It is refreshing to see a video that says "America you terrorize us and dehumanize us" instead of one that carries the message of: "Guess what we are not all terrorists; we human beings just like you as evidenced by our love for Justin Timberlake." What I am speaking of are the different messages embodied in Danish hip hop group Outlandish's "Look Into My Eyes" (2005)music video and Egyptian American country music singer's "A Land Called Paradise" (2007) music video. Both of the videos, in their most general form, attempt to tackle the American post-9/11 perception of Palestinians/Arabs and Muslims.
Outlandish's video:
Kareem Salaama's video:
I'm not trying to hate, but I feel like Outlandish's creative interpretation of a Gihad Ali poem is a more effective portrayal of the America's role in dehumanizing Muslims and Palestinians. Salaama's video does not inject this variable, the American role in dehumanizing Muslims and Palestinians, as part of his equation. Succumbing to the "we are human like you too" message puts the burden of responsibility on Muslims as they are forced to prove their humanity to Americans. It feels like a problematic to dispel commonly held stereotypes about Muslims without contextualizing where those stereotypes come from. And another problematic is that it the video forwards American's definition of normative behavior-like shopping at Victoria Secrets. No offense Kareem Salaama. I actually, to my great shock, love the song (who knew twangy spiritual ruminations could strike a chord in me!), but the video feels counterproductive, as it assigns Muslims to the strata of unhuman, and the people in your video, ones who espouse the similar American values, that are materialist in nature, "I too shop at Victoria Secrets" or ones who are "good Muslim assimilators" who would rather "watch "Grey's Anatomy" than "help the less fortunate." Interesting enough, the manufacture of Victoria Secrets merchandise is the product of prison labor at slave labor prices. Thank you ma'am, you have financially contributed to the maintenance of slave systems and the nourishment the prison industrial complex. Does that make you "human" or just "American"?
Although I do agree that Muslims and Palestinians have to take responsibility for our actions, we do not have to prove our humanity to a country that continues to rob our humanity.
Here are some choice lines that stood out for me from Outlandish's song:
Your biggest fear is getting a ticket[Tarboush tip: Buydatti]
As you cruise your Cadillac
My fear is that the tank that has just left
Will turn around and come back
Yet, do you know the truth of where your money goes?
Do you let the media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth nobody, nobody, nobody knows?
Has our world gone all blind?
See I've known terror for quite some time
57 years so cruel
Terror breathes the air I breathe
It's the checkpoint on my way to school
Terror is the robbery of my land
And the torture of my mother
The imprisonment of my innocent father
The bullet in my baby brother
The bulldozers and the tanks
The gases and the guns
The bombs that fall outside my door
All due to your funds
You blame me for defending myself
Against the ways of my enemies
I'm terrorized in my own land (what)
And I'm the terrorist?
American , do you realize that the taxes that you pay
Feed the forces that traumatize my every living day
So if I won't be here tomorrow
It's written in my fate
May the future bring a brighter day
The end of our wait
20 comments:
Maytha, your criticisms are valid. However, please consider that it is true that Muslims are not perfect, and admitting that does not make us weaker. I agree that shopping at Victoria Secrets is not indicative of anything virtuous, but I think the point was something else. I could be wrong. It was something I saw portrayed in a blog posting somewhere about a photograph of a hijabi woman viewing lingerie as if it was some sort of contradiction. The post, badly summarized, said basically, it is not that a woman who covers her hair or dresses modestly rejects sex. It's that she rejects sex with you!
Most of the people I see at my masjid are not Arab, and we have the right to define ourselves however we choose. If that means admitting that we are not perfect, I don't see what is so horrible about that. That is a characteristic we share with other people-- we are all not perfect! There were other segments which very cleared expressed a desire to do good and to live up to the standards Islam enjoins.
