Orientalism
Characteristics of Orientalism, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Pyne (2003) states, that the Department of Justice internal report shows that the government took a hold on Muslim, Arabs, Middle Eastern people with no evidence of terrorist acts. After 9-11 the same Justice Department arrested 750 immigrants of South Asian and Middle Eastern on insignificant immigration law violations in order to find terrorist connections. According to Pyne (2003), at the attempt of male immigrants of these groups to register with authorities, the governments assigns warning signs of being dangerous to all males of these groups. The example bellow can’t show any better government impact on prejudice and discrimination against Muslim, Arabs, and other related groups after 9-11. Hate crimes against Muslims went up 34 times that its pre-attack levels.
One of the characteristics of Orientalism is the prejudiced attitude of the East by the West. Another characteristic is to stereotype Arabs and Muslim which are different in background and religious expression, in one group of people named “Orientals”. In other words, Orientalism is an unconscious prejudice. Since the West sees the Orient as mysteriously different and avoids rational analysis, these extreme leads to oppression and hate crimes.
So, how can we promote tolerance and reduce prejudice against these groups? Simply trying to know more about their differences and lifestyles can reduce prejudice. While we cannot make such an assumption to any case and we cannot agree with every point of view and existence which is different from ours, learning to become tolerant is what makes people respect humanity in every person, even thought their opinions, practices, religion, and nationalities differ from our own.
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