One thing that is striking about the recent revolts in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain is the absence of any anti-American slogans or denunciations of the Great Satan, as the Iranian regime refers to Uncle Sam. On the contrary: signs of pro-American sensibilities abound. Democracy protesters carried homemade placards displaying slogans and statements (sometimes translated into French) of fundamental American rights. The United States’ republican culture, founded in the late eighteenth century, and given a brief burst of energy during the early days of the Obama administration, walked side by side with the protesters. President Obama expressed support for the demonstrators, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautioned Arab leaders that they were sinking in the sand the day before Ben Ali fled Tunisia. One should not forget also that the Tunisian revolt was sparked by the dispatches of U.S. diplomats revealed by WikiLeaks. For many, WikiLeaks was proof that the United States was an imperial power whose consuls never ceased to keep an eye on the world’s nations and their doings; to Arabs and Muslims, however, the leaks were further proof that their regimes had no credibility whatsoever and that they were, indeed, sinking. That’s because the consular reports reflected America’s belief in freedom and equal opportunity; they expressed contempt for palace corruption even as they did business with Ben Ali and other rulers to safeguard their nation’s interests. And then, of course, the United States helped dislodge Libya’s Moammar Qaddafi from power through its military intervention.
This is a great moment for both the United States and Muslims around the world to reassess their relations and change negative perceptions that hinder a better dialogue. Americans should try to get out of the crusading mindset that they had inherited from Christian Europe. We may think that the old clashes between Christianity and Islam are things of an ancient past, but all anyone has to do is listen to what many evangelical leaders today say about Islam and its prophet to get a sense of this legacy. Islam, in such speeches and sermons, is portrayed as evil, whereas the Judeo-Christian tradition is considered God’s truth. This religious attitude has a lot to do with the stalemate in Israel and Palestine, for the belief that God has promised Palestinians to Jews and, ultimately, Christians, is well entrenched in these evangelical circles and informs a lot of U.S. policy making. One way to temper such prejudices is to highlight the positive contributions of Arabs and Muslims to American culture, whether through the scientific and commercial advances that were introduced to the West in the Middle Ages, or though the work of Arab or Muslim immigrants. To be sure, American presidents never fail to express pride in America’s Islamic component, but Americans need to do more to show that they care about Muslims in their midst. Maybe Hollywood could help change attitudes.
Muslims, on the other hand, have a lot more work to do. One problem in American-Muslim relations is the old American conviction that Islam fosters tyranny. This view was widely shared by America’s Founding Fathers as they saw, righty or wrongly, that the Muslim world, with its despotic sultans and caliphs, was antithetical to the republican spirit of liberty. No sooner was the United States created than it had to contend with the harassment of U.S vessels on trade missions by Muslim corsairs in the Mediterranean. The so-called Barbary states of North Africa demanded tribute for safe passage, but leaders like Thomas Jefferson were at a loss to understand why his newly liberated nation had to pay protection money. This encounter, with its ransoms, skirmishes, and eventual defeat of the Muslims in Tripoli, further strengthened America’s belief in the superiority of its system and worsened its prejudice against Muslims. American missionaries would later flock to the Middle East to convert the locals and, in the process, introduce modern education and health care systems. Americans praised Muslim civilization when warranted, modernized Egypt’s army, and laid the foundations for a new Arab nationalism. The United States was so highly admired during the late 19th century that some Arabs didn’t mind being part of an American mandate. This is one of the glorious moments in American-Muslim relations, one that needs to be widely known. The discovery of oil and the establishment of Israel, however, affected this relationship negatively, and things have spiraled out of control since then.
For relations to be restored to a level of high trust and mutual respect, Muslims need to face the facts and realize that old perception of their societies as despotic had some basis in truth. They need to understand that they have only themselves to blame now for their backwardness in almost every cultural and scientific endeavor and that their future rests on rethinking their approach to religion. Sunni Muslims must speak out against the wanton murders of Shiites and Christians in their midst, not just complain about Westerners. They also must accommodate themselves to the historical reality of Israel and realize that all nations—including many Muslim ones today—were born out of violence against native populations. (Many Berbers in my native Morocco still resent Arab invasions to this day.) The history of nation-making is a bloody one, but we can still turn tragedy into an opportunity. Israel has a lot to teach Muslims with its know-how and democratic spirit, while Israelis need to temper their biblical prejudices and break out of their quarantine and tap into the huge Arab market to grow stronger and more stable.