I don't know you, nor I have I followed your postings long enough to say I have a very good idea about who you are. But, as a non-Arab woman who covers her hair in a very conservative corner of America, I thought the Kareem Salama video very perfectly addressed some of my feelings and concerns that I would wish to convey to the people I meet who greet me with disdain, hostility, curiosity, judgment, who think I am proud or condescending because I choose to follow my religion all the time, etc.
Seeing as it was the responses that were obtained from actual Muslims living in America, please don't say that our voice is invalid because you don't agree with some or all of the sentiments expressed.
But, as a non-Arab woman who covers her hair in a very conservative corner of America
You are a non-Arab now too? Did you claim to be an Arab during one of those spam insult fests, Safiyyah?
So many wannabe Arabs on this fucking blog. And all bigots.
Maytha, the stereotypes you complain about come from you and people like you. If you want to change America's stereotypical view of Arabs then perhaps the best thing for you to do is stop behaving as a stereotypical Arab yourself? Just an idea.
PS-It's interesting you feel so offended that Arabs are stereotyped in the US, when you and very other blogger/commenter on this blog go out of your way to stereotype Americans, every single day. Bigots, complaining about stereotypes, how cool :D
Check QuiQui's hillbilly post if you don't understand what I'm talking about.
I like both videos and both songs. Setting them up as a binary or choice seems false. How are they mutually exclusive?
I feel a bit like you and Safiyyah are talking across eachother here, but that might be in large part because you have set the viewpoints of the videos oppositonally.
Maytha, do you have any problem with that song whining to Americans, instead of Israelis? Blaming Americans, instead of blaming Arabs and Israelis for the Arab-Israeli conflict? We didn't start the war, and we didn't participate directly in any of them. Why is it our fault? Why should we be made to believe it's our fault? It isn't. It's the fault of Arabs and of Israelis. And this song will do nothing but increase American hostility to the Palestinian cause. Nice, the way it tries to hijack all of Islam in the name of Palestinians as well. That is another problem with your side - you've made it a religious war, and the simple fact of the matter is we AREN'T Muslims, and if you make it a religious war then we are your enemies. Not your friends. That was a mistake that YOUR SIDE made. Not ours.
no, your voices are not invalid, but, my point is best expressed in the following question:
"As a Muslim (non-Arab or Arab) do you feel like you have to prove your humanity to Americans? To prove why you embrace your faith?"
But what I am primarily concerned about are not the overt statements as much as the implicit ones going on this video, the subtext. From my own interpretation, the subtext is that Muslims have to prove their "goodness" on American terms, and this is the underlying objection I have with the video. The statements of the Muslims in the video are valid, most definitely, but I feel like tying them all together to portrayal of Muslim normalacy feeds into American assumptions that we are not normal and that we are not individuals (who make decisions on our own!).
I do however appreciate your perspective and your criticism of my critique of the video. I love hearing alternative opinions. Thank you for sharing your reservations about my comments.
As a sidenote: I don't think that there is a contradiction between wearing a hijab and buying lingerie-that's my own personal belief.
zerg, good point Zerg, they are different in their own right. I just merely intellectually juxtaposed them to demonstrate the ways the discourse on Muslim/Arab accountability in the war on terror gets articulated in cultural art forms-music and music videos. I know I risk perpetuating an already problematic conflation of the two-but it's interesting to see how in government documents the two are commonly conflated, and how that fusion becomes the (il)legal basis for profiling measures.
From my own interpretation, the subtext is that Muslims have to prove their "goodness" on American terms, and this is the underlying objection I have with the video.
Maytha, I see your point, but I tend to disagree. I don't think the 2nd video is attempting to prove the "goodness" of Muslim on American terms, rather, that they are, besides being Muslim, pretty average Americans.
I don't feel the need to prove why I embrace my faith, but I do feel the need to dispel myths about myself in particular, and my community in general.
