(RACISM AND INTOLERANCE)
Informal Presentation: April 17th, 2013.
Report submission: May 14th, 2013.
Fatma Al Hazeem
Nooriya Al Salem.
Racism and intolerance
Intolerance and racism are among some of the vices that need to be addressed in Kuwait, considering the fact that they have been on a steady and consistent persistence in the society, and consequently, affecting the country’s development. Among the various challenges that multinational societies such as Kuwait are facing and that are affecting their relations from diplomatic to social levels, have been detrimental to their development. Unfortunately, they have been passed on from one generation to the next, and that exist in almost every part of the globe. In Kuwait, particularly in the twenty first century, some of the factors and aspects that have limited and maimed social interrelations and effective interaction between various societies, which in this case include countries, are racism and intolerance. Racism is the case whereby people discriminate against each other, based on their racial background, leaving them disadvantaged and not in a good position to enjoy various rights and freedoms. Intolerance, on the other hand, is the conscious or subconscious impatience that a person has or may develop towards given people in the society or in their communal settings, developed and based on the differences drawn from various demographics such as social, religious, racial or gender differences, among others.
One of the most essential aspects to note concerning the twenty first century is the fact that many societies have been playing their roles to their best to address and reduce the number of racism and intolerance cases between different people. This, so far, has reported a breakthrough, especially, since there has been several unifying factors that have been established from the same. At the same time, addressing racism and intolerance between different societies has been creating more room for diplomatic relations between different countries and societies, which is necessary, especially, for the sake of development (Schirmer, 2002, p. 67).
However, even with the diligence in addressing the vice in Kuwait, there have been several challenges that have been associated to the same, and that have led to impartial success in addressing the challenge. This is the intolerance and racism created and developed as a result of racial differences between different societies. This is one of the challenges that have affected relations in Kuwait, and have spread from the religious differences onto to other areas such as gender and racial differences (Schirmer, 2002, p. 122).
In order to understand intolerance and racism in Kuwait, the purpose of this study will be identifying the various aspects that have contributed to persistent racism cases in the country, as well as the entire Arabian region. From past research studies, it has been identified that religion and culture are the building blocks upon which racism has been founded, and it will be necessary to understand why intolerance has been persistent in the region, and the strategies that can be possibly implemented in order to address the challenge. According to Schirmer, it will be necessary to understand the social set up of Kuwait, since this study will guide any future marketers or investors seeking to promote their products in the region, as this will have major implications on the products’ performance in the region (2002, p. 178).
Lastly, considering the fact that various international organizations such as the United Nations have been strongly advocating for the stamping off of some of the development-detrimental practices such as racism and intolerance, it will play a major role in identifying ways through which the challenge can be addressed, as well as unify the different societies in the region, and abroad. At the same time, conducting study will assist various organizations in identifying ways through which they will address racism and intolerance, not only in Kuwait, but also other similarly affected regions across the globe.
Bibliography
Schirmer, D. 2002. Identity and Intolerance: Nationalism, Racism, and Xenophobia. New York: McGraw-Hill.
