The Importance of learning Modern Muslim history by A.R.
Racism in the Modern Islamic world is a Problem
In an ideal world based on the principles encompassed by the teachings of the Holy Quran and the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), racism would not exist at all. Mankind would deal with each other based on the contents of their character and not the color of their skin, the sound of their tongue, or their manner of dress. Islam is a truly egalitarian religion which warns against arrogance and feelings of superiority which are the poison eating at the heels of Muslim unity. This message of social, political, and religious equality in Islam is one of the most central of Islam's doctrines. Many people embrace Islam become of its drive for equality and unity.
The unfortunate reality is that in practice, Muslims do not live up to the ideals of the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Racism pervades Islamic societies like a lingering curse, and in many societies it is perpetuated in the government structures. Many Islamic scholars attempt to ignore the resurgent racism which is creeping into Muslim peoples or simply reject that it exists. The honest hard truth is that racism is present among Muslims and unless it is recognized and something is done about it, it will continue to flourish in some Muslim societies.
We have been taught from a young age the principles of the Holy Quran which state that Mankind, men and women, are equal before Allah (swt) except in the piety of their actions. Our parents have taught us to disavow racism and prejudice against other Muslims because it is something abhorrent to Islam. Many of us have been raised believing for a fact that racism doesn't exist in Muslim societies as Muslims have a loftier sense of morality and justice than others. From the innocent idealism of our childhood to the reality of adolescence, many of us realized that racism is indeed prevalent in all of society, and the Muslims are no exception.
Throughout the teenage years Pakistani children are glaringly aware of the racism in the larger non-Muslim society. In middle school and high school years, many pakistani children are targeted for racist abuse from slurs, stereotypical mockery, and especially violence. Fights with mostly white children, but not excluded to only whites, are fairly common and are mainly defensive in nature. Many children are often called Apu (a stereotypical Indian image from the Simpsons cartoon). Some are even asked why they don't have a turban or a dot on their head and if they are related to people in the 7-11 gas stations. After 2001, the troubles only increased when Americans, filled with racist and nationalist fervor, would target Muslims for being terrorists who were somehow responsible for the crimes of other people.Many children are called a terrorist or Osama Bin Laden so often that they became nicknames. Many of the fighting is related to children from school who blamed Muslims for the attacks which they have no relation to. The larger society only serves to encourage with racism against Muslims, particularly Pakistanis because generally they are darker and have more facial hair than other Muslim ethnic groups. I have an experience with a racist school teacher. At one point, in the middle of class one of the kids called me a terrorist, to which I replied calling him by a bad word. The teacher heard everything but singled me out for punishment. She made me go to my locker and bring back the English book which I left in my locker because we weren't using it that day. She gave me detention and took away my English book as a consequence, hoping that I would fail the upcoming exam. I studied with one of my other friends and did well which further angered her. This was my experience with racism in public school and non-Muslim society.
Racism faced by Pakistanis is not only limited to Non-Muslims. Many Arabs and other Muslim groups also hold prejudiced views against pakistani people. Nearing the end of my high school years, I moved South. My parents admitted me into a private school run by some Arab Muslim people in the area. When I arrived in this 'Muslim' school, I assumed it would be much better. What I found out was very shocking to me. The racism in this institution was encouraged and even supported by Arab Muslims. Mostly Pakistanis and certain Egyptians were looked down on by the other Arab students and even much of the faculty. I can recall now Arab teachers telling us that 'some Pakistani people do not understand Islam because they don't know Arabic that well' or 'the way some Pakistanis do things is wrong.' In the Arab dominated school, one of the main trends was a steady indoctrination of the students into Arabized Islamic customs and I witnessed the effects of this first hand. Some students developed an affinity for Arabic culture while developing an abhorrence to aspects of their native cultures. Discrimination against African American students was also common from both students and staff. Being a proud Pakistani Muslim myself, I spoke out against misrepresentation and racism against non-Arab people (favorite topics were Pakistanis, Iranians, and Turks) by some of the teachers. I was doing well in school, but I was termed as a trouble maker in the school and as a bad example for other students not to follow. Some of the more devout and kind teachers I really loved in the school, for example some of the teachers in that school have always been very good to me and my siblings. But to gain favor in the eyes of some of the other teachers was an uphill battle. I remember one of the teachers in the school (which I had extensive debates in the class about many Pakistani customs being supposedly opposed to Islam) only encouraged me once when I was cleaning the dining area of the school. It really angered me and I thought to myself if this means Pakistanis are only good at cleaning and doing menial labor.
The Arab students which I spent many years around in my later teen years in the same town acted as if I was far below them and that it was a privilege for me to be around them. Even now that I am in the same University town with many of them, I do not know much about them as they essentially stayed away from me all the six years I knew them. I saw in front of my eyes that many of these students would prefer the company of non-Muslims over Muslims, so much for Islamic unity. From my experiences, I am not the only one who feels this way. Many of my Muslim friends of Persian, Turkish, Turkic, Indian, Pakistani, Bengali, and African American backgrounds feel the same way. College allows one to contemplate at a higher plane of social thinking at the way the world is progressing. I realized that not only are Arabs racist against Pakistanis as in my old town, but that many Arabs are racist against other Arabs, particularly the whiter ones against the darker Arabs from North Africa, Egypt, Sudan, etc. Pakistanis, Indians, and Bengalis face intense inhumane racism from the people and state structures of the Gulf Arab states which use expatriates as a source of cheap, almost slave labor to build their countries, while at the same time blaming them for ruining their countries. Many Muslims South Asians and other foreigners in certain parts of the Middle East are subject to untold abuse and suffering which include but are not limited to physical abuse, torture by authorities, rape of women, being singled out for crimes, deportation, and being denied access to certain neighborhoods and restaurants. Rich Pakistanis themselves are biased against poorer Pakistanis, and a few members of lighter ethnic groups view other darker ethnic groups with racism back home. These feelings of ethnic and skin color superiority, though, are endemic in the Arab Gulf and the Western countries.
Despite the numerous warnings against racism and prejudice in the Islamic scriptures, some Muslims continue to hold on to these feelings which may be the remnants of two centuries of colonization of the Islamic world by Europeans, the deep seated Pre-Islamic (Jahiliyya) prejudices in the now Muslim countries, a new dangerous emergence of racial intolerance in the Islamic world which victimizes fellow Muslims, or a combination of all these factors. In essence, Racism and prejudice are haram (forbidden) in Islam. Racism is very much the antithesis of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as related by Sahih Bukhari, stated �Beware of the cry of the oppressed, because Allah (swt) listens to the prayer of the one who is oppressed.