I was also 7 years old when the 9/11 explosions happened, and I remember how very confused I was at that age when I saw how sad and angry my mother and father and everyone in my family were. I didn’t really understand why some explosions that are very far away should matter to us. I didn’t know how could these attacks affect me and my family, or what implications they would have in my life. But as I grew up, I began to understand and form a better view of this issue by noticing how ever since the 9/11 explosions happened, my family and I were somehow treated differently in airports and some other places. I remember how my dad preferred to give another country’s name when we were asked where do we come from just to avoid the sudden change in attitude that we used to observe whenever we said “Saudi Arabia” and also to avoid the very heated political arguments that usually start. Another thing that I understood later on was that what those terrorists did not only harm the people of the United States by taking away innocent lives and leaving people with absolute terror, they also harmed the Muslim people by tarnishing the image of Islam to the rest of the world, and creating the basis of racism against Muslims. What is even worse is the fact that since that day every terrorist attack was directly linked to Muslims.
Going back to the question, my perception of the Boston explosions was very different from the 9/11 explosions mainly because of the knowledge I have acquired throughout the years that made me better understand how horrible and terrifying this feels to everyone regardless of all the possible differences. Nevertheless, I’m still perplexed when it comes to trying to comprehend what could possibly motivate anyone to do such inhumane and extremely cruel thing, especially that those who did it claim to be Muslims and they did it in the name of Islam, when the Islamic message is a message of peace and harmony between people with different beliefs, and a message that contradicts all their extremist ideas and beliefs.
I feel very bad for all that happened during this past week, from the Boston explosions, and Texas’ explosion to Iran’s earthquake, and I can’t help but feel sorry for how messed up this world we live in is, and how hatred succeeded in working its way and penetrating through people’s hearts which shattered the world apart. Yet, I believe that love still exists, and through the right means, which are sometimes as simple as dialogue, we can bring empathy back to people and create a different world where everyone can forget and forgive and live in peace and harmony.

There definitely exists an opposite end for men’s gaze when it comes to looks, relationships and sex. I think that the women’s gaze is not entirely recognized due to the fact that we basically live in a male centered world where the pleasure of males is what is most important. Which lead to the creation of certain standards in terms of beauty and sex that women are strongly trying to reach in order to gain men’s attention and pleasure. Sometimes I wonder what made women become the subject of men’s pleasure and not the opposite? We see it all the time in TV advertisements, women are involved in marketing any product whether there was relevance or not. However, women’s gaze definitely exists and it is quite popular in the female world. We can see the difference between men’s gaze and women’s gaze when we look at the media targeted towards female. Romantic movies are probably the first popular medium that models the women’s gaze when it comes to both looks and actions. These movies created this imagery of this noble and handsome man that is now the dream of every girl. They also portray some very romantic moves and gestures that girls hope to see in their real lives. Men, however, do not so commonly seek these idealistic actions in real life. A very simple example is how sex is pictured in movies to be so passionate and satisfying for both the guy and the girl, when that is not nearly the accurate case in real life. So here is where the difference between males and females can be strongly observed. Women are so influenced by the media in terms of how they should look and what they should do to appeal to men as much as possible, whereas, men, not all of them of course, but the majority would not make pretty much the same effort to please women. From another perspective however, some women could argue that what we are doing is not entirely for men. Part of it is actually for self satisfaction. We all want to look beautiful, and there’s no doubt that a woman’s confidence is strongly influenced by the way she looks. Talking from a personal experience, I come from an environment where women and men are completely segregated, so I live in a female surrounded place. Some people might think that we wouldn’t put much effort on our looks since there aren’t any men. But the truth is we actually dress up and put a lot of effort on our looks mainly for our ego and ourselves. So I feel that even though we live in a male centered world, it is up to the women to decide whether to be an object or flip the coin around and try to make this opposite end more sought by men.

