Being a young Arab-American woman, it can become difficult separating what I grew up seeing and believing is my home country, and what I find myself being exposed to on mainstream news. It’s easy to completely dissociate from the “Arab” portion of my identity and instead run towards the “American” side, where I can take a walk outside safely, and not have my gender and religion pinned to my back as targets. However, if every first generation immigrant did that, there would be no Middle Eastern culture growing and evolving in the United States, and that would mean no more shawarma places in every town. But more importantly, that would hide the hidden beauty that the Middle East holds, including, but not limited to, our food.
A community that remains hopeful through hardships is a community that learns to evolve and rebuild after destruction, which is a lesson that can be learned just by keeping up with my home country, Iraq. Despite growing threats from a dictator, war, and ISIS, Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, has opened a new mall and several fast food restaurants around the city. This can be seen in every single country in the region, whether is it through construction or emotional rebuilding, and while it does not erase the pain that comes with decades worth of suffering, it brings people a break from their worries, and gives me, a distant but still emotionally invested Iraqi, hope to see my country flourish again.
Additionally, some of the most hospitable people are Middle Easterners, who will let anyone they vaguely have an association with eat, sleep, and integrate into their families with ease. You’re visiting from another city? They have a place for you to stay. You swing by for a “short” visit? Prepare for a feast. Your third cousin removed from your mother’s side graduated middle school? Calls for a celebration. This love for company and generosity is a beautiful trait that has been prominent in many Middle Eastern cultures for centuries.
Most importantly, Middle Easterners value family like no other. Generations often live in the same house, and no hardship is too large to be overcome with the help of one’s loved ones. It starts with the parents, who bring meaning to the saying “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it,” but still prepare your overflowing plate of rice every night at dinner with love, to the large number of cousins that form the closest of friendships over their years of playing together. This everlasting bond that forms within families is one of the main reasons that the region’s rich culture is preserved over such a long time period. It is passed down from generation to generation, who continue the traditions for centuries to come.
However, no matter the progress the Middle East makes, big or small, and groundbreaking or finally progressing (like Saudi Arabia’s recent election open to female voters and candidates), the mainstream Western news outlets can’t seem to credit the region with its efforts. Nothing pains me more than to see the place I consider “home” be painted as a wasteland and a region that the world has lost hope in. There is so much more than meets the eye via Fox News when it comes to the Middle East, and I wish for people to start seeing it before they turn a blind eye to that place that can never get it together.
This is all not to say that the Middle East is flawless and progressive; we have a long way to go as a community towards modern excellence and equality. However, the true beauty of the cultures within the Middle East lies with the people; their never-ending optimism and ability to move past all the atrocities happening around them and continue with their daily lives is, in my opinion, the perfect response to terrorist groups like ISIS. Their actions scream: “You can’t defeat us and tear us down.” For that reason, and many others, I am proud of my heritage and my people, who are some of the bravest around the world for standing their grounds.
