Nashwan Hamza on Race: The good with the bad

[Nashwan Hamza]

“How does Race impact Your Life”
&
“How does it and how should it impact life”

Over my lifetime, my racial identity has affected me both positively and negatively. My race gives me a method of identifying and placing myself in the Human family history book. It gives me a sense of belonging to a much larger group. It also allows others to identify and connect with me. I remember in grade school the feeling of overwhelming pride when my teacher taught the class about the historical contributions given to society from members of my race. In some narcissistic way it made me feel like I did it. It must be somewhat like the feeling a child gets when he believes his mom and dad are the best. Through association it builds our egos. I believe that human identity and belonging are instincts. If fulfilled they help us to better know who we are and where we are, by giving us a sense of where we have been.

Like so many others, my racial identity has also brought me pain in the form of stereotyping and through prejudice. I remember after September 11th, as an Arab American, I was given a very small taste of what many Black Americans have endured for centuries? For a short time thereafter, I did not go out or attended social functions out of fear. I even purposely misstated my identity to a questioning stranger to avoid conflict.

Clearly race impacts our lives. Wonderfully, its positive affects are most common. Yet probably due to some mutation in the human genome, human societies will use race as a marker of social status. Even when racially homogenous societies don’t allow race to be used as divisions, we invent social classes to fulfill our need to inflate our egos by standing on the backs of others; Egos that cannot stand up on there own with just our weak characters.

“And among His Signs, Is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors; verily in these are Signs for those who understand.” This verse from the Quran helps reaffirm in me, the purpose and wonder of our various races, sounds and colors. As the Earths landscape would suffer with only one type and color of flower, so it would be with only one race and color of human.

Nashwan Hamza

[Richard Hambley]

Nashwan,
I have noticed that discrimination against people of Middle Eastern descent to vary quite alot with political happenings. I remember hearing immigrants from Iran being reticent to say their origin when the hostages crisis was going on in Iran which is reminiscent of your experience after 911. I have not noticed this with people of other origins.

Did you grow up with predjudice toward diffenent Muslim groups? Did you grow up with predjudice related to blacks, Asian, or caucasian Americans?

Richard

[n hamza]

Hello Richard,
I too remember the prejudice during the Iran hostage crisis. I remember going to the arcade gallery on Canary Row and looking at a pinball type machine that had the words "Bomb Iran" lite up on the screen. I thought to myself, WOW! How unbelievable that a game manufacturer would mass produce such a message. And equally unbelievable is how no one was complaining. Children and adults playing the game are directly told that Iran and all Iranians are the enemy.
I also remember that prior to the first gulf war, I was in a store that sold metal medallions for your car. The medallions depict the flag and name of various countries, and they are placed on the grill of the car. I saw one for Iraq and was thinking of buying it. The clerk asked me if I wanted it and I said yes but I thought I would pass. She asked why and I told her that I was afraid that some misguided soul might see it and scratch the side of my car in protest.
It wasn't until adulthood that I became aware that prejudice between Arabs from different nationalities exists. It does exists in the Middle East, yet I having grown up in the States was never exposed to it. So to me all Arabs were the same. I extended that feeling of unity to all peoples from the Middle East even Jews. In early High School I was still unaware of prejudice between some Arabs and Jews, and when two Jewish boys transferred to our school I was feeling elated. I was the only Arab or Middle Easterner in the school so having these new boys felt like I could finally share my heritage with someone else. My innocence or naivete was shattered by these guys who treated me like a servant. I was clueless as to why they treated me so poorly, despite all my welcoming gestures to them. It was so contrary to the respect shown by other Middle Easterners I met. Not surprising that I now head an Arab-Jewish dialogue group.
Ironically my exposure to prejudice has only been limited to other members of my own background. I have never felt it from other Americans.

Nashwan

[Richard H]

Nashwan,
Thank you for sharing your comments. I bet I would have a rude awakening if I became a resident of Iran.

Richard