I don’t think my sympathy for Tammy would have changed if she were Native American or of any other race. I believe that all humans were created equally, regardless of their skin color or beliefs. That is why we see ourselves sympathizing the same way with the poor and less fortunate people when we look at them just as humans, and ignore our physical differences and our chosen beliefs. Now I think that the reason for this question goes to the fact that Tammy is white, which might affect our sympathy for her since we may assume that she chose to live this way, and that she has some things that could work out for her benefit, such as her skin color, if she wanted to change her life with determination. However, Tammy was born in a family where she was one of 22 other siblings, so she did not really have the means to control the way her life turned out for. I think that Tammy’s story shows a side of the white race that many people assume that it does not exist or at least a side that was never brought to their attention. So it may come as a surprise to those people of the other races that Tammy is actually facing a hard life, such as those that we always associate with the minorities, and that she actually has to walk 10 miles a day to go to work and help her family. A question that I had in mind when I was watching the video in class was why wouldn’t Tammy just register for social services rather than working in a job that barely gets her enough money? Now that I think about it, I think that she is trying to give her children an example of perseverance and strength. Even though they won’t understand it now, and they actually feel ashamed of her, they will definitely appreciate it later when they grow up, and hopefully when life finally smiles for one of them and he gains the ability to transform the circumstances that they were brought in. Tammy’s story was sort of like a reminder to me not to take everything for granted and thank god to what I have right now, and try to find a way to change the lives of people like Tammy. Going back to the question, I can’t say I would feel more of less sympathetic towards Tammy if she were Native American. However, my sympathy would somehow change considering what we know about Native Americans and how extremely few their chances of getting a better life are compared to any other group. But still, no one enjoys seeing people struggle in life no matter how different and distant they are to what we are.

The message I would like to send to the American people regarding change would be to look closely at what is happening around them rather than just looking at what is happening in the rest of the world. I think that the reason for the majority of race problems that Americans deal with each day is the result of the biased media. The United States media is very self centered, all that it show are images that portray what they think is right, and what they think that the American citizen should also think as right, regardless of how true, accurate and real these images are. To clarify, look at how the human right issues are very stressed upon in the media, and how the United States human right advocates appear on TV and condemn all kinds of violence, inequality, and dictatorships in other countries, but they rarely, might as well never, address the same issues the same way in the United States. Now the bigger problem is that the American media is so powerful that it managed to reach the rest of the world, which made the world get deluded by the fairness and justice of the United States. To an outsider, America is exactly the American dream they have always known and heard of through media, the land of freedom and justice. This outsider has never been exposed to the reality of the United States. For example, when you see that the highest position any American can reach, in terms of power, which is the president of the United States has been reached by a black person, you would think that this country has defeated racism long time ago. Also, when you see the tremendous amounts of money that this government spends on foreign aid, you would think that this country has probably overcome poverty long time ago. But the ugly truth is that the United States still has these problems, but for some unclear reason, they are barely exposed to the public, and they are rarely given appropriate attention. I, for instance, never understood this until what I saw and learned about through soc119 from racism and discrimination against minorities to the dilemma of Native Americans.
Going back to the question, I think that in order to really get over these issues, Americans should get to see what is really happening in their country, and the only way to do this is to look beyond what they see on TV and read on newspapers, in other words, beyond their typical resources. If I had the chance to deliver this message, I would choose art, simply because of the creativity of how powerful of an impact it could leave on our generation. Art would definitely serve as a motivation for change. I believe that this message is as well useful for other people, because we all should educate ourselves more about the issues that we all face in today’s world.

I think that this is a difficult question, because if you ask anyone this question, the first reply that would come to their minds would most likely be; of course not. Much like racism no would say straight out say that they are racist. We all think more of ourselves in terms of integrity and honor, when in reality we all run in the course of our personal well being and interest. Also, We all like to think of ourselves as fair, and noble people, and that we are against all kinds of discriminatory action, but when we are put in a situation where there is a benefit in the sake of our interests, everything suddenly changes. However, I am not saying that we are two faced, since I know that this sudden change of outlook towards such offers could actually be involuntary and without any sort of bad intentions. Very few people would think of themselves as under qualified for a job, so the majority of people would think that they deserve that job even though they might have cheated a little bit and got a little push to get it.
To add to that, I support affirmative action, because we can all see how opportunities do not occur to some people, minorities and lower class people, as much as they do to the other higher class people. Yet, I am not sure what to think of nepotism, because I think that people who benefit from nepotism are in most cases the people with strong financial capabilities, and high social class. Those people could definitely get jobs more easily, since they will have more opportunities than those who benefit from affirmative action. But I see that nepotism apply to those people who are just trying to stay in the comfort zone of their families and friends. Still, if we look at both nepotism and affirmative action from the same angle, we will see that they both carry pretty much the same idea, which is basically favoring one individual than the other for reasons far from qualification.
To answer the question; would you still take a “handout”? I can’t find a suitable answer to this question, because I feel like it depends on the situation I am at when I was handed out the job, how much do I need it? Am I more or equally qualified as those who applied for that job? Am I taking an opportunity from the hands of someone who definitely needs it more than I do? And then how would I feel after I accepted the handout when it turns out later to me that I did not really deserve it? All of these questions could have different answers depending on the context of the situation. But I have to admit as well as most people, it is very difficult to turn down an opportunity that was offered to you no matter how opposing you are to this nepotism or affirmative action act.

