Long-Distance Relationship before WWII

After WWI, the Great Arab Revolution has caused the Ottomans to fall and the Arabs to control their land again. But over the next several years, negotiations happened between Britain, France, and Italy. They were negotiating about mandates and shaping the Middle East in order to control it. Britain took Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq where France took Syria and Lebanon. After this back stabbing movement and a revolution in Egypt in 1919, the Arabs were looking for some help. The United States in the eyes of the Middle East before WWII was a good country, a strong and kind country that was developed and looked for the greater good. The Middle East had small, limited, but good relations with the United States. The US looked into the Middle East and saw a good future for the sake of their country. They helped discover oil in the Gulf area and made good agreements with the gulf countries. They also made educational relations making a university in Beirut called AUB. But later on right before WWI, Jewish Zionists looked for America to help them with immigration to Palestine. America then turned their relationship with the Middle East from a friendly one to a more hostile one or more biased to Zionists.

The US still continued their relations with the Middle East and with Israeli immigrants and Jewish Zionists getting the best from both sides. USA was able to keep cool and clean from any wrong actions during their relationship between two opposing sides. This then led to a decrease in trust from the Middle East, and America started to become more evil in the eyes of the region. Middle Easterners started to lessen the relationship with America, but they depended on them with their economy.

Do you ride camels to school?

Media has become a major part in people's lives as it is a form of entertainment and a form of "understanding" the world. The media in the United States has become so powerful; they are able to control what the people see. The Middle East has been quashed by the American media due to their long ever-lasting insistency on showing stereo-types and causing false assumptions of the Middle East, Muslims, and Arabs.

A documentary called "Reel Bad Arabs" by Dr. Jack Shaheen gives us an overview of films and shows in history that show similar forms of how Arabs were filmed. Since about the 1940's, directors have been displaying the same image of Arabs, with turbans on their heads, camels everywhere, and women either belly dancing or completely covered with black material. They have also made Arabs deliberately "less educated" than other races.

As for shows and media such as news channels, censorship plays a major role in "educating" the Americans and the world. The ability for news channels to put what headlines and news they want on television and the internet has caused people to fear, and attack anyone who looks like an Arab. Mostly after 9/11, People in America always associate terrorism with Arabs but mostly Muslims due to the vast coverage of the media on terrorism and relating it to Islam. Talk shows or missionary channels like to attack Muslims and also relate them to Terrorism. This has caused people to fear Arabs or who look like an Arab. People then start attacking them and causing tension because they immediately associate them with bombs or killing.

I remember the day when 9/11 happened; I was about 8 years old and was going to school. I did not understand the true meaning of the news or the event but I knew it was something big. Living in America as an Arab Muslim after 9/11 was terrifying. I remember when the FBI used to come to our mosque and ask for certain men to go with them. I also remember when our imam, the one who leads us in prayer in the mosque wanted to travel. They did not allow him to leave because they assumed that he had TNT in his bag and wanted to bomb the airplane. His name was Mohammed, I am sure that was the reason for the commotion. They had a trial in court and decided that he couldn’t leave his house within a 100 feet radius. It was unjust.

The majority of the people in the United States are brainwashed by the media and films concerning Arabs and Muslims. The consumption that all Arabs are stupid and ride camels and that Muslims are terrorists is false. The idea of Humanism or humanizing comes here where people in the world are all humans, regardless of their race or religion. It is a fact that each person has a brain, a heart, a stomach, but does not have a bomb around his waist as an organ. Arab teenagers have the same ambitions as other races. Media should show the whole story for everything they show. Arabs are humans; Islam is a word that comes from peace, not bombs or terrorism.