I don't want to walk around with a banner that reads "I'm not a terrorist" because like you said, I feel that just emphasizes this stereotype. But I do want people to know that our community is diverse on so many levels, and it's not a perfect one either. I'm sure this video won't do the trick, but it's a positive step in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing the videos and your commentary.
i agree with your criticism, but i prefer the second video just because it seems more authentic. the outlandish song and video seem a little bit contrived to me, as it always is when you use children as beacons of innocence (which they are) and plug them into adult situations like warfare. Also, isn't the outlandish video also trying to make a comparison between victims of the war on 'terror' and americans/westerners? it seems to me also to be an indirect justification of humanity.
i think the second video is powerful and moving because we still have to deal with outside judgment every day. we are justified in saying we shouldn't have to care, or mold ourselves according to outside opinion, but it will always be there and will concretely affect and sometimes inhibit our lives, unless we address it.
it's a very large, and valid, debate i think.
As usual, the award for most untimely blogger goes to May. Mozeltov!
Craig, I didn't read your entire rant, but NO, I never ever ever claimed to be Arab. But I actually care about all people, unlike you. Fuck off now.
Zerg, I agree, they are both good.
Maytha, I truly see your point. It is a fact that I would LIKE to not have to prove myself to other people, and I truly attempt not to go out of my way to do this; I just try to live my life normally, and let people come to their own conclusions. However, it is fact that Americans need this spelled out to them. No, I don't want to be like the average American, but that doesn't mean we're not the same in any way.
Moi, I agree that our community is diverse, and that is also why I enjoy the video. Many people are rather ignorant of this fact.
Side note to a side note:
Also, I agree that you can wear hijab and lingerie, at the same time even! Sorry my post wasn't clear. There was a picture of a woman in Cairo (I believe) looking through a store window that appeared in some sort of Western media, and a blogger I was reading responded to it by saying that it was not a contradiction.
"we are justified in saying we shouldn't have to care, or mold ourselves according to outside opinion, but it will always be there and will concretely affect and sometimes inhibit our lives, unless we address it."
Mehammed, I agree 100%. It's unfortunate that this is the situation we are in, but it's a fact and it's out there. When someone at work walks up to me and asks me to justify the teddy bear incident or something like that, how I am to respond? Such questions obviously come from a place of total ignorance, and I can't inform someone when they are basically constantly asking me to prove my validity to them. I don't want to have to do it, but this is the reality we live in.
Craig, I didn't read your entire rant, but NO, I never ever ever claimed to be Arab.
You advocated for Arabs and let people think you were an Arab. A lie by omission is still a lie. How about a little honesty, my dear? Don't Muslims believe in honesty?
But I actually care about all people
You care about all people, as long as they are ones you agree with, right?
unlike you.
Yes, you aren't very much like me at all, are you?
But, as a non-Arab woman who covers her hair in a very conservative corner of America
Why don't you move someplace else? Why would you want to live around people who you consider to be rednecks, crackers, hillbillies and bigots? And why do you think they'd want somebody as obnoxious as you around, either? I damn sure wouldn't. Move to San Francisco or DC, you'll have a much easier time of it. Or do you actually LIKE to have opportunities to insult people?
Safiyyah, did you convert to Islam before or after 9/11?
Why are so interested in me personally, Craig? It's none of your business why I am where I am.
I can advocate for whoever I want, whenever I want. If you assume I'm something that I'm not, it's definitely your problem, and not mine.
As to your question about my Islam, it is likewise none of your business. I can see no reason to tell you about myself, and therefore I will not.
Good day to you.
"Why would you want to live around people who you consider to be rednecks, crackers, hillbillies and bigots?"
You neither know where I live, nor what I think of the people who live here. My my but you love to make assumptions.
You neither know where I live, nor what I think of the people who live here.
Yes I do. You said:
But, as a non-Arab woman who covers her hair in a very conservative corner of America
Everyone on this blog is well aware of what you think of "conservative" Americans.
My my but you love to make assumptions.
And you love to hide your background. What else can people do but make assumptions, based on your statements? Why don't you get honest about yourself, so people don't HAVE to make assumptions, Saffiyah? What are you trying to hide?
Why are so interested in me personally, Craig? It's none of your business why I am where I am.