So much could be done with the right attitude, but hanging on to the dysfunctional methods of the last five decades would be a colossal waste of opportunity at this historical juncture. Belligerence will help no one—not Americans, not Muslims, and not Israelis. Americans can still teach Muslims how to build nations that keep religion and politics safely apart and how to unleash the creative spirit of enterprise, but the United States must also get its house in order, too, and fix its fast deteriorating social structures without delay. When a nation is a city upon a hill it can’t afford to neglect its affairs. As President Obama would say, this is the time for change. We can’t afford to wait.”
Anouar Majid is the author of Islam and America: Building a Future Without Prejudice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012)
He is director of the Center for Global Humanities at the University of New England in Maine.
Article previously published by Informed comment
This past Monday, the first ever Muslim American was crowned Miss USA. Rima Fakih, 24, hails from Dearborn, Michigan and is of Lebanese descent.
Many consider her not only the first Muslim American, but also the first Arab American to win the pageant. Miss USA 1983’s winner, Julie Hayek, technically has Lebanese roots from her father, but Fakih is the first to publically identify.
The sensitivities after 9/11 make Fakih’s win a win for all Muslim and Arab Americans; many feel that it symbolizes a step in the right direction.
“The fear that people had implanted since 9/11, maybe what I did can show people that, you know what, who cares what ethnicity you are,” Fakih states.
Not only did the residents of her hometown celebrate Monday, but Arab Americans nationwide, from pockets of New York City to Little Arabia in Anaheim, CA. They are celebrating national recognition and acceptance of Arab American beauty and culture.
“This sends a signal that we’re part and parcel of this great country … this is a part of being American,” Mohamad Dbouk, a Dearborn restaurant manager said.
The fact that this ethnic group, which is consistently stereotyped and constantly in political talks, finds itself in the commercial spotlight of Miss USA is outstanding and refreshing. It shows that The American Dream still exists; you can be an immigrant of this country and come out successful.
Fakih says it best, “Everyone should be proud of who they are and where they come from because America is a big melting pot of diverse ethnicities. It’s great to be part of this wonderful country.”
For more info, check out the articles below:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/17/miss.usa.lebanese/index.html
http://www.ocregister.com/news/fakih-249301-arab-miss.html
Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010
Their Public Service Announcement is Online and On Air
Alec Brook-Krasny, Andrew Golota and James Zogby — are the newest additions to a growing list of well-known Americans who have recorded public service announcements (PSAs) in support of the 2010 Census.
The list of endorsements includes President Obama, Miss America Caressa Cameron, Donny Osmond, Karl Rove, Olympic athletes, major league baseball players, mayors, Members of Congress and the late Dorothy Height. The PSAs featuring Brook-Krasny, Andrew Golota and James Zogby released today to remind Russian, Polish and Arab American residents that it is not too late to be counted in the 2010 census — just open your door to the local census taker and answer the 10 easy questions.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s PSA campaign is meant to raise public awareness about the 2010 Census and motivate people to participate. There is no cost to the taxpayers for each speaker’s time or for the airtime to broadcast the PSAs over television or radio. The involvement of these trusted voices extends the reach of paid, earned and social media.
In their PSAs, community leaders urge residents from ethnic communities to fill out their census forms. “If you have not been counted in the 2010 Census, it is not too late,” says Alec Brook-Krasny. He encourages residents to open their doors to census takers and answer the 10 easy questions. “This will help your community to get what it needs for the next 10 years,” states Dr. Zogby. “Your information is confidential and your privacy is protected,” added Andrew Golota.
