Within our class we spoke about the oppression that Muslim and Arab people face within American society, along with this it seems that continuously the implications of 9/11 against Arab and Muslim people go unnoticed because they are all faulted for the incident that had occurred. The course concepts mainly portrayed within my piece are Islamaphobia, anti-Arab racism, and the “good Muslim” or “patriotic Muslim”. This being so the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism resulted in an influx and more prominent portrayals of the good Muslim in order to not fall victim to islamophobia and hate crimes.
Within the painting on the left, you see seven Muslim women on their knees engulfed in the same flames that take the twin towers. This resembling the implications of 9/11 and how America has tried to free Muslim women from Islam, while in all actuality the U.S. government has condemned them through policy that has perpetuated Islamophobic and anti-Arab ideals. This idea of Freedom, or lack there of, is further shown by the word freedom as it is spelled out across the women’s back. On top of the 9, you will see a podium with an elephant, resembling the Bush administration and the republican party, coming out of the podium you will see a hand pointing at the women this resembling Islamophobia as it has come from the Government and the legislation passed. Throughout the piece, you will see more fingers pointing to resemble how Islamophobia and anti- Arab racism were coming from all sides. Further within US policies, in front of the 9, you will see a U.S. soldier resembling further implications of 9/11 being the U.S. involvement and fight against terrorism in the Middle East. While both pieces resemble more the results of 9/11 on the Arab and Muslim communities, the Second piece shows more clearly Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism through the pointing fingers. Both pieces show the same concepts in more or less the same ways, just with varying degrees of prominence. The concept of Islamophobia is outlined through The Night Counter, Muslims In America, as well as Naber and Jamal’s piece.
The women’s clothing in both pieces resembles that of a “good/patriotic Muslim” as they all wear the colors of the flag. In an effort to not be condemned for the sins of another, these women must wear their allegiance through their clothes in order to obtain the freedom that all Americans should be entitled to. The flames once again resemble that even though these women explicitly show and play the role of the good Muslim they are condemned and subjected to the reality of what it is to be Muslim or Arab in the United States. This concept of the good Muslim/ Muslim terrorist binary is outlined through multiple readings and videos that we have watched and read throughout the semester, some being the Alsultany piece as well as The planet of the Arabs compilation video and the Shugs Fats 4th of July video.
When looking into major facets of oppression as it relates to Arab and Muslim people a common event that people gravitate towards is 9/11 because it was such a tragic day for all people, but also because it is most memorable. When seeing posts about the event you are not likely to hear anyone criticize the actions of the Bush administration, pertaining to legislation, policies, actions, and messages that were put out, etc. especially on mainstream media. By showing the implications of 9/11 on the Muslim and Arab community will open discussions to talk about what Arab and Muslim people had to face in the midst of 9/11. The goal of this project is to widen the lens of what we as a society think about when we think of 9/11. Within that goal, the piece shows what Muslim and Arab people were subjected to, and how Muslim and Arab people had responded to Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, this concept is shown through the guise of looking and acting more patriotic.