The biggest fault I see in Malcolm X is that he excluded people of white skin such as myself from his movement. This is evident in the movie scene in which a white student asks him what she can do to help his cause, and he bluntly responds,” Nothing.” How much of the Critical Race Theory tenet number five did Malcolm X consider? The tenet states that every individual has a complex and compound identity described by inter-sectionality and anti-essentialism. X wrote off the entire white population as not being able to help his cause for equality between black and white. His reasoning that black and white communities should be split to allow both cultures to flourish before integrating them is a good argument, but regarding the entire white population as entirely unhelpful doesn’t seem like a good solution.

Later in the film after he goes to Mecca, Malcolm X is more accepting of white help. He communes with muslims of all skin colors and backgrounds and loses his mega-apprehension to anybody of Caucasian background. The film doesn’t ever show a white person in his close circle, or even really at the majority of his rallies. I wonder if he would’ve told that white student something different after he came back from Mecca, but his untimely demise cements that question in mystery.

Five Muslim Women - Panel Discussion

Last week I attended the "Five Muslim Women Speak Out" panel discussion. I heard short testaments from 5 different Muslim International students at Gonzaga University-- Nuhan, Manih, Aham, Rwang and Ana (excuse my guessing on spelling) . Their objective was to address some of the misconceptions that Americans have about Muslims and explain some of the difficulties that they have faced since coming to America.

Nihan first explained what she thought were some of the misconceptions about Saudi Arabia-- addressing specifically what she thought was great about her country: the holy city, the lack of discrimination, the sense of time that comes from praying 5 times a day, and the pride in individual people. "I am so proud to be a Saudi Muslim," she states. She did explain some struggles she had at various dinner parties or other social events. "Their attitude toward me changed as soon as they found out I was Muslim," she explained. I felt this really demonstrated the first tenant of racism that- Racism is ordinary.

Manih came next as she explained she came to the United States to get her masters in ESL. She presents the misconceptions that she thinks Americans have about Saudi women's rights. She says that in Islam women were regarded as equals. For example, they had the right to an education as the government sends thousands of women abroad to be educated each year. Women also have the right to reject the spouse that is chosen for them and the right to divorce him. Men are the ones in responsible for obtaining the dowry before the marriage. The women can seek elsewhere to help him obtain the needed money, but it is still the man's responsibility. "I am treated like a queen," she explains.

Aham, who is getting her Master's degree in Communications in the fall explains some of her biggest tribulations since coming to America. She has a strong relationship with her family, but as she must work and go to school, she doesn't have many people to help her. Her son must be in day care for 7 hours a day and she is worried about him being unable to learn Arabic and the Islamic religion. The struggle she described made me think of some of the poems in Summer of the Black Widows, specifically the first and the last poems. When Alexie explains how he is going to "weave a story." When we take the time to listen and learn from cultures, we are much more empathetic with what individuals from these cultures have to say and are much more willing and apt to push for social change.

Rwang tells the audience about some of the culture differences she sees between the United States and Saudi Arabia. "Our entire culture is based upon our religion," she states. She states that practicing religion is much different here because there are not a lot of mosques and it is easy to forget to pray on time. Another difference is that studying here means "mixed" classes-- both men and women in the same class. At first this was difficult for her but she is learning to adjust. Still, she can't argue or talk to boys the same way that American girls can in a classroom setting. Rwang was the only of the 5 women who did not wear a ji'hab on her head. She was worried about the discrimination she might face, but due to the accepting nature of the people she has come into contact with in the United States, she is reconsidering her decision.

The last women on the panel to speak, Ana, came to the United States to study English as a 2nd language. She further discussed the ji'habs that Muslim women wore, explaining that they were a traditional symbol deeply rooted in their culture and religion. Back in Saudi Arabia all of the women would be wearing a full face covering, but they fear discrimination and not being accepted so resort to only wearing a head covering.