Although there is some truth in the statement women are not really free, I disagree with it to some extent. As a female from Saudi Arabia I can see how women in the United States are definitely more free than other women in the rest of the world to make their own choices. I think that the question that was asked in class does not prove anything in regards to women’s free will, because it was stated awkwardly for the most part, and the other thing is it is a personal thing that would not make any difference whether it was shared or not. Also, the decision that most of the women in class made when they chose not to answer the question can definitely be viewed as a free choice.
The main reason that I disagree with the statement that Sam made about women’s free will is that I actually saw the difference between the very limited choices women in my country have, that we rarely have a chance to practice free will, and the choices that women in the United States are given. So even though I understand that there still remains some discrimination against women in the United States in some aspects, which results in an imperfect free will, so to speak, I still think it is somewhat unfair for the other women in the rest of the world to hear Americans say that women here are not really free. I will get a little bit off track here, coming from a men dominant country like Saudi Arabia and speaking from a personal experience, I can say that my whole life is based off determinism, and I seriously can not think of any situation where I went with free will, either in actions or speech. What I’m trying to say is a silly question about women’s period is not enough to make a conclusion about women’s freedom.
I have to say that I was very surprised to see that very few women raised their hands when Sam asked who was bleeding. Mainly because it was strange for me to understand that a completely natural thing like the menstruation period is considered to be a taboo subject in a culture where almost everything is openly discussed. At the same time, I was glad to see that there still are some private matters that everyone agrees on keeping them private. I certainly don’t feel ashamed of getting my monthly period, but I am still not entirely comfortable in discussing it in front of over 700 strangers, not because it is disgusting or any silly reason of this sort, but because I just don’t see what difference would it make if it was discussed in public.

I have always been afraid of death, even though I know that we are all going to die eventually. I never though that my fear was something strange, because it is absolutely normal for a human to be afraid of death. Love for life is simply part of our human nature. Since we all know that death is our eventual fate, and we have no doubt about it whatsoever, what are we afraid of exactly? I am personally afraid of what I will find after I take my last breaths. The way Sam described what happens after you die and what you will likely find in the lecture was very assuring and relaxing, and it is what everyone wants to hear regardless of their faiths, but the question that I had in mind afterwards was; is that enough? After life is not just 3 seconds or even 3 hours, we are talking about eternity here. What happens after the body is buried in the ground, what happens after the body is completely decomposed, and all that is left is your bones? There is still no real answer to all of this, and there will never be. I truly believe that the only way to find out is when you die yourself and see. I am not being skeptic or anything, I just don’t think that Sam’s answer is enough. Now, coming from a religious family, and experiencing deaths of some of my very close loved ones, I can’t say that I am afraid to die, because I came to the realization that death is not as bad as I think it would be. First of all, I will get the chance to get back together with my loved ones. Second thing is that I truly believe that the after life is definitely better than the life we are living at. Whenever I read about the life that I should expect after I die in my holy book, I feel a sense of comfort and longing to see for myself.
Even though I was not that convinced with how Sam described what we will experience after we die, I can’t deny that I actually liked the equality it portrayed, and how everyone, regardless of everything that separated us as humans, will eventually have the same fate. I think that religions nowadays are separating us and are creating a lot of conflicts in the world, and that is not what religions are about. So the idea of unity and equality after death sounds very fair, even though it contradicts my beliefs and most of other religions beliefs. I still believe that there is more into it than what Sam described, and I will keep doing what I am doing to get what god promised me of, but for the time being I like the idea that all humans will go through the same experience right after they die.

I think that reacting to such life altering news depends on what your perception of god and religion is. I personally perceive religion as a way of life rather than a theory of how the human being and the universe were created. I have never actually thought about the different theories out there about the human and the universe. I have always believed in creationism, and I never had any doubts about it. That is basically due to how little, or even possibly nothing, I knew about the other beliefs and theories that explain this controversy of evolution from angles I have never thought about. Our education system, back in my country, avoids provoking any kind of thinking whatsoever, especially in terms of religious studies. And I honestly never bothered to look up any proofs for creationism, since I never really questioned it. Now I decided to study abroad primarily for the education, and developing my own personality and reshaping all of the ideas that have been shaped for me throughout my life. Reshaping religious ideas was not in my plan. Hearing this, many people may think that I am starting to question my religion, but this is not a bad thing at all. I am just starting to look at everything from a wider perspective. When Sam asked the question about how did we come about to what we are today, I chose creationism, which is that god created humans in the form they are today. But after hearing what he had to say about the evolution theories and their potential validity I changed my answer to I am not sure when the question was asked a second time. But I believe that this has nothing to do with my religion, it just means that I started thinking in a scientific way. I don’t have to accept and believe the scientific theory of evolution, but I now at least know that it exists. Now to answer the question, what would you do if you found out god doesn’t exist? I don’t think that such news would have that big of an impact on my life because as I said I perceive religion as a way of life. I like the fact that my religion tells me that I was created for a purpose, and I can’t imagine my life without a purpose. To satisfy this purpose I have to perform certain duties that revive my spirituality and my consciousness. I can’t imagine living a life where I don’t think about consequences, and where I don’t reevaluate my actions based on a certain criteria provided by a higher power. So, I feel like I will carry on my life the way I used to with the idea that god exists and he is watching me, even if I knew that there was no god.