WHERE TO FIND PSAs
2010 Census PSAs can be seen, heard, and downloaded, at the following sites:
2010census.gov — Official site for the 2010 Census. The Multimedia Center is a one-stop shop for information and media resources, including PSAs, videos and photos. <2010census.gov>
U.S. Census Bureau’s YouTube Channel — Home to PSAs, TV ads, partnership testimonials and how to “Fill Out Your Form” videos in dozens of languages. <uscensusbureau>
2010 Census PSA Spot Source — The place for everyone to download or order hard copies from a wide selection of PSAs in English and en Español. <spotsource.census.gov>
NAB Spot Center — The place for broadcasters to preview and download national PSAs in English and en Español. <http://www.nab.org/AM/ASPCode/SpotCenter/campaign.asp?id=68>
ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS
The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to apportion congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form will be one of the shortest in U.S. history, consisting of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.
While many view New York City as a Mecca for immigrants, it seems that some advertisers have yet to catch up with reality.
According to the recent article titled “State and Federal Advertising Dollars” published in Voices that Must be Heard, NYC currently holds more community media institutions than at any time of the city’s history, many of them catering to ethnic communities. John Liu, New York City’s Chief Fiscal Officer hopes to increase the presence of the city’s advertising dollars in these local ethnic media outlets.
Liu, the city’s first Asian American comptroller, often referred to as a “Trailblazer” and “Pioneer,” criticizes various public service agencies “for not spending more of their advertising dollars with those media outlets that penetrate the immigrant and other ethnic communities.”
Liu justifies these concerns by pointing out that these public agencies are using his ethnic constituents’ taxpayer money in ways that don’t directly reach them. “I think that both the MTA and the City can do a better job of doing that because the reality is that the so-called daily papers are not read by a large percentage of people living in this City.”
Liu indicates that reaching out to ethnic and immigrant communities presents a wealth of benefits. Utilizing advertisements in ethnic media outlets is a powerful tool because the content they provide appeals more to the readers.
“Unlike the mainstream publications which emphasize crime and periodic ethnic festivals when covering immigrant neighborhoods, community papers are driven by issues such as the interpretation of American life and they focus on the challenges confronting immigrants.” Furthermore, these media outlets “highlight the burning social, economic and political issues back in the respective home countries or regions,” which make them even more relevant to their readers.
Sandy Close, executive director of New American Media adds that “ethnic media play a critical role in the economic utility of communities they serve.” In other words, these media outlets offer vital opportunities for advertisers to get in front of their potential customers.
And with the downturn of the economy still in effect, knowing where to spend your money is critical. Many mainstream media outlets, particularly print, are on the decline, whereas ethnic papers remain strong and widely read. When there is an estimated 3 million ethnic and immigrant residents in New York City, it’s hard not to justify that bang for your buck.
-Efrata Yitbarek
“I will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world,” President Obama, Cairo, Egypt, June 2009.
President Obama speaking at Summit Photo: Morocco Board News
Often times putting words into action can take a long time. However, President Obama and several senior Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, hosted the first Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship less than a year after the President delivered his speech in Cairo last June. The two-day conference, co-hosted by the department of Commerce and State in Washington, included close to 250 foreign delegates from more than 50 nations around the world. Among the attendees were entrepreneurs, investors, academics and many more distinguished individuals from nations such as Kuwait, Morocco, India and Cameroon, to name a few.
During the opening ceremony, President Obama commented on how “the United States and Muslim communities around the world too often fell victim to mutual mistrust” in spite of the common beliefs shared between the two communities. According to the President, now is time to change the course of the future that is plagued with past divisions, destructive actions, and the mentality of the past. Instead, the President hopes for greater cooperation in order to build “confidence and conviction in a future of justice and progress and the dignity of all human beings regardless of their race, regardless of their religion.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at summit: Photo courtesy of Morocco Board News
The first summit found its focus within the discussion of entrepreneurship. “We believe entrepreneurship is a fundamental American value; it’s also a force that has the ability to unlock opportunity for people around the world,” said Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. The President also added that entrepreneurship as a whole, “is in our mutual economic interest, fosters opportunity and prosperity in all our nations” as well as continuously fosters partnerships.
Among several objectives behind the summit, a large one is to forge concrete steps toward mutually beneficial partnerships among America and nations around the world, primarily those with vast Muslim populations.
