"Arab" is the new Jew

(aka "Muslim is the new Jew")

I saw a nice programme yesterday, an episode of the series Who do you think you are?, about the actress Julia Sawalha's quest for her ancestors. (Her father, the renowned actor Nadim Sawalha, was born in Jordan.)

At a certain point, after filming a group of Beduins in the Jordanian desert, the actress recounted how one of the Beduins asked her, earnestly, whether they (= the crew) were 'making another film that would show that Arabs or Muslims were all terrorists and they should be shot, all of them'. (I am paraphrasing, but it's close enough.)
Of course Sawalha assured him that they were doing no such thing and promised to send him a copy of the programme. 'But he looked me in the eyes, so deeply, as if he weren't quite sure' (= whether she was telling the truth about the intended "message" of the programme), she said.

I felt that was so sad.

What's even sadder, this reticence about Arabs/Muslims is not at all surprising. On a global level I started noticing it - as did you, I am sure - soon after September 11, 2001 (OT: I really wish the Americans would stop calling it "nine-eleven"...), when a little boy in the USA was viciously attacked because he was a Muslim (or maybe just perceived as one, not that it matters).

On a personal level, I've been struck and saddened by this phenomenon ever since I "met" somebody on a philosophy message board. He liked what I had written and told me so in a very kind personal message. I was very glad to receive that message; but, being a friendly gal myself, I made a remark (a very kind one) about the meaning of his nickname which, I had noticed, was Arabic. I am not sure what exactly his feelings were, but by the serious (still kind) tone of his reply I realised that he didn't appreciate the attention I had paid to his nickname, shifting it away from the philosophy debate; that he wasn't sure about my attitude towards him; that he was maybe disappointed by the fact that I had noticed his Arabic nickname.

I wasn't offended (of course) or even embarrassed - but I did feel great sorrow. I felt deeply sorry for him; I felt sorry for all Arabs and/or Muslims (no, it's not the same - and that's part of the problem) that they should be forced to screen every single sentence or remark for possible indications of a generalised contempt - or worse - for Arabs/Muslims. And I felt sorry for myself, and for all of us, that the world has come to this.

What's even more disturbing is the openness I've been noticing lately (on message boards and other such public forums) with which those who "don't like" Arabs and/or Muslims express their opinions. So, not even the present-day political correctness (which I normally loathe) can protect people of Arabic origin or Muslim faith against open hostility, based solely on their "race" and/or faith...?

That is alarming.

And because I refuse to live in such a world - even though I have to - here I am, writing about it: because writing is a parallel life ("I write, therefore I think") - or rather, a substitute for life, an Ersatz living, if you fancy fancy words.


INSERT INTERRUPTION HERE...


Judging by the sound of it, my PC is about to take off...
(I can tell it will fly - through the window - if it doesn't shut up.)
I can't work like this; I'll end this post tomorrow.
Or the day after.

Or - hey, this is a good idea! - YOU can end it for me... :)


P.S. It's the day after and the PC is still unseemly loud. I cannot be inspired to write under such circumstances. But, luckily, other people are interested in the (more or less) same topic, so here's an interesting article about the perception of Arabs among "Soviet" Jews in Israel:

My poor cousin, my feared enemy

And speaking of flying...

A zeppelin over the Tower of David,
Jerusalem, April 11, 1931

Now there's a photograph the likes of which you don't see everyday.

If you love it, like we do, then you'll love the blog from which it was taken:

SHORPY
The 100 Year Old Photo Blog