It is really difficult to think of yourself as being one of the elite in the world because usually we only compare ourselves with the people around us, and based on this comparison, we see ourselves as average people, less than average or a little more than average, but not rich! When Sam said that if you are sitting here right now, then you are rich. The words, even though they are absolutely true, sounded a bit ridiculous, and that is because we rarely take a moment and try to compare ourselves with the other people in the world. We are so occupied with our own lives, and our own financial problems that we hardly find time to think about other people’s financial states, and I am not talking about the people around us, but the people who are struggling to get through their daily lives. That is why the realization that we are indeed rich struck most of us pretty hard. We don’t give much thought to the fact that our average standards might be considered as rich standards to other people. Personally speaking, I have always thought that I come from a middle class family, and I am an average person. But that was when I was back home, around people that more or less get the same yearly income. When I came to the United States, I noticed how extremely different my average standards are compared to people here, which actually made me feel pretty bad, because I never really appreciated this. Each person perceives being rich differently according to the standards they are accustomed to, which makes it kind of hard to comprehend that compared to the majority of the world, we are rich.
Now to answer the question, I think that understanding in which class we generally stand in the world, in terms of money, is the first step towards making a difference. Because we will feel some kind of responsibility towards others, and this responsibility is not at all tough as one would imagine. Just think of how much it takes to educate a child in Haiti or any other poor country, $10? Nothing to us, but a lot to them. This is where we realize that making a difference is definitely doable. I have always wanted to do something to help people in poor countries that would make me feel proud of myself, such as going to a poor country in a volunteering mission, but I know that this could be very difficult to accomplish. Nevertheless, I still feel empowered when I walk through the world with the idea that “I am rich” since I also feel the ability to help and contribute in making a difference, and feel good, even though I couldn’t help in person.

Being a Muslim woman in the United States is difficult by its own, so imagine being an Iranian Muslim woman! I can absolutely understand how that Iranian girl feels everyday when she sees how people try to avoid her, and kind of feel intimidated by her, and also how suddenly everything changes when she says that she is from Iran. I can say this, because I go through, to some extent, the same thing everyday. However, I don’t think “hatred” is the right word to describe how people feel towards me or even her. Even though my situation may be different from the Iranian girl’s situation since I come from Saudi Arabia, I still feel like “hatred” is a big word, and doesn’t accurately describe how people really feel. I think that the real reason that made the girl feel like Americans hate her is primarily based on what she sees on TV. Such as, how the American media portray Iran as an absolute “threat to the United States and the world” to the public, and how they exaggerate the whole American Iranian conflict that is going on today. Now my situation is different because, from what I have been seeing, all that people know about Saudi Arabia is that we have a lot of oil, we are rich, and women are oppressed. So the main issue I face is that people feel intimidated by the “head scarf” at first, they perceive it as a barrier that keeps them from approaching me, and it is just because they don’t feel comfortable, and that they don’t really know how to approach a Muslim woman, so it is kind of like they don’t want to do anything that might offend me. So once I introduce myself, and start talking, I can see their thoughts reflected on their faces “Hey, she is a normal person after all”. Once the barrier is gone, they start asking all sorts of questions about Saudi Arabia, and I can really see the genuine interest in their questions.
As Muslim women, we need a lot of courage and understanding to go by our daily lives in the United States. As we will have to hear and have to go through all sorts of hardships from the negative thoughts that some narrow minded people have, we will also meet wonderful people who are very open towards learning about us and our culture. We also have to put in mind what people know about us, and try to understand why they would seem uncomfortable around us, and act in an awkward way. My last thought is, it takes a lot of courage to stand up and speak up your mind in front of 700 people, so props to the Iranian girl for an awesome lecture closing.