I was especially intrigued to hear about all the drastic changes that are occurring for women in Saudi Arabia. All five of the women agreed that the Middle East was progressing in the amount of rights they allotted to women and believed it was a good thing. Right now, there is one mixed gender university. All but one of the women are learning to drive cars in America. They hope that in upcoming years they will be able to drive at home in Saudi Arabia as well.

After each women had the chance to speak, there was a chance for audience members to ask questions. During this time, people seemed very curious about women's rights, especially having to cover their hair and not being allowed to have contact with men. At one point a Muslim member in the audience stood up and reprimanded the girls for not adhering to their faith properly. You could really feel the awkward tension in the room as the girls tried to answer his questions and ignore his condescending remarks. After making him leave, the host of the even explained that this man came from an Egyptian Muslim background. While his faith was not different in foundation. It was much different in practice.

I really enjoyed hearing from all the women and especially meeting a few of them after the discussion. There really is no comparison between reading about a culture and having the opportunity to experience it. I gained a lot of experience in thinking about how difficult it really must be to be living here and practicing your religion when there are so many barriers against you. It reminded me of the Rwang had explained the difficulty she has just fasting during Ramadan when everyone else around her is eating. It made me stop to think about how difficult it really would be to live in a culture where you are the minority, trying to practice something so drastically different from the rest of the population. Still, I was very glad to hear that all the women have, for the most part, felt welcomed and not judged.

Underwood Samson

Yesterday in class, we talked about the meanings of names in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. When it came to the company Changez worked for, Underwood Samson, we talked about how "underwood" could mean old-fashioned or outdated, and how "Samson" could relate to strength.

What we did not talk about is that Underwood Samson abbreviates to U.S.

So is this Hamid's commentary on American businesses? That they are solidly built but outdated? Or is it an ironic association, because American businesses are weak (look at the economy) even though they are constantly trying to push boundaries? I tend to agree with the second take, using the World Trade Center as an example. In Fundamentalist, Hamid says, "I stared as one--and then the other--of the twin towers... collapsed.... I was caught up in the symbolism of it all, the fact that someone had so visibly brought America to her knees" (72-73).

Many viewed the towers as the epitome of American business and capitalism--a testament to U.S. strength, security, business ventures, and modernism. But they proved themselves weaker than anyone thought was possible when they fell on September 11th, as Changez obviously felt about America and its businesses in general. For this reason, I think the name "Underwood Samson" is a bitter, ironic commentary on the state of affairs of U.S. business.

Workshop Day on Deveare Smith

Good job to all the groups that presented last Thursday! I thought they were all interesting and informative, but my favorite was definitely Nate and Erica’s presentation on music. Before last Thursday I had only heard a little bit about “jerkin’” but never about “dougie-ing” or “hyphy.” Of course, when you think of California you think of it as a center for hip hop and rap and dance, but this presentation helped me realize that it really is its own culture and has something to say to society. The artists want to express their desire to have fun, their individuality, and stress the fact that they don’t care what the rest of society labels them as.

I also thought that this presentation fabulously illustrated the point in Loewen with which they connected it. They mentioned Loewen’s discussion of the concept of civilized versus uncivilized. In America’s past, this applied to the Pilgrims and early settlers and the fact that they considered themselves as more advanced and plainout better than the Native Americans, partially because they didn’t try to understand or get to know the natives and their culture. In the context of music in California, Erica explained that mainstream society might view these types of music as uncivilized, because they are different than most types of music we are used to. However, the fact that society does label it as “uncivilized” is what has helped unify the people who share in creating and enjoying these genres of music. The artists thrive under the thrill of going against what mainstream society expects.