Photo courtesy of Morocco Board News
Summit Attendees: Photo courtesy of Morocco Board News
Concrete Steps Forward
In response to President Obama’s commitment to partner with Muslim communities worldwide based on mutual interest, mutual respect and the 2010 Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has already forged partnerships with Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA) and Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) to expand exchange programs and pursue new opportunities in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Photo courtesy of Morocco Board News
ECA’s International Visitor Leadership Program, New Beginning: Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, aims to bring 25 entrepreneurs each year to the United States “from countries with significant Muslim populations over the next four years for educational seminars, mentorship, and first-hand experience in the business place with American entrepreneurs.” To complement this exchange, ECA aims to cooperate with “private sector partners to send 100 American entrepreneurs abroad over the next four years.” The ultimate goal of this and future programs is to create long lasting partnerships and networks that are “mutually beneficial and will support job creation and economic opportunity” in the U.S. as well as abroad. In sum, the program will focus on developing a spirit of entrepreneurship and small business enterprise, and expand on the understanding and benefits.
Most importantly, programs like this and more of which will come in the future, sets a strong example of the success of President Obama’s summit and mission to connect and nourish healthy relationships with Muslim and non-Muslim countries abroad.
For more information visit:
America is a land of immigrants, which is a fact known worldwide. The overall composition of the U.S. population can be viewed as a multicultural melting pot of diverse cultures with distinct heritage backgrounds. In spite of these differences, however, the American society finds commonly shared principles embedded within each individual’s psyche, bolstering unity through diversity.
A significant number of U.S. states are known for their diversity, however few claim popularity based on that fact. New York City is that exception. The city’s residents come from all the nations of the world and speak languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Chechen and many more.
NYC Immigrant Heritage Week 2010 Celebration flyer
NYC is also known for celebrating its residents in many ways throughout the year. The 7th annual Immigrant Heritage Week took place from April 15th and to April 21st, 2010 and gave tribute to the diverse cultural tapestry of the city’s inhabitants. The week-long celebration provided residents with “a rich collection of family friendly events, film screenings, art exhibits and walking tours.” The activities aimed to “promote and reflect the diversity of the immigrant communities in New York City.” Since 2004, the Immigrant Heritage Week is a yearly initiative supported in part by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
You should look to see if there are cultural heritage appreciation events in your own state—who knows, you may bear the same findings.
On April 21, 2010, the Arab American Institute (AAI) held its 12th annual Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations delivered the key speech for the event. Ambassador Rice recognized the honorees of the evening, among them: Mayor Daley, Judge Barkett, Mr. Zeitoun, Juma al-Majid, and the Corporation for National Community Service for their commitment to advancing the common good initiative.
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan Rice’s remarks before gala guests
“This year’s honorees remind us of the importance of some great American ideals: service, responsibility, inclusion, and equality. Citizenship grants us great blessings, and it demands great responsibility. Our limitless diversity and our founding commitment to equality are among our greatest strategic assets,” said Rice.
Ambassador Rice also congratulated AAI on its 25th anniversary celebration. According to Rice, “Arab Americans have been making vital contributions to our country since at least the 1880s, but the establishment of the AAI in 1985 was a true milestone. Since then, AAI has been a key voice in the larger American chorus: speaking up about pressing needs and concerns, championing increased Arab American participation in our nation’s political and civic sphere, and fighting ignorance and intolerance.”
Ambassador Susan E. Rice with Jim Zogby director of AAI
Most notably, Ambassador Rice highlighted the shift in foreign policy, undertaken by the new U.S. administration, toward Arab and Muslim communities throughout the globe. Rice noted the administration’s efforts in “expanding exchanges, deepening our collaboration on science and technology, working together on global health issues such as H1N1, and partnering to expand the reach of economic prosperity.” Following President Obama’s New Beginning speech in Cairo last June, the President will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship next week, where more than 250 entrepreneurs from 50 countries, including many in the Arab world, will gather to advance opportunity in America and abroad.
Ambassador Rice’s full speech can be read found here.
Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award:
Launched in 1999 by the Arab American Institute Foundation, the awards focus attention on acts of leadership and dedication that promote the common good. The Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards recognize individuals, corporations, organizations and communities whose work, commitment and support make a difference in promoting co-existence and inclusion in all walks of life.The awards aim to promote the positive forces of diversity and cultural interaction, and to showcase programs that foster democratic and humanitarian values across racial, ethnic and religious lines.The award is named for the author of “The Prophet” whose message of human endurance and triumph was so evident in his life and work. The award further symbolizes Gibran’s pride in his Arab heritage, respect for the freedom he found in the United States and his universal love of humanity. The event is supported annually by a diverse group of corporate and individual donors and is organized by congressional, honorary and steering committees.
Photos courtesy of AAI.
Knowing a second language is about to pay off—literally. Rep. Michael Honda (D.—Calif.) proposed the “One America, Many Voices Act” which supports a five percent pay increase for federal employees who hold jobs that require a second (or more) language.
Honda stresses that this legislation, also known as the Bilingual Pay Bill, will rightfully recognize the necessity and value of those who are proficient in Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, Russian and Hindi—languages that are critical to our national security.
“To improve both our nation’s ability to provide language-appropriate intelligence and security, and America’s capacity to effectively and efficiently deliver government services, we must be able to retain a federal workforce that is capable of communicating with an increasingly diverse constituency, both within our borders and without,” Honda said.
With America’s population only growing more and more diverse, so too will the need for effective communication and business in various languages. Increased pay will undoubtedly entice these recruits, but even more so, the recruits will be driven to such jobs because they will feel wanted, appreciated and included by the government and their country.
The idea of a pay raise for bi- and multi-lingual employees is not just for the government sector and is not a new idea. In the corporate world, labor agreements have already been made between Verizon Wireless and the Communications Workers of America and between Kaiser Permanente and the Service Employees International Union to give workers with more than one language a higher income.
Honda published his own article on the matter and said, “Many voices make us more versatile in a globalized economy, more able to deal with national security concerns and more effective in delivering government services. It is high time we recognize this in Congress.”
Federal jobs, especially those in national security, handle sensitive topics here and abroad; an optimal way for our nation to interact internally and internationally is to have the cultural and linguistic knowledge in-house. Americans love their English, but as Honda stated, it’s high time to open your ears to the sounds of different languages that better the workforce of this country.
Experts predict that the 2010 Census results will show an increase of 42% in the total U.S. Hispanic population, totaling 50 million. However, Portada magazine recently reported that a Feb. 2010 Hispanic trends survey revealed that half of respondents—all U.S. advertisers—do not target Hispanics in their marketing efforts, despite acknowledging their strong cultural impact in products and services including food, technology/communications and entertainment.
The survey, created to expose a thorough depiction at advertisers’ strategy, spending plans and viewpoints of the U.S. Hispanic market, reported that 82% of respondents still have no plans to include or increase efforts to Hispanics in the next 12 months. Surprisingly, 8 out of 10 of those respondents agreed that Latinos will influence U.S. companies’ product and service offerings in the next five years.
“Now more than ever, businesses need to think about how to tap into the opportunity the Hispanic market presents,” advised Hector Orcí, co-founder and chairman of the L.A.-based Hispanic ad agency that conducted the survey.
In addition to marketing strategy, the Latino population growth is also affecting the overall media landscape. A recent Miami Herald article discusses the future of Hispanic media, “This time next year, if you’re not in Hispanic media, you’re going to want badly to get in,” says Don Browne, president of Telemundo in the article. “And those who are already in it are going to feel pretty damn good about it.”
One of the biggest factors affecting future demographics is that Hispanic population growth is being driven now by birth rates rather than immigration. “A new Spanish-language TV viewer is more likely to have been born and raised in the United States than to have come here from somewhere else, bringing old viewing habits with him,” explains Herald writer Glenn Garvin.
The changing demographics will lead to new categories of TV programming, splitting viewers into Spanish-dominant versus bilingual.
In fact, some Spanish-language networks such as Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), Telemundo and Univisión will even be creating their own programming with the understanding that the traditional “novela” might not fit into the transitioning U.S. Hispanic market, including dramas not unlike those seen on top mainstream networks.
The U.S. Hispanic media landscape is adapting, growing and seeing a profitable future, so too must advertisers adjust with the changing demographic that is the future of the Latino market.
As Mauricio Gerson, senior vice president of programming and development at SBS points out, “Investing in this Hispanic market is investing in growth.”
