Opinion analysis by Nour AlMortada, Featured Writer

September 6th, 2021

When we hear the term “Middle East”, our thoughts usually turn to “terrorism” or “desert” because at this point in time, that is what the mainstream media, as well as a large portion of intellectual and literary sources, portray; the idea that the “Middle East” is a backwards, regressive desert filled with camel-riding terrorists still prevails today. What is more unfortunate is that not only is this term, in certain ways, oppressive and demeaning, but the fact that people in the region have done nothing to denounce it is even worse; the acceptance and continuous use of this term only further contributes to the underlying oppressive definition of the term. And so, you might be asking yourself: how is this term oppressive and why should we stop using it?

First, it is important to completely debunk the term. There are plenty of ways to do so, starting with the reason why we need it. It is important that we ask ourselves what the purpose behind using a term that encompasses several countries that are arguably very different is. The answer to this is erasure; the term can be traced back to the early 20th century at best, after European colonialism began. Some argued that the term was used to encompass former Ottoman empire territories, however Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (or what lay in its territory at the time) were never a part of it, so really, this cannot be the justification. On the other hand, some would argue by using geography (proximity to be exact), but where is the logic in attempting to lump in countries spanning two continents into one single group? Particularly, this depends on one’s understanding of what the “Middle East” truly is and encompasses, because according to everyday conversation, North African countries are not part of the region, however, according to most intellectual sources, they very much are, which only renders the term even more problematic. And so, a very important question surfaces: which countries are part of the “Middle East” and which are not?

For instance, some people consider Afghanistan to be part of the “’Middle East”, but geographically, it is closer to Central and South Asia, and so, one might ask what linked it to the region to begin with. Is it culture? Every country in the region carries unique traits, and while some cultural norms are similar, what is the purpose of linking every country with a similar culture to one another? It’s abhorrent to assume that Moroccans and Syrians have the same culture. Even when we argue that the “Middle East” is limited to the Levant, it is still unexplainable: take Persians and Syrians for example, who are both located in the Levant, yet are in no way identical, nor similar to one another. Is it linguistics? While Arabic is the most widely used language in the region, that does not change the fact that other languages, such as Hebrew, Kurdish, Turkish, Persian and others exist and are widely spoken; perhaps not as much as Arabic, but still, when mentioning the “Middle East”, the first assumption about the people of the region is that they are both Arab and Muslim, which leads to the next point: religion.

The issue with religion is similar to that of language, in the sense that, while Islam is the largest represented religion in the region, it is not the only religion in said-region. This should not come as a surprise to anyone who follows an Abrahamic religion or knows the smallest bit of information regarding world religions, however, misconceptions have prevailed and Christianity, Judaism, Druze, Sabeans, Chaldeans and so many other religions have been practically erased from existence by western media. The irony of the matter is that Christianity, which is the largest religion spread globally up until this day, was born in the “Middle East”.

With that being said, we must ask ourselves: why is it essential that we stop using this term? The term has become a staple in media, whether foreign or local, and that has set a very dangerous precedent in terms of our understanding of the region. Today, if you ask anyone about Syria, and their points of discussion would be civil war and foreign intervention, those that are more educated would be able to give more details on the events of the last ten years, but none would be aware of what Syria actually is: one of the oldest existing entities in the world, with a history linking it to multiple empires. If you ask people about the history of the Sultanate of Oman, they most probably will stare at you dumbfounded. Living within the region has given us the ability to learn about others, but the outside world has never heard of us: even within the region, many people are unaware of its history. The term has innately subsided and erased our history, and we, as people of this region, are responsible for this too.

Given that at this point in time, most people have not witnessed more than a few decades of this region’s life and history, it does not come as a surprise that this many people are unaware of what the region has witnessed and experienced over the last couple of centuries. It is true that wars have always been a part of the region’s history, but so was the case for the majority of the world, however, what was it like when there was no war? This region bore some of the most important intellectual achievements, as well as powerful, and arguably great, empires: from the Mesopotamians, to the Islamic empire, the Achaemenid empire, and many others; even the Romans and the Greeks were present for a decent amount of time, and yet this term came to existence and simultaneously wiped out all of that information and replaced it with “Camel-riding Islamist terrorists”.

And so, rather than changing people’s views about the region, rather than changing the meaning behind “Middle East”, rather than attempting to reattach all of the thrown-out pieces of history that the label erased in the minds of those beyond the borders of the region, why not just stop using it? By continuing to use this term, we are contributing to the erasure of our history and culture. We continue to attempt and reason with the people who minimized our existence beyond the region, when we should not be arguing at all, but rather changing the narrative. By labelling us the “Middle East”, by labelling us “terrorists”, we are dehumanized to an extent where we can be colonized, bombed and oppressed quite easily. While colonialism is deeply enrooted in our systems, taking one step towards freeing our minds from their control is a step in the right direction.

Sources:

-          Irvine, V. E. (2021). Syria | History, People, & Maps | Britannica. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Syria

-          Wormald, B. (2015, April 2). The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050. Retrieved August 28, 2021, from Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project website: https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/

-          Sawe, B. E. (2019, January 22). What Languages Are Spoken In The Middle East? Retrieved September 3, 2021, from WorldAtlas website: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-the-middle-east.html

-          Fisher, M. (2015). 40 maps that explain the Middle East. Retrieved September 3, 2021, from Vox.com website: https://www.vox.com/a/maps-explain-the-middle-east

-          Shaw, S. J. (2021). Ottoman Empire | Facts, History, & Map | Britannica. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire

-          Afghanaid. (2020, February 27). Is Afghanistan in the Middle-East? Afghanaid Explains! Retrieved September 3, 2021, from Afghanaid website: https://www.afghanaid.org.uk/is-afghanistan-in-the-middle-east-afghanaid-explains