First Things First: A Look at Orientalism.

Since this class, and subsequently this blog, is dedicated to the study of Islamic Cultures (how Islam is practiced around the world), I thought it would be appropriate to begin with a look at Orientalism and how it affects Western notions of not only the Middle East, but of Islam globally.

Orientalism is a term coined by Edward Said which essentially expresses the lens through which the West, whether in academia, art, or literature, has portrayed and generalized the "Orient." Orientalism has both created and perpetuated stereotypes of the Middle East, and Islam, that have come to be accepted as "truth" today. Some of these stereotypes include images of despotic rulers, tribal nomads, exotic landscapes and practices, and religious fanaticism.  These images are conjured in the minds of many westerners even though they may not have ever set foot in the Middle East, or more generally, the "Orient." It is this feeling of having first-hand knowledge of the Middle East, specifically, or the Orient, generally, that constitutes the basis of Orientalism.

In class, we watched a short film entitled "On Orientalism" in which Edward Said was interviewed and explained some facets of Orientalism.  In the film, some examples of how Orientalism is perpetuated today included many major Hollywood films where Arabs are consistently portrayed as violent extremists or terrorists.  The news media was also another place mentioned, as exemplified in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, which the news media reported had all the signs of Middle Eastern extremists being responsible.  In fact, the FBI told people to be on the look out for three "Middle Eastern men" who were most likely to blame.  Once it was discovered that a white, Christian man was responsible for the bombing, there was no apology to the Arab community.  I suppose everyone just accepted that Arabs or "Middle Easterners" were inherently suspects in a bombing and therefore didn't warrant an apology.

I think this event highlights just how prevalent Orientalism is here in the United States.  What is most striking to me, however, is how even the FBI, without having any real evidence, just told the public to look out for "three Middle-Eastern men."  This statement, to me,  shows that Orientalism is not just a vague concept in academia, but ingrained stereotypes that even our own government perpetuates. I guess the larger questions would be: Why is it ok to stereotype "Middle Easterners"? Why Islam? Does every culture or civilization need "the other," or "them"?