BEING AN ARAB AND A MUSLIM DOESN’T MAKE ME A TERRORIST.

BY MUNEIB CHATER

On June 9, 2010 in New York City, a group gathered to protest against the building of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks. Two Egyptian reporters from California flew nine hours to also protest against the mosque construction. These reporters were both Christian.

Because of the way they looked and because they spoke Arabic, the protesters shouted furiously at them thinking they were Muslims. This proves that you really can’t judge people by the way they look.

I am a Syrian-American. I was born in the U.S, but both of my parents are Syrian. Many people think I’m white or Italian. They get surprised when I tell them that I am an Arab.

The tough side of culture
It’s very rare when people say racist things to me, but some people who know I’m an Arab and a Muslim as well make racist jokes such as calling me a terrorist and talking about the World Trade Center bombings.

Most of the time, this has hardly any effect on me. This type of racism is like shooting a bullet against heavy metal armor. It is true that bullets are strong and can do incredible damage, but a single bullet cannot penetrate my armor. However, many bullets put together begin to hurt, like when a big group or gang laughs and pulls the jokes all at once.

When this happens, I often play with my cell phone or another electronic device as a cover. Then I can pretend that I didn’t even hear them. It may seem like a funny way to deal with it, but it’s better than actually laughing along with the group.

I’m proud of who I am
Being a Syrian-American makes me feel incredibly unique. No matter what racist things people say, I feel very proud of my culture and I feel special.

First, even though I live in America with American food such as cheeseburgers and hotdogs, my Arab culture gives me a huge variety of foods that I try to enjoy every day made by my own parents’ hands. These foods range from shish kebobs—strips of seasoned ground lamb on a bed of rice and cooked vegetables — to couscous—fine pasta seeds and steamed vegetables.

I have also traveled to several Middle Eastern countries including Syria, Turkey, Dubai and Jordan. While some things are similar to things in the U.S., others are very different, like clothing.

Since many people in these countries are Islamic, you see more people wearing religious clothing, even though, for the most part, much of the clothing is very similar to what people wear here in the U.S.

You see many mosques, holy places that are similar to a church, but meant for Muslims, where people go to pray.

Also, holidays in the Middle East are bigger than in the U.S. During the month of Ramadan, which is the holiest period of the Islamic faith, Muslims are required to fast from dawn to sunset

In some places, people who wake up this early carry a drum. At dawn, they play the drums to wake up the whole city to begin fasting. It’s very special and really cool to actually watch it happen. The end of Ramadan is a three-day celebration called Eid al-fitr, the Lesser Feast. Money is given out to children, as well as toys.

Just like you
Many people don’t realize that even though I am an Arab, I am still an American. Even though some things from my culture make me different (just like being Italian or Latino or African make other people different), in many ways I am a typical teenager just like you. I often go to the movies, hang out with friends and play video games, just like you.

One of my favorite hobbies is skateboarding. I’ve been skating for a couple of months now and it’s incredibly fun. I often enjoy riding whenever the going is tough. It always brings my spirits up. If I fall I just get back up and continue.

So don’t judge! Take the time to get to know me.  You just might make a new friend.