Charcteristics Of Orientalism

Charcteristics Of Orientalism

There are millions of different races of people that study the Muslim religion. A lot of people argue that Muslims are different from Arabs when really it is not a race but a religion. The difference between a Muslim and an Arab is that they follow different traditions and worship different Gods. Unlike Arabs different races can follow the Muslim religion, and there are millions of Americans that do.
Before 9/11 the Muslims and Arabs were not one of the bigger targets for racism, it was actually the events 9/11 that brought so much attention to their races or religions. Now many Americans see someone that may resemble the Arab culture and no matter what they are considered a terrorist. I have seen in a lot of situations people from India, Figi, and even some Americans who’s family has lived in America for many generations and are from the Arab ethnicity are labeled terrorists when they are not even from the countries we are at war with. If we look back in history and compare today’s racism toward many Arab or Muslim ethnicities to the racism that was triggered toward many Japanese, Chinese, Philippine and Korean decent when WWII started we can see the same effects. Although we do not have the camps that we did back then for these races, the racism is still the same racism no matter how we look at it.
From what I have found some characteristics of Orientalism are their culture, language and peoples. I think that because we do not really understand these cultures or their language we only believe what we hear. You know the old saying believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see, well it is something like that. We think we understand their culture but really we do not, but by trying to learn it opens the door to judgment.

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