Somewhere between the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the way some Americans view those of Arab descent became a bit skewed.
Just ask Kevin Coker. He’s an American from Pleasanton, but he’s good friends with a man from Saudi Arabia. Coker said his friend is a “good guy” and “just like everyone else,” but Coker’s American friends aren’t always so sure.
“The funny thing is, a lot of people are like, ‘Watch him,’” Coker said, regarding his Saudi friend.
Coker, a history and political science major at Pittsburg State, said ethnic profiling has been on the rise since the terrorist attacks against New York and Washington D.C.
“I think we stereotype Muslims,” he said. “I think we have a tendency to think everyone is an extremist.”
Allison Keegan, a PSU grad student, said Americans do have a tendency to stereotype certain groups of people. However, she said many often aren’t aware they are doing so.
“We all really have those thoughts,” she said, “but we don’t always realize it.”
Coker and Keegan were among many Americans who attended Friday night’s Eid Al-Fitr Celebration and National Day event conducted by the Saudi Student Association from PSU. The event was part celebration of the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, but also an opportunity to provide an educational lesson on the culture of Saudi Arabia.
Badar Alburaidi, SSA’s president, said many Americans don’t have a good grasp of the Saudi Arabian culture and thus tend to make assumptions based on stereotypes. Part of the goal of Friday’s celebration at Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium was to help provide a more solid understanding of the country and its people.
“We want to change the way people think,” he said. “We want to show our cultures, our customs. Some people tend to think Saudi Arabia is just desert with camels, but that is not the case.”
A fellow Saudi native, Talal Alharbi, said it’s important to provide as much information about the country as possible and Friday’s celebration was a good avenue to do just that.
“A lot of Americans don’t know a lot about our culture, so this could help them learn,” he said. “I have a lot of friends who know about the Middle East and what is going on there, but they don’t know about our culture.”
Keegan, along with many in attendance, spent time looking at several pictures of Saudi Arabia’s different areas and sat through an educational video outlining the country’s culture and its government’s relationship with the United States. Keegan, who has worked on diversity programs at PSU, said she hopes to expand her knowledge of Arab cultures.
“I don’t know a lot about the Arab culture,” she said, “so I wanted to come here by myself as opposed to with a friend because I wanted to put myself in a situation where I was out of my comfort zone. I believe the world is like a big novel. And to only know one part of it and to only seek out one aspect of it, like your own culture, is to only read one page of that book.”
A traditional Saudi dinner was served and attendees took part in a traditional Saudi dance. Keegan said it was features such as the dinner and dance that really gave those in attendance a solid glimpse into the Saudi culture.
“By the end of the night a few of us even went on stage and participated in the dance with the Saudis,” she said. “I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but they were cheering me on the whole time. I felt very welcomed.”
Along with learning about Saudi culture, Keegan said the night also gave people a chance to converse with others from several different countries.
“I was able to meet so many people and become enlightened just a bit more about the Saudi Arabian culture,” she said. “At the table where I sat were individuals from South Korea, Nigeria, China, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. That just amazes me.”
PITTSBURG —
