Column (part of Orientalism portfolio)

The Muslim Experience

Eugenia Melissen Ferrer

El Pais: English version

 

Reflecting on Edward Said’s Thoughts about America, which stresses the importance of not living in a black and white world of good and evil, it might be interesting to take a closer look at what I’m going to call ‘the Muslim experience’: what it is like to get around in the world as a Muslim.

A sad fact remains that many Muslims living in the West are either consciously or subconsciously singled out as hostile and potentially dangerous. Said mentions an example of discriminatory behavior against Arabs at airports, in which they are made to stand aside for “special attention” during security checks. Not so long ago, I  heard a Muslim man give an account of how he feels he is being observed as ‘the terrorist’ whenever he steps on a plane; people around him become visibly uncomfortable. Why? Perhaps because of the fact that he is an Arab, has a beard and looks like a distant relative of Bin Laden. It seems that we have added ‘the terrorist look’ to our notions of possible looks (gothic, casual, etc) and are all too ready recognize it when we see it.

Of course, this attitude makes it easy for Arabs to develop a wall of (sometimes aggressive) defense around themselves and to be constantly on their guard. This state of constant vigilance in turn reinforces another’s suspicion and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Although I hate generalizing, there are a few things I have observed in Muslims so far; things I believe are a result of the image we are projecting onto them and the way we behave towards them.

One of these things is that they take their religion very, very seriously. It is interesting to observe that there are surprisingly few Muslim comedians and that very few jokes are made about religious practices or experiences of Muslims in daily life.  If jokes are made about them by another, most Muslims almost immediately feel personally attacked. In contrast, making fun of oneself isn’t impossible to rhyme with being a Christian or a Jew. On the contrary, there is a long tradition of self-depreciating Jewish humour, much of which is religious humour and the mocking of negative stereotypes. Although this seriousness could also be linked to the nature of the Islam and its restrictions on expressive art forms such as music, dance, theatre and the visual arts (most of which are aimed at removing the possibility of idol worship), one could argue that it also rooted in feelings of defensiveness (if they don’t defend their heavily criticized religion, who will?).

Another thing is the issue of integration, which is always present in countries where a Muslim population is mixed with that of the autochthonous. The problem is that they never really do mix that much. Muslims live in their own neighborhoods and go to their own supermarkets and bakeries and to their nearby mosques and schools. It seems that this routine is a way of life for many Muslims, but one that is very confusing to second-generation immigrants, who struggle to belong and never fully achieve this as they are caught between two worlds.  This is something that adds to the dissatisfaction, anxiety and anger that often leads to ‘disruptive behaviour’ among these youths, separating the two worlds even more. However, this separation of worlds probably also has a lot to do with our own attitude towards the Muslim community in the first place, which, although tolerant, is far from accepting or welcoming.

It seems that, in order to make the Muslim experience more pleasurable, some work is required on the part of both parties. The Muslim communities would do well in not trying to otherize us as much they do. As Said mentions in his (slightly outdated) interview, it is important for people to understand that “America is not a monolith for the use of George Bush and Dick Cheney, but in fact contains many voices and currents of opinion which this government is trying to silence or make irrelevant.”

We, on the other hand must do the same and also continue to work hard to stop thinking that the atrocities of 11 September entitle us to preach at others. As Said says about this preaching,  “while it pretends to the elucidation of principles and the declaration of values, it is in fact exactly the opposite, an exercise in not knowing, in blinding readers with a patriotic rhetoric that encourages ignorance as it overrides real politics, real history, and real moral issues.”