Arabic youths in American and European eyes

Comment

Comment by susan chandel on March 18, 2009 at 2:11am

I can't really speak to your experience with oppression though I am sorry that it left a mark on you, Mahmood.

It is good to be realistic. I am sure that I made a few travel choices based on the fact that in the 70's, hitch hiking mostly I stayed away from countries that people told me to avoid as a young woman traveling alone. That you might have considered racist. But I always had a wide range of friends. I went to an international school. Aside from that, people are so varied we never know what might befall us. I prefer to assume nothing and not to make generalizations.

My friend Ismail is a very upbeat guy. He was born in Mogadishu in 1972. He has faced his share of struggles as a Somali refugee but he always turns it around and it makes him stronger. He says it is because he was always a free thinker, plus he has an excellent sense of humor.
Yes in the American papers here seems to be a backlash against muslim men. It could be the conservatives getting back at Obama or the weapons dealers alarmed at the anti zionist movement. There is a spate of articles about honor killings and terrorist recruitment. BUT I will say on the bright side that there as many editorials from readers railing against these articles. I hang out with a pretty open minded crowd and we live to write letters to the editor against racism and injustice. The civil rights movement, the womans movement, the gay rights movement and now this.
Because of the relative success of all these above movements for rights even Ismail says that some more tradtional muslim men are a bit aghast about the power women have to take them to court and kick them out of the house for spousal abuse here.

Comment by Mahmood Sairally on March 18, 2009 at 1:11am

I was in a country with a multicultural, -racial society, I never had any problem mixing with my friends at school, socially until I came to UK for my university studies. I found out that in some places in London that my African friends or with dark skin could come to the house where I was renting a room. I could not believe my eyes. It was practically the same everywhere in Europe.

It has changed a lot today but when it comes to Moslems, people think that everyone who is a Moslem is a terrorist. Terrorists are in every religion. Fanaticism also. As it has been written and said more than once we have to respect and trust each other. In this way we would be able to find the road to Peace.

Comment by susan chandel on March 17, 2009 at 8:59pm

yes we are to do , but we have firstly to think how we will react , we need to put methodological outline and then everything will be obvious and someway easy!!!this is my opinion!! "

That is a great idea. Learning about cultures is a great step to take and that is an action. Working together on projects in a level glance manner thats respects each other cultures and informs the community.

My friend Ismail Ahmed runs a support, training, technical assistance and resource agency here in Maine to help people who move here, mostly with finding jobs but also culturally. Ahmed and the men and women of his community wrote a book and put together a slide show for school and other groups to illustrate their culture and their experiences. Another guy Abdullah Pious Ali works with the youth. He puts together many multicultural events. I support the excellent work that they do. As an artist, poet and activist I do fundraising for organizations, write letters and engage in multicultural actvities. I plan to do more with workshops and English as a second language here.

Comment by erika on March 17, 2009 at 5:45pm

sounds good

Comment by majdoubi haytham on March 17, 2009 at 5:37pm

yes we are to do , but we have firstly to think how we will react , we need to put methodological outline and then everything will be obvious and someway easy!!!this is my opinion!!

Comment by simona/Tsewang Dolma on March 17, 2009 at 3:16pm

Yes we are,but i think that if we are more interested and careful for what's going in the world ( USA too :> ) there will be less problems to solve.

Susan > we are here not to think,but to do.

Comment by susan chandel on March 16, 2009 at 4:32pm

Aren't we here to share the better aspects of various cultures, societies, faiths? I wouldnt be here if I wasn't interested in people from all over the world.

Comment by Mahmood Sairally on March 16, 2009 at 4:03pm

Dear Alexander,
I am so certain that we can do that. In the USA, sorry to say this people are ignorant because they are not interested what is going in another country I would say not in an another State . So how can we expect that they know about Islam and the traditions and cultures relatd to Islam. There is a lot to do in order to educate them and even in Europe where some are very narrow-minded.

Have a nice day and week. Best regards.

Mahmood

Comment by G Alexander McDonell on March 16, 2009 at 2:57pm

Islam and the arabic culture has much going for it, but the face that is being presented to america and europe has a lot of the worst aspects in it. If progressive muslims can come together and demonstrate the greatness and the peace and understanding that truly belongs to islam then perhaps things can be turned around.

Comment by Mahmood Sairally on March 16, 2009 at 2:07pm

Dear friends and brethren,
I am glad to have joined you, We should and must not cut our with all our traditions and civilisation in Islam to be developed. Who developed Andalusia and other parts of Southern Europe and so forth? What we should do, as it is written in the Holy Quran, we must learn to be better.

Have a nice and fruitful day and week. Kindest regards.

Mahmood

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