Stigma in AmericaIn America, there is a huge issue with generalizing and stereotypes. Especially since 9/11, uneducated individuals seem to deem all people who believe in the muslim faith as terrorists, and even go as far to labeling all middle eastern people terrorists, regardless of their religious faith but solely off of their looks and that association. Because of this, an ignorant person may look at someone like the person I interviewed, Maha Elcanam, a second generation Egyptian American, and label her a terrorist threat. This however, is a huge and unjust assumption. Not only are they assuming she’s a muslim extremist, but they’re assuming she abides by the same culture as the extremists do. This false pretext created around stereotyping prevents people like Maha from complete liberation because she is continuously put in a box she cannot break out of alone.
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Individuals like Maha struggle so much in modern times in America because of the hate that is being bred from people like President-Elect Donald Trump. As shown above, Trump has officially stated he is going to enact a "complete and total shut down of Muslims" being allowed to enter the United States in fear of how they could possibly live by Sharia Law. However, has he accounted for how that is that affecting Muslims already living the United States that don't? We hear stories of Muslim men and women afraid to walk the streets after Trump was elected, even hearing voices from our own Rutgers University at the recent walk-out expressing their concern of possible hate crimes occurring. Nowadays more than ever before, muslim Americans have a hard time believing they can fully be accepted into such a hateful society. For my project, I interviewed Maha Elcanam. She is my best friend and fellow Rutgers University student. I wanted to learn more about how she was raised by Egyptian muslim parents but considers to herself to be westernized because of the society she grew up in, and how this affects her. Maha is just as much of an American as I am, but because of my privilege I will be completely accepted into society and she won't. This is her untold story of her identity struggle.
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Egyptian Upbringing
Maha was born and raised in America, but both her parents moved to New Jersey from Cairo, Egypt to start a new life and to be with friends. Growing up she learned Arabic first, then English. Her parents taught her about the kind of love Islam breads, the need to help the less fortunate and to not harm herself or others. She fasted during Eid, and watched as her family went to the mosque every friday. However, this is not the kind of upbringing people like Trump paint muslims to be like. According to Factcheck.org, Wallance of Fox News states that less than 1% of the 1.9 billion muslims in the world believe in fighting for Jihadist causes. According to Pew Research, only 1% of the American population is muslim. This means that rough estimates of only 100,000 people would be considered radical world wide, yet Donald Trump wants America to believe "Islam hates us", which includes the 1% in our own nation. Maha represents this 1%.
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The Elcanam siblings: Personal expierences
Amir Elcanam
"I've had several people ask me what my nationality is. Nationailty? My nationailty is American. I was born and raised in America, yet some people can't seem to see past my arab apperance and make negative assumptions based off it. My friends used to make terriost jokes and I didn't see the harm in humor until I realized some people weren't kidding." |
Maha Elcanam
"I like American shows, I listen to American music. I grew up in America. But, I am also of Egyptian descent. I take a lot of pride in having two shared cultures and I won't let anyone take that away from me. Not an average citizen and certiantly not a man whos job is to be uniting this country." |
American Adaption
Being raised in America, most of Mahas likings stem from here. She loves American music and liberal politics but also shares a certain pride in the cross cultured home she grew up in. Upon prepping for my interview with maha, I talked with her mom in her kitchen about my project which turned into an unofficial chat about how important she thinks this project is in helping people understand participating in different cultures doesn't make anyone anti-american. As I was explaining the picture's I'd be taking, she was extremely excited to show off her home because she had such a deep connection with all the art she showcases. As we started to walk around, she started to share the origins of each piece of decor she hand picked from her homeland. As we were walking around the room, she got particularly emotional about one piece of art. She stopped to show me two plate looking items she had hanging on the wall (upper left hand corner on the photo set to the right.) She expressed how she remembered the day her mother gave her these as she was heading to America within the next week so her husband could start his dream of opening up his own business. She said that she wanted to bring a piece of her family with her to America, and raise her kids to have a strong sense of their culture even though they didn't live there so they'd feel connected with their extended family, no matter the distance. She said she was scared coming to America as there was so many new and exciting things she couldn't prepare for, but that the adjustments they'd make would be worth it to raise her kids in a country where a woman's role had no expectations and opportunities were endless. She said every adaptation she's made, whether it was learning English to dealing with obscene "random security checks", was worth it to see her children be able to go to college and make something out of themselves with free will. She stated she hopes America can truly be the home of the free for everyone, not just white men, someday as she envisioned it was when we first arrived to America. Then she'd feel utmost confident that she made the right decision moving here.
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Audio Interview
Cultural Infusion
As Maha stated, she identifies with both Egyptian and American culture. Her favorite food is stuffed grape leaves and she loves celebrating Ramadan but she can't help but love simple American normalities like christmas lights. She feels no matter which culture she leans to most, she ultimately shouldn't have to feel as if she's in a position to choose. She feels as if in the past she's unconsciously submitted to "white" ideals, such as straightening her hair and loving chipotle to fit in. She wants to live in a society where all cultures and perspectives are not only respected, but praised. She takes pride in her how she is able to infuse both of her cultures into her life, and wants everyone to feel the same way without the threats of stereotypes and labels. She feels her identity is a modern one, and it's time for society to shift its focus from division to unity.