UNDERSTANDING
About the Middle East
There are many nations represented in the Middle East, they are each varied and beautiful variations of the interwoven tapestry that is the Arabic world and Middle Eastern peoples.
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Together they represent generations of artistry, ancestry and achievement. While they have faced adversity and atrocity by those that misunderstand their beauty, they continue to surpass expectations of what's possible and strive for excellence in every aspect of their lives.
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Dubai for example, is one of the fastest growing cities and economies in the world. They have created a city from desert landscapes that continues to impress.
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In the heart of the middle east is Jerusalem and Jericho, some of the most holy cities on the planet. Each year denizens of many faiths congregate in Jerusalem to honor one another and God as they live under the light of creation.
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Together as one people, one planet and one chorus we sing the song of each other as we build beyond our own dreams to sustain our descendants.
Sadly, they face supposition and suspicion as people misunderstand their beauty and belief. Many times they are the target of bias and hate for simply wearing their traditional clothing or for the color of their skin.
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Each year people from the Middle East are attacked and treated disrespectfully as they try to live lives in our world and society.
We need to change the conversation from fear to one of hope by educating people around the world on the beauty of the Middle Eastern people. For too long now people in the Middle East have faced tyranny and oppression and its time to ensure that they have the quality of life they deserve.
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We are one people, when one of us bleeds, we all bleed. When one of us suffers, we all suffer, and when even one of us lies unlawfully or immorally in chains, none of us are free.
Challenges Faced
Racism
Today, people in the Middle East face hurdles to living good lives. Many times due to extremists they face racism, suspicion and fear. Every Middle Eastern person I have ever met has been one of the kindest, most generous and beautiful people I have ever known.
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They work towards helping people as Islam, Christianity and Judaism teach and are responsible for some of the greatest charity endeavors in history.
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Despite this, Middle Eastern peoples still face racism and xenophobia as many fail to understand or even try to understand their struggles and stories. Many are labelled as extremists despite being peaceful law abiding citizens. They are discriminated against, sometimes assaulted and have their holy places of worship vandalized.
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These acts against them are terrorism and they deserve better lives and futures then more racism and inequality hurled against them.
IGNORANCE
In today's society many people are unaware that many people of color are not from the same location, practice the same religion or speak the same language. They group some people of color together based on their skin color and assume their personality or responses based on incorrect information.
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Many are judged as "terrorists" simply for being of a darker shade of melanin. This would be the same as judging all white people for the actions of white extremist which as of late are far more frequent.
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We need to stop judging people or their responses and sit down and have conversations to edify ourselves on the beautiful hearts that beat around us.
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The time has come to wake from ignorance and learn to understand the beautiful souls within all shades of melanin on our planet. To understand their stories, struggles and souls so that we might build together a collective future for all of us where we are judged by the content of our characters.
Inequality
Due to the above factors many people of color including the Middle Eastern Peoples face inequality in the workplace, in media and in society itself. Many times Middle Eastern peoples are labelled and caricatured as stereotypical representations. They are varied, complex and intelligent people, they are doctors, lawyers, scientists, teachers, philosophers, mathematicians, nuclear engineers as well as theologians.
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Representation matters as I've said prior. Being able to emphasize with characters on screen helps us relate to them and their stories more so then other mediums. Cinema crosses cultural boundaries as people watch, listen and learn the stories of our people. This is necessary for everyone to look on screen and watch those we understand to help us know what the future in our collective society will look like for us.
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Without this, we cannot hope to learn or understand their stories if all we see is one sided prejudicial and stereotypical representations of them on screen, in the media and on print. Its time to change these suppositions into stories so that us and future generations can know one another again.