Living in the United States, we are subject to a wide variety of cultures throughout our communities, as I mentioned in my last post. We are exposed to different religions and ethnicities from all over the world, which can make us feel uncomfortable. We see our culture as the norm and anything that opposes our way of life leads us into question. Who is this person? Are they going to harm me? Are they a threat to my community? Understanding other cultures is something society has struggled to achieve for centuries. In fact, it has created unhealthy relationships all throughout the international community. Why does this occur? Conflict and profiling occurs because we approach other cultures, especially Middle Eastern cultures, with an orientalist view. An orientalist observes the Middle East while comparing the region to the cultures of the European Union and United States, which usually transitions into claiming the Middle East is an uncivilized society.
Although we are exposed to a variety of cultures, stereotyping or profiling has become an issue within our communities. With that said, I can argue that no culture has been more scrutinized than the cultures that originate from the Middle Eastern region. With today’s media and issues surrounding the Middle East, people are pushed into negative positions on the Middle East and its cultures.
When citizens of our society look towards the Middle East and its cultures, many immediately think of terrorism and the problems it has presented for the international community, which forces people to assumptions. For example, the Shaw in Iran, conflicts in Iran, conflicts in Israel, terrorist organizations, etc. have all affected the image of the Middle East and its cultures. Why do people jump to quick conclusions? The answer is because many of these conflicts link back to certain cultures. The region has been subject to centuries of conflict due to differences in beliefs, which has brought the idea that these cultures promote violence and destruction on those who opponents.
When looking at other regions and cultures around the world, one must throw their own beliefs out the window and approach the matter with a clean mind. Outside sources, such as the media, creates a bias that is tough to overcome. Approaching the study of the Middle East as an orientalist is an unjust effort. We must be able to look at the Middle East in an honest manner in order to completely understand its complexity. The best way of understanding a culture is being able to experience it and actually live in it. Looking from the outside in makes it extremely difficult to attain accurate conclusions. However, the same can be said for those in the Middle East looking at our culture here in the United States.
