By PERRI LERNER
STAFF WRITER
Professor Deepa Kumar lectured recently about Orientalism and Islamophobia at Rutgers University.
Kumar started off by giving the origins of the word “Orientalist.”
“The term Orientalist appeared in English around 1779, and in French in 1799 and the idea of a particular discipline devoted to the study of the ‘Orient’ was taking shape,” she said.
She then proceeded to explain there are two characteristics of Orientalist thought: civilizational view of history and race-based relations.
She said civilizational view of history is based on the idea that civilizations come into being, prosper and then go into decline.
Race-based relations refer to the racial inferiority of others. “Such a view of history assumes that civilizations are distinct entities, which exist in isolation from each other, and which have a core set of values that drive them,” Kumar said.
Islamophobia, she said, is a fairly new concept that has become a more common view since the World Trade Center attacks.
She showed a clip from the movie, “Not Without My Daughter” to emphasize the difference in how the media portrays suburban America compared to Iran.
It showed America as serene, tranquil and comforting, while Iran looked violent, crowded and uncivilized. Kumar said this is how the media typically portrays Arab countries, reinstating the idea that they are scary places not to be trusted.
“This served to reinforce people’s fear of Islam. What we need to do is break past this,” she said.
She also talked about how Disney’s “Aladdin” included many classic Muslim stereotypes. One example included setting the movie in the desert. Kumar clarified that contrary to popular belief, only one-third of Saudi Arabia was desert.
Items such as a flying carpet and a magical lamp containing a genie also emphasized classical Muslim stereotypes.
Turbans, belly dancers, elephants, tigers and monkeys made Arab countries seem exotic and savage-like, she said.
She noted that, despite the fact all of the characters were Arabic, the protagonists had lighter skin and Euro-centric features, while enemies were uglier and had darker skin.
Kumar said the way to get past these stereotypes is to challenge them. One way of doing this is to write letters to newspapers and magazines who use stereotypes in cartoons.
“This is one of the most effective things you can do to help abolish stereotypes,” she said.
The audience responded to the lecture positively, engaging Kumar in questions to answer. One student asked, “How have Muslim-American people been affected by this newly developed Islamophobia?”
Kumar answered by saying that many are very angry and have lost faith in the American political system. Demonstrations and rallies have been organized to help open people’s eyes to how Arab-Americans are treated.
“I never knew how Asian racism came into being. Kumar ‘s lecture helped me see why it started,” said Robyn Barkow, a sophomore at Rutgers.
Kumar emphasized that the most important thing anyone could do is to teach and learn about treatments and stereotypes that these people face today. “With every new person learning about Islamophobia, we are one step closer to eradicating the problem,” she said. |
