Synonymity Of ‘Islam’ And ‘Arab’: More Than Just A Labeling Caveat
A common, naïve Western mistake is to assume that the words ‘Islam’ and ‘Arab’ are directly interchangeable. This logic is completely false. Quite surprising to many is the fact that Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country. Indonesians are not Arab yet share the same faith of those in the Middle East: Islam. Moreover, geographically Indonesia is certainly not located in close proximity to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran or even Afghanistan. This gives rise to an interesting subject of discussion.
How has categorical perception distorted the correct image of Muslims, Arabs, Central Asians and non-Westerns in general? How have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to this issue?
The media (especially in the United States) has been the prime conduit; the protagonist and the ‘binoculars’ in offering the Western world a lens of which they could view the East. The Middle East and the Asian sub-continent have been the subject of much attention in recent years for a variety of reasons (i.e. 9/11, oil, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban etc.). Unfortunately, the extensive coverage which broadcasting channels have undertaken (i.e. CNN, BBC, Fox News and many others) has provided viewers with a parochial account of ‘non-Western’ events. Such a parochial perspective has brought in to light many caveats which provide the majority of viewers a ‘misinformed’ idea of what the Muslim world offers.
1) Not all Muslims are Arab and not all Arabs are Muslim. (i.e. Indonesia is not Arab yet Muslim, Egypt has Coptic Christians, Lebanon has a variety of Christian sects).
2) Arabic is the language of the Koran however not all Muslim countries speak Arabic yet their citizens learn it in order to pray and recite verses. (i.e. Indonesia speaks Indonesian while Pakistan speaks Urdu).
3) The Middle East is not all barren desert – indicating anarchy, lack of civilization and backwardness. (i.e. Cairo is one of the world’s largest metropolis with an unofficial population of 20 million).
4) Arab countries in Middle East all speak Arabic yet in variant versions, however modern written Arabic is the same. (i.e. the Egyptian dialect is different from Bahraini which is different from Kuwaiti etc.).
These are quite common misinterpretations or assumptions which happen to have been relayed by biased sources. These issues have further been exacerbated by the way in which Islam is represented in the Western world. My recent post, ‘9/11 ‘Middle Ages Islam’ and Pogonophobia,’ discusses the repercussions of the media’s portrayal of al-Qaeda which happens to provide a distorted image of Islam. The media – in all its forms; cinema, television and newspapers – has been the culprit in the ever-growing cleavages between the West and the East (especially countries of Muslim majority). The media rarely, if ever, reports positive news about the Middle East or in any other Muslim countries and unfortunately if it does, it is always shadowed by the war in Iraq, the Iran-US nuclear antagonism or the war in Afghanistan.
As superficial as it might seem, perception plays a crucial role in current contemporary relations between the West and the Muslim world. Misrepresentation has caused further tensions and misunderstandings and in essence it is crucial that liberal Muslims and those of positions of power take a more pro-active role in alleviating and eliminating the tensions. There needs to be a more open, transparent dialogue which would bring in to the light a better understanding of the cultural differences and most importantly what Islam represents as a religion and as a faith.
How has categorical perception distorted the correct image of Muslims, Arabs, Central Asians and non-Westerns in general? How have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to this issue?
The media (especially in the United States) has been the prime conduit; the protagonist and the ‘binoculars’ in offering the Western world a lens of which they could view the East. The Middle East and the Asian sub-continent have been the subject of much attention in recent years for a variety of reasons (i.e. 9/11, oil, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban etc.). Unfortunately, the extensive coverage which broadcasting channels have undertaken (i.e. CNN, BBC, Fox News and many others) has provided viewers with a parochial account of ‘non-Western’ events. Such a parochial perspective has brought in to light many caveats which provide the majority of viewers a ‘misinformed’ idea of what the Muslim world offers.
1) Not all Muslims are Arab and not all Arabs are Muslim. (i.e. Indonesia is not Arab yet Muslim, Egypt has Coptic Christians, Lebanon has a variety of Christian sects).
2) Arabic is the language of the Koran however not all Muslim countries speak Arabic yet their citizens learn it in order to pray and recite verses. (i.e. Indonesia speaks Indonesian while Pakistan speaks Urdu).
3) The Middle East is not all barren desert – indicating anarchy, lack of civilization and backwardness. (i.e. Cairo is one of the world’s largest metropolis with an unofficial population of 20 million).
4) Arab countries in Middle East all speak Arabic yet in variant versions, however modern written Arabic is the same. (i.e. the Egyptian dialect is different from Bahraini which is different from Kuwaiti etc.).
These are quite common misinterpretations or assumptions which happen to have been relayed by biased sources. These issues have further been exacerbated by the way in which Islam is represented in the Western world. My recent post, ‘9/11 ‘Middle Ages Islam’ and Pogonophobia,’ discusses the repercussions of the media’s portrayal of al-Qaeda which happens to provide a distorted image of Islam. The media – in all its forms; cinema, television and newspapers – has been the culprit in the ever-growing cleavages between the West and the East (especially countries of Muslim majority). The media rarely, if ever, reports positive news about the Middle East or in any other Muslim countries and unfortunately if it does, it is always shadowed by the war in Iraq, the Iran-US nuclear antagonism or the war in Afghanistan.
As superficial as it might seem, perception plays a crucial role in current contemporary relations between the West and the Muslim world. Misrepresentation has caused further tensions and misunderstandings and in essence it is crucial that liberal Muslims and those of positions of power take a more pro-active role in alleviating and eliminating the tensions. There needs to be a more open, transparent dialogue which would bring in to the light a better understanding of the cultural differences and most importantly what Islam represents as a religion and as a faith.
posted by The Egyptian Observer at 4:15 PM
2 Comments:
Perhaps it is the fact that Muslims are willing and happy to kill anyone that has a different opinion that causes some of these misunderstandings?
@johnny cuban. The questions you raise lead to further, grandeur questions:
Who is to blame? What is the causality? Is it even possible to determine the causality at this point?
My point is that, I could very well ask the same reciprocal question: "Perhaps it is the fact that Westeners are xenophobic and willing and happy to stereotype or outcast anyone who has a different perspective?"
Those whom you are referring to are the exact ones seen in the media - extremist, aggressive, uncompromising, militaristic, backward-looking and acting etc. As I've argued in many of my previous posts, al-Qaeda has been able to dominate Western mainstream media and thus portray the exact picture you are describing.
I think that at this point, both sides are to blame completely because it does not seem that either is actually wanting to form an understanding - maintain the status quo which is to continue to widen the creases.
Iran's stubborness to negotiate with the US as well as the US' hawkish attitude towards Iran's alledged peaceful nuclear program has exemplified the aforementioned dilemma perfectly.
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