Now is the Time for Arab and Iranian Americans to Stand United

posted on: Feb 8, 2017

BY: Stephanie Yasi Farokhi/Contributing Writer

Salam. Salam “سلام” simply translates into peace, and is used as the standard greeting of “hello” in both Arabic and Farsi. Language is just one of the countless commonalities that Arabs and Iranians also referred to as Persians, have with one another.

With the start of a New Year, and the inauguration of a new U.S. president who is openly racist, xenophobic, as well as Islamaphobic, it is extremely vital that Arab and Iranian Americans stand united at this time. Correspondingly, even if President Trump does not enact half of the immigration policies he proposed during his campaign, his legacy is here to stay. Trump’s campaign has fueled closeted racists to finally come step outside, and has normalized their hatred towards people of color and Muslims. It is crucial that minorities such as Arab and Iranian Americans highlight their similarities to the wider public and present a unified front.

Arab and Iranian Americans can begin to unite through culture. They have countless cultural similarities, aside from a similar language, that can be found through each other’s arts, music, and food. Another particularly obvious similarity between both Arabs and Iranians is their overwhelming hospitality towards household guests, and even strangers.

One will never find a hungry individual in an Arab or Iranian household. Period. It is seen as awfully disrespectful in both cultures to not offer guests seemingly endless supplies of food. Such meals might include chicken kabobs, rice, stew, and exceptionally rich sweets; not snacks. In other words, generosity is exceptionally imperative in both cultures; Arab and Iranian Americans are always willing to offer you something.

Sometimes, they might even offer you the shirt off their back. No kidding. For example, growing up in an Arab or Iranian household, it is not far fetched for someone to receive a compliment on their clothing or jewelry, and for them to give it to the person ten seconds later. Even innocent compliments might land people with new gifts!

Simply stated, generosity is deeply embedded into both the Arab and Iranian cultures – for the most part. Unfortunately, these transparent and beautiful similarities between Arab and Iranian Americans are widely downplayed in the mainstream media. For example, anyone watching a major news channel that reports on international news, such as CNN, might see an apparent regional competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia. One might also be reminded that Iran is an Islamic Republic Shia country, while the majority of Arab countries are all Sunni dominated with pockets of Christian communities.

Moreover, such differences between Arabs and Iranians are not just displayed by the media; some Arabs and Iranians have their own hostilities, as well. For example, the eight-year long war between Iran and Iraq left many Iranians with an animosity towards Iraqis, or Arabs as a whole, and vice versa. Some Iranians also go out of their way to make sure that people know that they are not Arab, but are rather descendants of the Aryan race.

While it is clear that these issues have nothing to do with Arab and Iranian people themselves, and has everything to do with power, money, and politics, they nevertheless impact perceptions about each other.

Regardless of differences, it is the similarities that matter today. Arab and Iranian Americans are much more similar than they are unalike, and politics, wealth, and the need for power should not take this away.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that both Arab Americans and Iranian Americans highlight their similarities to America by embracing their culture together in public and stand up for one another when the other group faces hate. With a new presidential administration that is targeting Arabs and Iranians, there is no time for any sort of hostilities between Arab and Iranian Americans, as small and petty as they might be.

A deep and meaningful solidarity between these two beautiful cultures and further marginalized groups should be one of the few positive outcomes that appear out of this administration. Here is to celebrating Arab and Iranian Americas rich and countless similarities’ moving forward in the years to come.