When considering the stereotypes of the Middle East, numerous ones can come to the mind. Global Connections (a site created by PBS) has a page that focuses on Westerners’ stereotypes of the Middle East and the people in the region. The list includes a wide variety of typical myths including the following:
- Islam is fundamentally different from Christianity and Judaism
- The Middle East is one big sandy desert with lots of camels, populated by… men in turbans and long white robes… women in black with their faces covered… men waving long curved swords… harems with scantily clad women serving one man… husbands with four wives… rich oil sheikhs… and terrorists.
- Muslims hate all non-believers, and our cultural differences are insurmountable.
- Muslims are fanatics and violent.
- Muslims live in medieval times, unable to adapt to the current world.
- Islam is oppressive toward women
The last in the list, in many ways, is one of the most. Women, as in all cultures, have a major impact on culture, religion, and other aspects of Middle Eastern society, but when it comes to Westerners’ perception, it is many times the most misperceived and stereotyped. When considering the book list for this project, the role and importance of women in the novels becomes obvious. Apart from The Kite Runner, each of the other books feature female narrators, female protagonist, or deal with female-centered conflicts. As Stockdale states, “Muslim women in particular have been singled out as ‘benchmarks’ for Islamic societies and the way they are judged as either ‘civilized’ or ‘uncivilized’ by Westerners. Images of Muslim women as oppressed slaves of Islamic patriarchy, coupled with images of Muslim women as sexual objects, are common fixtures everywhere, from Oprah to Disney’s Aladdin to Fox News” (qtd in Crocco 109). But Arab and Muslim women are much more than simply their religion. They are influenced not only by the religion but also by the culture and region. The culture and religion came from a long tradition and history that began with very early civilizations, even before Islam was established. Many practices that we associate (maybe even negatively) with Islam and women, actually originated from early civilizations in the Middle East and in other regions (Greece and the Byzantine Empire). This is especially true in relation to the patriarchal society. The systems and rules regarding women in Islam are not standard. Rather, they vary according to class, culture, politics, and history.
One of the most prominent symbols for the women’s status and freedom in Islam is the veil. Its meaning and importance is constantly debated in America and in the Middle East. What is usually forgotten is the original meaning of the veil. It was established in Mesopotamia around 1500 BCE. It was continued in the Greece and Roman Empire, Iran and the Byzantine Empire, at a time before the Islamic religion. At this time, it was worn as a symbol of a married woman or slave living in the house of a free man. Eventually it became associated with women of the upper class, which lower class women would copy. Over time, it became associated with Muslim women and thus transferred to cultures where the veil was not a traditional piece of clothing. But for many, it is still considered a symbol of class status and a form of modernity, though not in the Western sense (Crocco). There are many women who wear the veil as a symbol of freedom—freedom from the materialism and the objectification of a woman’s body and appearance. Others resist the veil because it symbolizes for them the oppression of females by males. This is especially true in countries where the veil is enforced by theocratic governments or religious leaders. Reading Lolita in Tehran discusses this issue in relation to the theocratic government that took over Iran. Once the veil was enforced it not only acted as a suppression of women who had chosen not to wear the veil, but it also affected those who had previously chosen to wear the veil. Many had personally chosen to wear the veil for religious reasons, but once it was enforced their choice lost significance.
In relation to stereotypes though, one aspect of the veil that is many times lost in western thinking is that there were and are many women who personally and voluntarily choose to wear the veil. Most westerners assume that all Middle Eastern women are oppressed, especially by the enforcement of the veil. But by assuming this, the Muslim women are automatically reduced to one single group that thinks, feels, and acts unanimously. Muslim women differ along country, culture, and class lines—as various and complex as Christian women in America. In the article on women of the Middle East, Crocco reminds readers that “it is important not to judge women’s status exclusively through Western norms, especially feminist ones” and to consider their position from an insider’s perspective (110).
For many westerners, the veil has become a symbol for the general subjugation of women that they believe is enforced by the teachings of Islam. This contrasts the original teachings which attempted to improve the status of women, especially in comparison to their status in several secular civilizations. It is simply the interpretations over time that has lead to groups and those in power to use Islam against women. As Crocco states, “In Muslim countries around the world, there is a fundamental difference between what is prescribed by religious texts and what is actually practiced, a gulf between the ideal and the real” (110). Unfortunately though, the actions of some Muslims are generalized and expanded to all Muslims and the teachings of Islam. This generalization is expanded further when it is presumed that the actions and beliefs of Muslims are inseparable from those of the Arab—highlighting another stereotype and misperception that the terms Arab and Muslim are interchangeable and refer to the same group of people.
The generalization and assumptions made by many Westerners in relation to Islam and women do not simply affect the individual’s view, but it also affects relations between the West and Middle Eastern countries. This is also true with other stereotypes of the Middle East by those in the West.
But Westerners are not the only guilty party. Middle Easterners have their own misperceptions and stereotypes of Westerners. Again, as in the majority of cases, this comes from a simplification and generalization of the people into a single unified and unanimous group. Global Connections points out and discusses several of these stereotypes:
- All Americans are rich.
- Americans have no family values.
- Americans have no morals; all American women are promiscuous.
- Women are oppressed in the U.S.
- America is hypocritical.
These stereotypes (on either side) can come from a variety of sources. Literature, although probably not the most prominent or influential source, can affect the stereotypes. The effect can either be positive or negative; it can either reinforce the stereotypes or challenge them. Because of this, literature must be read carefully for these effects. Thus, the reader must consider the authors’ background, views, and intent when writing, for these will affect the perspective portrayed through the literature.
Other Sources used:
Crocco, Margaret S., Nadia Pervez, and Meredith Katz. “At the Crossroads of the World: Women of the Middle East.” Social Studies 100.3 (2009): 107-114. Teacher Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.
Challenges to Perceptions 