*Editor’s Note: Yesterday Muslim Academy reached a huge milestone by having 3,500 people in one day. We asked Ehab to write a note to commemorate this special occasion, as it was his articles that helped kick-start our debates to begin with. A Christian Egyptian writing in English, Ehab was able to show a different side of the world to the West with humor, insight, and panache. People like Ehab are why this school work – those who trancend national and religious boundaries in an attempt to come together. We appreciate his help and look forward to many more conversations to come.
Six months ago when I started my journey with Muslim Academy, I started with it my article that was entitled “The Stereotypical Questions i Always Get”. It talked about the questions I got over the internet for being Egyptian and a middle eastern. This was my first article here then i started to get to know the people, from the Arab world and the Western World. This helped me have a better view of the west. So after 6 months, I decided to revisit the subject but the other way around, I’d state the stereotypical questions that western people get from the Arab world in the same way.
Q: He is an American, he must be supporting Israel and the foreign policy of the United States!!
A: Not true, I have met a lot of Americans who do not like what Israel is doing and they are in fact against the foreign policy of the United States. Does that mean they hate America? No, they do not appreciate or agree with the policy of their country.
Q: A Muslim in the United States must be suffering from all kinds of torture and abuse!
A: Contrary to public belief, Muslims are not tortured in the U.S.A. Yes people started to feel differently about them following 9-11 but it’s not like what people think. Muslims are a minority, just like Christians in Egypt, do they face problems, yes they do.. Do they get killed or torture for being Muslims, no they don’t.
Q: Americans have no ethics and most of them do not believe in God.
A: No, it is only what the media conveys and the shows we see. All what we see in movies like American Pie or other movies is that the American people are sex driven and is all what they care about. There are many Americans who believe in God and refuse sex before marriage and many of them are even against drinking.
Q: American hate Arabs and Muslims.
A: Is there Americans who hate Arabs? Yes. Do all American hate Arabs, No. For instance, this website that aims to build bridges between the East and the West is made by an American who is not a Muslim. Also, do all Arabs hate Americans and want to kill them, NO.
These misconceptions and their answers show us that we should not solely depend and rely on the media and the movies to build our perception about people. Everyone should realize that misconceptions goes both ways which means that as much as you know that there are many wrong views that the West has about Arabs, you have many distorted views of the West as well.
This is why the best way is to get to know the people before you start judging them. This way, the picture you will create is a truthful and a real one.
Last of all, I would like to congratulate all of the people of Muslims Academy about the amazing success of the Website and the increasing numbers of visitors. Keep it up and good luck.
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