Racism in the Arab World: Invalidation and Denial
Image credit: Black Lives Matter Tunisia
In an attempt to show solidarity with protesters against police brutality in the US, several Arab celebrities sparked a backlash after posting pictures of themselves in blackface – a racist practice that promotes negative stereotypes of black people.
Despite the criticism, most of these celebrities refused to remove the posts and claimed racism doesn’t exist in the region. They went on to share comments that supported them such as; ‘you did nothing wrong’ and ‘people are so sensitive these days.’
This is not the first time that an Arab celebrity comes under fire because of a tone-deaf post or for donning blackface. Some of the typical responses to any accusation of prejudice in Arab communities include statements like; everyone is equal in Islam or by turning the conversation into a question of whether discrimination even occurred. Denying racism and claiming it’s a western issue, only demonstrates how detached people are from the realities of the region.
The complexity of discussing racism in the Middle East lays in the fact that it doesn’t necessarily manifest itself in police violence as we see in the USA. It is subtle and shows its ugly face in the form of social segregation, hostile attitudes, and disapproval of interracial marriages. Ultimately, forcing targeted groups to argue their own lived experiences against absolute denial.
Thank God, we are all Muslims!
For many non-black Muslim Arabs, the simple fact that they are Muslims means racism doesn’t exist in their communities, because it goes against the values of Islam. When confronted with racist incidents, the first response heard is “Thank God; we are Muslims, we don’t discriminate!” – followed by the story of Bilal Ibn Rabah.
Bilal, a black slave who was freed by Prophet Muhammad and became the first muezzin (the caller to prayer) is used over and again as evidence that discrimination has no place in Islam.
However, what many fail to understand is that we are not debating Islam’s position on racism or any religion, for that matter, but discussing everyday discriminatory behaviors from people in the community. Isn’t it ironic that the emancipation of Bilal didn’t stop anti-blackness or the slave trade that lasted for 1000 years? Are there any examples of other black slaves who were freed and reached a prominent status? These are a few questions that many seem not to think about.
Muslim communities believe that Islam came to unite the world, and this religious identity should, by default, come first and above any other tribal or familial affiliation. So, in discussing race, non-black Muslims have managed, for many years, to silence the conversation by asking black Muslims to ‘not be divisive’. This unity is always forgotten when it comes to black issues.
Denial of Slavery in the Arab Region
Schools in Arab countries don’t teach about slavery. It is always mentioned as a western crime. Most of the books, movies, and coverage focus on the Transatlantic slave trade, which transported millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. On the other hand, the Trans-Saharan slave trade (also known as the Eastern slave trade), is hardly talked about despite its massive impact on both the African continent and the Persian Gulf.
The Eastern slave trade started in the seventh century and lasted for around 1300 years. There are no records of the number of enslaved Africans sold during this time to North Africa and the Middle East; however, according to some estimates, the number could be between 10-17 million Africans.
During the Eastern slave trade, women were mostly captured and used as sex slaves and lived at the harems (a part of a household set aside for wives and female servants). Children of enslaved women were usually born free because, in Islam, children of Muslim parents could not be enslaved. This has created a constant demand for slaves and allowed the slave trade to last for a long time.
Enslaved men and young boys were castrated and worked as guards to watch over the harems or as translators, accountants, or in the military. Arabic countries were among the last to ban slavery, Saudi Arabia for example, did not abolish it until 1967.
Because slavery is still a taboo topic, most Arabs nowadays are oblivious of the fact that it ever occurred. Discussing the Islamic stance on slavery is very sensitive as well and triggers strong reactions from people, who believe that Islam has banned it. However, the reality is, slavery was never abolished. Yes, it was mentioned many times in the Quran and Hadith (record of the words and actions of Prophet Muhammad), but it was more so to regulate it and improve the status of slaves at the time, by allowing them to purchase their freedom for instance.
The stigma of carrying that history is reflected in the lack of discussion around it; a shameful past that no one wants to revisit. It is a fact that not all slaves in the region were black and not all blacks are descendants of slaves. However, black Arabs are still considered to have such a background, and it has impacted their social and political positions in the region profoundly.
Cultural Assimilation
Assimilation is a process in which members of minority groups change their behavior, values, or appearance to resemble the dominant groups. Many kids of immigrants in the Gulf find themselves growing up wearing the Abaya (a robe-like dress), picking up the local Arabic dialect to use it whenever they are in public. This didn’t just make their life easier, but it also made them feel, to an extent, as if they belong to the culture.
I would say this assimilation is more visible in the Gulf than in the rest of the Arab world. People are expected to follow the country’s dress code, customs, and traditions. Mihad Kashif, Sudanese-born, and Dubai-raised, uses his platform on Twitter to call out racist behaviors in Arabic media. Kashif said: ‘I was lucky to grow up in Dubai where you find people from all over the world, so I didn’t feel like I had to change a lot. However, those who go to public schools or work in a field dominated by locals could feel like they are forced to change their appearances and dialect to fit in’. Kashif added that this could be more visible in people whom Arabic is not their first language, as they pick up the dialect of any country they live in.
It is also common for many people to change their last names after becoming a citizen of a Gulf country to adopt a more Arabic or tribal name, in order to deviate any attention to their ancestral background. I was directed to a family who is believed to have changed their last name, but I didn’t receive any response.
Centralization of the Arab struggle
While speaking with Khawla Ksiksi, an activist and co-founder of ‘Voice of Tunisian Black Women collective’, she mentioned that during the Black Lives Matter protest in Tunisia, some non-black Arabs raised the Syrian and Palestinian flags and chanted for both countries. They also interrupted a moment of silence organized to honor the victims of police brutality, in order to chant slogans promoting unity between Arabic countries. Khawla said this behavior is typical from non-black Arabs whenever the conversation about racism is brought to light.
Shifting all the attention to Arab causes is a way in which non-black Arabs dismiss the black struggle. Comments like “what about the Palestinian cause?” or “what about Syria?” are always uttered by social media users, influencers, celebrities, and even the media at times.
Mihad believes that the issue is more than black versus regional matters, as he had seen Iraqis use very similar statements when the media focused on the Syrian war, for example: “It is a problematic way of thinking across the region”. When an issue comes up, it becomes who’s trauma is more significant and more deserving of attention. He also added that “this goes to who dominates the media in the region as well. Those in control are the ones who determine which topic gets more coverage”.
In comparing the coverage of issues in Africa versus other Arab countries, such as Syria, the lack of in-depth reporting on the continent is visible and is usually negative. Media representation of Afro-Arab issues is still greatly lacking.
In the entire Arab region, Tunisia is the only country that has criminalized all forms of racial discrimination in 2018. However, according to many activists, the law doesn’t have any real impact on the ground. Black people in the region continue to fight on a daily basis to protect their rights and to raise awareness about the issues they face. Activists believe that it’s about time that non-black Arabs start defending and speaking up for marginalized groups. It is time that Arabs speak up when a black person is being attacked or harassed on the streets. Posting on social media or speaking at events only, is no longer enough.