Saudi Forum

The issue of headresses came up a lot at the forum with the five Saudi Arabian women. Only one of the women there was not wearing a head covering, and the four wearing them all had colored ones instead of the stereotypical black. The correct color of head coverings was debated there as well as when it’s appropriate to wear them. The ladies said that head coverings don’t necessarily have to be black, and that they only wear them in the Middle East because that is the cultural norm. This prompted one practicing muslim in the crowd to interject that that teaching was a false one, and that it is only proper for Muslim girls to wear black head coverings. Right there is an example of differences within a culture that leads groups to arguments and fights. The second tenet of Critical Race Theory is that racism is a social and not a biological construction. Similarly, the women were making the argument that only allowing black head coverings is also a social construction. The man contesting this was expressing the Sufi opinion found in Egypt and other places in the Middle East. The women were on the modern Islamic side that doesn’t require as many strict rules as the Orthodox Sufis. This is an example of the rivalry within Islam that has led to many wars and conflicts.

Islamic ladies discussion

I attended the discussion forum for the five Muslim ladies that came to Whitworth to talk about their views of America and some topics of misunderstanding. I really enjoyed the discussion and learned a good deal from it.

The tenet of the Critical Race Theory that states that "racism is ordinary" clearly stood out to me in the dialogue. The girls openly said that they came to America expecting the worst and fearing intense persecution. I would be the same way if I was to travel to Saudi Arabia, I would definitely go with a fear of what was going to happen to me. It is human nature to expect the worst from someone that is different then you. This can be seen in race relations, because people always place stereotypes of the worst possible situation to an entire population.

Just like we saw in Lowen, the whites regarded the Native Americans as savages and uncivilized people. They feared that the Native Americans would do terrible things if a white was to get captured. Upon closer inspection however, it is clear that there is no substantial difference between whites and people of color. It is all a mental thing.

The Order of Myths

The Order of Myths film we watched in class yesterday was a very eye-opening documentary. First of all, I had no idea that Mardi Gras was such a big deal in Mobile, Alabama. I just new the stereotype of how New Orleans is associated with Mardi Gras not how Mobile, Alabama celebrated Mardi Gras in 1703 before New Orleans was even a city.

I was surprised to learn about how segregated Mobile is when it comes to the biggest of their celebrations. The MCA and the MAMGA are two entirely separate organizations who accomplish the same thing except one is white and wealthy while the other is black and middle to lower class. It's the classic case of the debutante society versus the working class with the black servicing the whites. It's an example of what Loewen said in Lies My Teacher Told Me: "young white adults have less tolerant attitudes toward black Americans..." (171). This proved somewhat true for Mobile in 2007, but there were brilliant exceptions, as well. A young white debutante named Brittain didn't wish to participate in the MCA court at all and could be seen in a kitchen talking with an older black woman she clearly respected. She explained how though the white families loved their black servants, they did not treat everyone equally.

The black MAMGA king and queen, Joseph and Stefannie, made a huge effort toward integration when they attended the all-white MCA coronation. They were graciously accepted though everyone was quite surprised to see them in attendance. I thought this was a step in the right direction even though the parades are still segregated and racialized. Brittain also seemed to approve of this and said that there was a time no too long ago when it couldn' have happened and she still didn't think the MCA was ready for the entire black MAMGA court to attend their proceedings.

It was also cool to see the MCA king and queen attend the black MAMGA Comrades Ball and interact with everyone there, dancing and having an apparently good time. Sadly, they were the only whites there, making the stark segregation even more apparent.

The Conde Explorers, the only mystic society that is openly integrated is another sad tale. It is a wonderful effort at better race relations, but there is only ONE white member, which speaks sorrowful volumes about my own race in that area.

I think my generation needs to open its eyes and step up to the plate so to speak in order to make race relations better. America deludes itself into thinking we are all so wonderful when in reality, like Loewen talks about, race relations are only minimally better in most places. I was severely shocked to learn from this film about the 1981 KKK lynching of a 19 year old black boy in Mobile, Alabama. That is terrible and not all that long ago! It's just an example of what Loewen keeps reminding his readers about how our history is whitened and made all rosy.