It most certainly is my business, since you devote a substantial part of your time on this blog to making abusive personal attacks on me. I want to know who my nemesis is, and what her motivations for saying the things she says are.
I can advocate for whoever I want, whenever I want. If you assume I'm something that I'm not, it's definitely your problem, and not mine.
I disagree. There is a reason why people are usually up-front about their background and their "credentials" when they engage political and/or religious debates, Safiyyah. It goes to credibility and motivations. For you to show up here and say the kinds of things you say and expect everyone to take your statements at face value is unreasonable.
As to your question about my Islam, it is likewise none of your business.
I disagree about that, too. If you decided that Islam was "pretty cool" after 9/11, and decided to convert... that's something I need to know. Because it probably means you've got a serious mental defect. If you converted to Islam before 9/11, then you probably had a different reason than admiring Islamic terrorism.
I can see no reason to tell you about myself, and therefore I will not.
Fine, so I will continue to make assumptions. And you and I will just have to deal with that, won't we?
Craig is an idiot. He got mad at me a couple of years ago because he insists that I should have specifically pointed out that I was NOT a Saudi.
Why? Because I spoke Arabic and was married to a Saudi he automatically assumed that I was a Saudi. He got all bent out of shape when he found out I wasnt a Saudi, I wasnt even an Arab.
I wasnt aware that everytime I used Arabic I had to remind readers that I am not an Arab. Maybe it is because Craig is monolingual or because he didnt learn Chinese from his ex wife.
Not everyone is as much of a twit as Craig is. And yes, Craig has been trolling Arab and Muslim blogs for years, yes YEARS. He is really demented.
Um, OK, this is the end. I am just commenting on a blog. I don't care what you think about anything, including what I am or am not allowed to say. You don't have any idea who I am, where I come from, what I know, where I've been, or what I think about all of these diverse subjects. My own beloved grandmama devotes a substantial portion of her time to conservative talk radio and Fox news, but that doesn't mean I don't go and pay my respects and visit her when she's lonely. Yep, even in my hijab, although she was at first shy about what the neighbors would think. Well, the neighbors have become more educated and nicer and what a blessed opportunity for me.
So, do you know what I think about anything? No, not really. You *are* seriously demented, and for whatever reason you think that I am somehow your legitimate target. You are quite frightening.
I can be WHOEVER I WANT TO BE.
I can think WHATEVER I WANT TO THINK.
And... hopefully someday you will wake up to this, but you are not in charge of what we women or Muslims (or Arabs) are and are not allowed to do or think, and you don't get to make our decisions. We. do. not. have. to. justify. our. existence. to. you.
Anyone who wants to question my legitimate right to live, exist, speak, or shout in this country better stop first and find out who I am, what I have done, and who my ancestors are. Because I know. But! That's none of your business, so, it'll just have to gnaw away at your blackened soul.
wow, i have to say i am not a huge fan of this post.
both videos serve their purpose because each has different aims. like safiyyah noted, acknowledgement of imperfection can do much to bring people together. though some might argue that these types of discourse are more acceptable as they fit into the western value system, the people in the kareem salaama video are distinctly muslim and proud of it. they aren't putting down their religion for the sake of some twisted form of assimilation. they're not saying, "i disagree with the hijab" or "i'm not a terrorist" or whatever.
also, i'm sorry but america is not the only country that treats muslims badly! and i'd argue that we treat our muslims better than many other countries; do i need to point out the numerous injustices in france and germany? and while i understand your critique of materialism in america, i doubt it's possible these days to be a citizen of this earth and not contribute to materialism or globalization. i wouldn't say that's a uniquely american behavior, though we may engage in it more than others. it's the nature of the beast, i guess.
I can be WHOEVER I WANT TO BE.
I can think WHATEVER I WANT TO THINK.
Yes, you keep saying that, but you don't give the same permissions to anyone else, do you?
Anyway, bye bye. I never asked you to come on this blog and start making abusive personal attacks on me, did I? I won't miss them, you can be sure.
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