How do you see the Middle East - Issue 9

[ukyp]

http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/...iddle_east.pdf


By Shakiba Moghaddam, 16, Deputy MYP for Southampton


The image of the Middle East has been represented so negatively in the media for the last six years and this has made the image of Middle Eastern people also as negative. The typical image of a terrorist has been represented as a Middle Eastern person, yet a terrorist can be anyone, any skin colour from any culture. Yet do the media show this? Of course not.

In the most recent console games the terrorists are usually dressed up in the cultural clothes of a Middle Eastern country. In movies, magazines and comic books, they all have the same image of a terrorist; all this stereotyping has made the majority of people believe that a terrorist is simply someone from the Middle East. Additionally this has led to many other problems such as racism, bullying and discrimination.

No one should judge another because of their culture, skin colour or where they come from. Yet the media have had such an impact on the image of Middle Eastern people that many have been bullied because of where they come from.

This shouldn’t be happening. It’s not fair on anyone to get bullied because of where they come from, yet it seems that the media are somehow encouraging discrimination. It’s not right. Think about the children who are suffering because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The innocent civilians who are losing loved ones because of the war they did not even start, yet somehow their lives have been dragged in to.

These wars have been going on for longer than six years and even though some of the objectives have been accomplished, the troops are still out there putting their lives in danger, and families, friends relatives suffer as they lose loved ones. This is the same situation for the innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, as they too lose families, friends and relatives in the war, yet the difference is they are actually living in the war. They also lose their home, their pride and their future. And no one can give them an answer as to why they are being put through this; they are trapped in a tomb of violence and revulsion not knowing when they are going to be freed. Even though the two most powerful countries are winning the war, the main objective has failed: they have lost the peace forever.

As the Chair of Southampton City Youth Parliament, I bought the idea of making people aware of the image of Middle East, to our meeting. I set up a group to discuss ideas about war and how it is affecting the lives of many children in Iraq and Afghanistan and children who have families, relatives and friends in the forces. Surprisingly, the majority of the children in the Youth Parliament joined this group and took keen interest.

As a result, we are now working on a project to make others aware of the image of Middle East in the media by firstly producing a questionnaire about what people think about the image of Middle East and terrorism. I believe this subject should be discussed more often and more comfortable in schools and certainly in UK Youth Parliament as many people’s lives are being affected because of this never ending war.

[Marcus89]

How do I see the Middle East? Screwed up...

[kingston1991]

To say the Middle East's people's image has been shown and now accepted as negative is totally wrong. Perhaps their image has been damaged due the crises in the area but my view, and many other people's view of middle eastern people is sympathetic, and certainly not negative.

[kingston1991]

And I also dont think its down to the media that these negative opinions as you descibe them have developed. Most of it is down to people not being educated enough on the issue. Stereotyping is a common thing, and I have to say that none of the respected broadsheet newspapers encourage bullying or any form of discrimination against middle eastern people, and in fact support social cohesion and a multi-cultural society.

[soph41190]

Originally Posted by kingston1991

And I also dont think its down to the media that these negative opinions as you descibe them have developed. Most of it is down to people not being educated enough on the issue. Stereotyping is a common thing, and I have to say that none of the respected broadsheet newspapers encourage bullying or any form of discrimination against middle eastern people, and in fact support social cohesion and a multi-cultural society.

I think there is also the problem that there is little out there disproving any of this. We have campaigners and charity groups, but I've never seen a white Irish man bomb anyone in the name of Allah. Just an observation.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by soph41190

I think there is also the problem that there is little out there disproving any of this. We have campaigners and charity groups, but I've never seen a white Irish man bomb anyone in the name of Allah. Just an observation.

Just you wait - my sister thinks I'm going to turn into an islamic fundamentalist because I'm learning Arabic and it has loads of islamic phrases at the back of the textbook, and the 99 perfect names of Allah.

(I'm a white Irish man)

[soph41190]

Oh my God please do that!
I would sit back, laugh, and watch the world burn LOL!

[Kieran Dickisnon]

I See the middle east as a very nice place just in a difficult situation

[AKU//]

I see it as rather ****ed up. This is the fault of the former European imperial powers, big oil, the USA, the USSR, the tribal system, Islam, the ****ty leaders they end up with etc.

The best way for the Middle East to be sorted out is for everyone: be they American, Italian, Swedish, Chinese, whatever; to bugger off and leave them to sort themselves out.

This may take a while, but if they are allowed a normal relationship with the rest of the world then hopefully they'll develop normal economies instead of being statist kleptocracies, with or without oil.

This would solve their development and unemployment problems as well as create a more meritocratic society less tied to Islam and tribalism. A society in which a kind of democracy might develop.

The Middle East has loads of potential, it looks very beautiful, the people are highly motivated, intelligent and flexible-it is ideally placed between Asia, Africa and Europe to become a great international hub.

They just need some 'normality'.

[jake.B]

I see it as a very very veryyy troubled place. I think they take there religion to extreams.

Chopping peoples hands off if they steal? Killing people because they had sex outside of marriage. Or because they wish to convert from Islam to something else. In some countries its Illegal to do so believe it or not. I was shocked.

And some of them treat women badly to. And not to mention the west trying to help, has made realations very poor. But I think it will always be like that. I like the people, most of them are good chaps. But some countries have extremists in charge.