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AL HABTOOR INFORMATION AND RESEARCH DEPARTMENT

     With time, any nametag that is attached to something to convey its meaning, becomes synonymous with an associated set of impressions, thoughts, and emotions that come readily to mind, at mention of that particular label. Try this out - consider the thoughts and images that come to mind, and the emotions associated with the word “America”; now compare them to those images conjured up when you use the words European, Japanese, Arab, Christian, Islamic and Buddhist. All these labels, I can guarantee, bring to mind a certain stereotype, a kind of shorthand for what you think they stand for.

     We use these stereotypes daily, albeit subconsciously, to define the world around us. Seldom do we question the validity of the assumptions, these stereotypes are based on, as, in our busy and increasingly information burdened daily lives, we have little time to look past the headlines in our newspapers, the images on our television screens, or the words on the radio. Very few of us can afford the time to sit back and analyse the news and find the truth in what is really taking place around us. We catch fleeting images on CNN, hear only the loudest voices on the radio or form our opinions from stories in the newspapers. We place our trust and relay on the integrity of the media. We often hear statements like,  “I read it in the New York Times” or “I saw it on CNN last night” so, by definition, it must be true. We don’t stop to question the truth or accuracy of what we see read or hear in the media.

     The same applies to the words ‘The Middle East’. Currently these words conjure up vivid impressions and strong emotions in all of us. Western minds associate these words with horrific images of the terrorist attack on America, the conflict between the Palestinians and the Jews, Saddam Hussain, US sanctions against Iraq, corrupt Arab governments, Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East, and Islamic fundamentalists and Arab terrorists. Typically, our impressions and reactions to these stereotypes are largely coloured by how they are reported in the media. Westerners generally hold negative opinions of the Arabs, believing them to be terrorists, religious fanatics, and culturally backward. They see Arab States and Governments as despotic and undemocratic,

     What is conveniently overlooked and willfully ignored, is the fact that just as America and Europe are made up of a kaleidoscope of cultures and people, speaking different languages and having different customs, so too, the geographical region known to the West as the ‘Middle East’ is made up of many different cultures and people.

     Yes, they can be more easily identified by reason of their language, Arabic, But even here the stereotype does not hold true. While all Arabs read The Quh’ran in what is termed ‘Classical Arabic’, the different Arab countries of the region speak a variation of the same language known as ‘colloquial Arabic,’. For example, an Algerian will have a great deal of difficulty in being understood in Oman or Yemen and if he was to ask directions in Iran, he would probably not be understood at all, as the Iranians speak Persian (Farsi). Ironically, Hebrew and Arabic are derived from the same root Semitic language base. The gulf between them is the same as that between English and Dutch, both of whom are part of the Indo-European language group. 

     Another stereotype that one should overcome, is this phobia about the word ‘Islam’ by the Western world. Islam is a religion that teaches tolerance, justice for all, and respect for human rights; a religion that promotes peaceful co-existence, and recognises the dignity of man. So how does it become an object of loathing for millions of people around the world? Easy really, just allow the media to demonise people who in order to pursue their own agendas, hide under its name and use the holy words of its most sacred book to justify appalling acts of terrorism. Then, let the same media ignore the outrage felt by ordinary practitioners of that religion who condemn violence, paint them all as terrorists and fanatics, highlight and misreport their actions, and ignore their struggle to establish a homeland for the dispossessed Arabs of Palestine. Ignore too, the unfair reporting of Israel’s state terrorism. Now, reinforce this message repeatedly over the next fifty years.

     Then it is little wonder, that all in the West see all Arab people, Arab culture, and Arab religious beliefs as one homogenous group, bent on the destruction of the West, not as  individual nations and cultures, who strive to live in peace, preserving their societies and their religion.

     Imagine the outrage an Englishman would feel if the world’s media started calling him French Catholic or an Italian Communist simply because he is geographically labeled a European! The same sense of outrage would be felt by the Americas- just imagine the anger a Texan would feel if he were confused with a Mexican just because they both live on the same continent.

     The West, allows itself a unique cultural identity with each nation seen as a separate entity, enjoying its own blend of cultures and beliefs. So why does it wish deny it to over 250 million people living in the nations stretching from Algeria in the West to Iran in the East, from Turkey in the north to Yemen in the South? Why should they not be seen as culturally diverse as the rest of the world?

     This blurring of identity has consequences for all the nations of the Arab world. The West only seems to read, see, or hear about the conflicts plaguing the region. They see the conflict over Palestine, sanctions on Iraq, the regime in Iran and now the bombing of Afghanistan.

     What is not shown, is the peaceful and prosperous development of the States that make up the GCC; Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, all of which are safe and stable nations who are quietly moving towards becoming full members of the developed world community. What is also missed, is that countries throughout the region, particularly Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, and Iran are nearly all trying with limited resources to develop into thriving nations that are economically stable.

     But hampering their development is this constant blurring of identity, by the Western media, which is lumping them all together in the minds of the West’s financial institutions, investors, businessmen, tourism industries and ordinary people, making them reluctant to invest or conduct business in, or visit the Arab world. None can see the differences in culture and social structure between Arab nation states; and just how little conflict there actually is throughout the region, particularly the settled Gulf States of the GCC.

     Perhaps, if the West tried harder to understand and appreciate just how varied Arab culture and society really is, a lot more could be achieved. It is not too late to realize that the Arab world comprises of many people and points of view, both secular and religious. The west needs to understand the differences and the problems facing the countries of the region, instead of ignoring them. This would build trust and confidence in them and allow further development