Diverse cultures characterize the whole world due to the different ethnic, religious and political backgrounds that exist. The contrasting nature of the Saudi Arabian and the American culture in terms of clothing, food, music and religion make it difficult for us Saudi students to cope with the culture shock. The stereotypes that Americans associate with Arabic Muslims further compound the problems that we face. Saudi Arabia’s population in America is almost 100% Islam and, therefore, the challenges that we face are synonymous to those that other Muslims experience irrespective of their ethnic background. The biggest issue is the upsurge of terrorism attacks that the press and Western security agencies allegedly attribute to Islam and more specifically the Muslims of Arabian decent.
The terrorism branding makes the other American students treat us with utter suspicion. Living in America as a Saudi Arabian student literary feels like living in a concentration camp. The September 11 attacks took the discrimination and anti-Muslim sentiments to a whole new level. The European governments’ anti-terror legislation such as the Patriotic Act further compounds our problems. It is impossible to live and study in a country where the law allows our arrest and detention on the flimsiest of suspicions due to our ethnicity and religion. Lack of representation in the decision-making bodies is another issue.
The successful demonization of Islam is a clear indication of the lack of representation of Muslims in European Countries which includes us the Saudi Students in America. Established political parties have consistently denied key positions to their Muslim members because it will be bad for publicity. In the absence of such representation, we as the Saudi Arabian students feel vulnerable and at the mercy of the American people who already view us as radicalized members of terrorist organizations. Loeb (200) offers a passionate plea for A Americans to get involved in issues that matter such as the discrimination against Muslims. We should adopt integration as a means of curbing these stereotypes and anti-Muslim sentiments.
Muslim communities in Europe are now choosing t from parallel societies due to their mistreatment. The parallel societies further create a conducive environment for radicalization and extremism to grow domestically. It is time we heed Loeb’s (200) call for citizen activism and embrace integration. Integration of Muslim professionals into the mainstream media will go a long way in achieving the short term goal of changing the negative perceptions towards us the Arabian Muslims. These Muslim professionals will help in the sensitization of the general public on the achievements and contributions that Arabian Muslims have made in especially the medical sector. According to Loeb (201), politics cannot survive without citizen engagement in the decision-making processes.
A long-term measure would be the integration of Muslims into the legislative bodies such as the parliament and the senate. European countries should start rolling out the process of granting Muslims with citizenship rights which will consequently allow them to participate in the electoral processes. The right to vote will therefore enable Muslims to elect leaders who can articulate their issues. The effects of these measures will go a long way in ensuring our comfortable stay while we study in Europe. Research studies reveal that there is always an increase in the number of Muslims occupying elective posts in Europe after every election. Even though most of these representatives are not direct Muslims, most of them can trace their roots to a Muslim background. For instance, some politicians in France trace their origin from Morocco, Algeria and Senegal. All these countries are predominantly Islamic states.
Works cited
Loeb, Paul Rogat. Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in Challenging Times. 2nd ed., rev. and updated ed. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2010. Print.
