One Thousand and One Nights
by: Mai Eldib

To many the Middle East is just an area that appears on television every
night or every other night with lots of bloodshed and turmoil. A place
where terrorist reign and are born. Or to others it’s a part of the world
where a family member or a loved one is deployed. Maybe even it’s just a
part of the world that conjures up fantasies of One Thousand and One
Arabian nights. Possibly the region evokes a sense of religiosity seeing that
it is the birth place of 3 monotheistic faiths in the world.
But for me, the Middle East is home. From
the falafel and deserts to the Arabian horse
and shimmying belly dancers. I was born
and raised in Egypt. It’s an area that time
and again is distorted by the media, who
manages to portray the region as the home
of violence and evil. Recently, in the month
of January, President Bush conducted a
visit to the region, in an attempt to decrease
the hostility and troubles that are native to
the Middle East. From the war in Baghdad to
the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, from the surface it appears that the
However, even though the news still glares at us day by day showing us the
travesties that are common to the Middle East. Despite the apparent
misery and archaic traditions propelled through the media, there is more
to the Middle East than war and burqas.

The biggest misconception about the Middle East is that all the countries
from Morocco to Iraq can be lumped into one category. It’s like saying that
the French and the Spanish are one. Trust me, the Lebanese will take great
offense if you think they are Syrians, and the Qataris will not be happy
being confused with the Saudis.

Each country in the Middle East from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates to
Tunisia has its own unique history and culture. We all share the common
language of Arabic but with different dialects. Think of it in terms of the
British, Australians and the Americans. Everyone speaks the same
language, but is it really. I doubt I’d ever hear someone in Idaho saying
“Blimey mate, she acts like she can’t see the tele;” it’ll be more like “Oh my
god, man, she can’t like see the television.” Yes, it’s simplistic, but these
little differences in language, food and culture do make a difference. What
else is different between the countries? Religious preferences? The
economy? The power machine?

The Bush Administration has found it important in their last year in power
to focus on the Middle East. This is not to discount the past six years of the
Bush Adminstration for not including any Middle East related policies, but
rather this year is more focused on diplomacy and resolving messes than
coercion. From the tour in January to the his State of the Union address,
President Bush sees that it is important to start fixing the region from the
troubles that appear to cause so much heart ache for Middle Easterners as
well as Americans who are part of the war. Dreams of standing next to each
other and singing “we are the world” are farfetched dreams can only
glimmer in the distance. But persistence shouldn’t end now or never. The
time is now. And it is more important than ever, for there to be an
understanding between the Middle East and the US. Hypothetically, we are
all allies in the War against Terror, but the approval ratings of the United
States have plummeted ever since the beginning of the Iraqi invasion. And
the United States’ opinion of the Middle East is not in any way held in the
lime light.

On both sides of the Atlantic we seem to be divided by an ocean of ideas
and misconceptions. Yes, we are different. Yes, we don’t all practice the
same faith. Yes, we all don’t look the same. But essentially we are all
humans, tied together by the very need to live in a world free of
aggression, terror and fear. We are all invested in the protection of this
earth not only for our future but for the future of generations to come. So
the time is now, for cultural brokers to reign and find means of
communication to address the differences and understand how can the
Middle Easterners and Americans better understand each other and work
together.

Take a recent college graduate, whether she is from Cairo or New York
City, I can guarantee, despite being miles apart, essentially they are one in
the same. Where the New Yorker might love the snow while has Cairen
never seen a flake hit the boundless Sahara. One thing is for sure, they
both will be worried about life post-graduation. The prospect of the real
world that is ahead and of course finding a job is common place to all the
women of the world. Intrinsically we are more or less the same. Politicians
may divide us. CNN and Fox News may illustrate us as worlds apart, but I
can assure you that regardless, all the 15 year olds can’t wait to read Harry
Potter and maybe head over to the movies to watch it on the big screen
with some Coke and Pop Corn.
Middle East is simply a continuous series of sweltering eruptions that can’t
be quenched by any water from the Jordan River to the Tigris and
Euphrates.