that this paper is due around the same time as the death of Osama bin Laden. I was only nine years old on September 11, 2001, but now my eyes are being opened to the racism around me as I see people rejoicing at the death of a terrorist. I never knew anyone could be so hateful, especially my fellow Americans. In reaction to this book and the recent events of the world, I will fight against this hatred, persecution, and racism and boldly stand up for what I know is right.
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