News Reporter
Even before the events of September 11th, 2001, the American media, public school systems, and even government have offered only fragmented portraits of Middle Eastern countries and of what it really means to be Muslim. Combined with the tendency of Americans to judge harshly other countries and to quickly label the American lifestyle as “the best way,” these inaccuracies only lead to an unnecessarily negative judgment of Middle Eastern nations and the Muslim culture in general. As human beings, we ought to strive to eliminate bias and understand and appreciate other cultures. And in an age where political and economic relations with the Middle East are crucial to the advancement American interests, changing the American view of Muslim culture becomes all the more important.
The first and perhaps most important step to understanding our distant neighbors is to shed our own overconfidence and prejudices. As Americans, we are fond of considering ourselves ‘superior’ to the citizens of other countries. Too many of us regard ‘American’ as synonymous with ‘best.’ Best government, best social institutions, best language, best way of life. Consequently, we are quick to classify anything else as ‘below us,’ stooping even so far as to deem others ‘uncivilized.’ Is it surprising, then, that judgmental as we are, we are not well liked by other countries? It is not our place to expect others to ditch their cultures and lifestyles because we think that they should. If Americans stopped assuming that our way is the only way, then perhaps we would be more open to the ways of others. It’s time to deflate our egos.
Americans know little about the Eastern hemisphere of the world. Students are taught about “ancient civilizations”, and the importance of ziggurats and hieroglyphs, but studies of this region of the world are quickly abandoned for Caesar, and the monarchies of feudal Europe. Few people are aware that during this time, the Middle Eastern people were developing medicinal procedures, as well as making key discoveries in other areas of science and philosophy. While Europeans were dealing with primitive issues such as a lack of cleanliness—the major cause of the Black Plague—cities like Damascus were already using basic plumbing. Such details about Middle Eastern history are often neglected in textbooks, or else summarized in a minor way. Our current education leaves students thinking that Middle Eastern peoples are more or less aboriginal, and less intellectual than the people of the West. Were schools and textbooks to devote more time to Middle Eastern cultures and achievements, Americans would not only be more aware of the world around them—they would be more accepting of it.
The media also has a play in the underestimation of Middle Eastern culture on the part of Americans. It seems that Muslims only appear on television in the guise of terrorists on the evening news. Muslims making positive contributions to our country get very little airtime on television. How often do we ever see sitcoms about Muslim families or television shows in which a main character is a Muslim? Not only do most television shows exclude Muslim characters, but the ones that do not usually include Muslim characters only for the purpose of parodying them. By portraying Muslims and people of the Middle East in a negative light, the media only compounds the prejudices we already have. As unfortunate as it is, there are people in this country whose main source of information about current events is television; that said, it is easy to understand why someone might be inclined to see the Middle East as a region of terrorists and such. Thus, a media that depicted the Middle East in a fair and accurate manner would be a major step towards fostering open-mindedness.
Instead of regarding our eastern counterparts as beneath us, Americans should set aside our ‘always right’ attitudes and try to open our minds to an unfamiliar part of the world. Schools need to teach more about the Middle East, and the media needs to portray it fairly and accurately. If we can become tolerant of our far neighbors, it is possible that the Middle East would be more willing to compromise with us. If we start to accept and respect their values and culture, it is likely that they accept and respect ours in return. I only hope that it isn’t too late to change.
