The Issue Of Color & Race In Middle Eastern Society
Some years ago an ex-boyfriend of mine, a member of the Nation of Gods & Earths (a.k.a the Five Percent Nation) had the pivotal work The Book Of The Five Percenters by the Nation’s founder Clarence 13X laying around his apartment. I remember picking it up as soon as I saw it and what stood out the most to me was the frequently used phrase “pale Arab.” To this day I don’t quite understand the complicated theory behind the term, but the description struck a chord with me because technically, that’s what I am—a light-skinned person of Middle-Eastern descent.
I thought about the concept of “pale Arabs” this weekend as I watched (and cheered on) Rima Fakih as she won the Miss USA crown. The olive-skinned, dark-haired beauty stood out from the other four girls (all blond) who rounded out the top five finalists. This article isn’t about Rima being Muslim, her pole-dancing contest fiasco, etc. Instead, I’m focusing on the rarely discussed issue of color within the Middle Eastern community and how it plays out in the wider world.
Rima’s originally from Lebanon (as is my own mother’s family) and with her olive skin and dark, cascading hair she’s very much the Princess Jasmine (from Aladdin) stereotype of what a Middle Eastern woman should look like. You know who else is Lebanese? Ralph Nader, political activist and former contender for President of the United States. Check him out below:
Looks like a regular old “white” guy, right? Both Nader’s parents—Nathra and Rose—are from Lebanon; they immigrated to Connecticut (where Ralph was born) in their early years.
While Ralph is generally considered white (his Lebanese heritage is rarely mentioned in the media; same with current U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood) Rima is being stamped as “Arab-American” in the growing coverage of her achievement. Yet both have the same country of origin.
It’s no secret Americans of Middle-Eastern descent used to (and truthfully, still do) prefer looking like Ralph over Rima so they can (and do) easily assimilate into wider American society. It’s the same in Australia, where I’m from. In contrast to Europe and Canada, Arabs in the United States are actually still classified as “white” by government agencies, despite mainstream America thinking otherwise (and often in a negative light). Unfortunately, skin tone plays a huge role in this perception.
Take DJ Khaled, someone who’s been welcomed by the hip-hop community since the early days of his career. Remember when many rap fans originally thought the man born Khaled bin Abdul Khaled was Puerto Rican, or possibly Dominican? To this day, most aren’t even aware of the DJ/producer/label exec’s Palestinian heritage. All jokes aside, picture Khaled looking like a young Ralph Nader—would his ascent into hip-hop’s inner circle have been so smooth? On a personal level, I’ve been told on more than one (humorous) occasion, “Girl, you don’t look Arab! Now Khaled, he looks Arab; like the guys in the bodegas! You just don’t look like that.”
Back in the day, being a “pale Arab” was (sadly) what people of Middle Eastern descent wanted to be. It made assimilating into wider Western society easier, granting you “under the radar” status. My grandmother (or “Sita” as we call her), to this day, scolds my cousins, my sister and I when we stay in the sun too long. Her memories of when she first moved to Australia from Lebanon as a child, of being verbally and physically abused for being foreign, are still as vivid as the time they happened.
Nowadays, thanks to the number of people of Middle Eastern decent who grew (and continue to grow) up on a steady diet of hip-hop, we’re embracing rather than shunning our exotic looks and fascinating heritage, no matter how “pale” or dark our skin is, how traditional our dress is, how “sinister” our appearance may be to those who choose to judge us unfairly—from Ralph to Rima and beyond.
Great article … i am Persian and grew up with a Grandmother who was constantly telling me and my cousin to stay out off the sun because we would get to dark and to put Olive Oil in our hair so it would make the curls less kinky lol … funny thing is my mother is very fair with green eyes and ashy blond hair but my Dad (my grandmothers son) had VERY dark olive skin with pretty much an Afro. I had this conversation with my Mom once (because it bothered me that my Grandmother thought dark skin and dark curly hair was bad in some way since i tend to date black men mostly) she said the reason why most middle eastern cultures look at the darker toned individual with less favor is because in those countries and cities, those who are darker are usual the lower class individuals who live in small towns or villages and are out in the sun a lot due to their way of life and work so their skin tone obviously has become much darker … because of that Middle Class or High Class individual look at individuals with darker skin as lower class. To me its all just idiotic but then again i was raised in America and by very liberal Persian parents. It is definitely an old school way of thinking, but it still is the way a lot of Middle Eastern people think especially back in the Middle East.
Look at Boss Lady (once again) getting her social commentary on! I love the fact that you’re so versatile. What can’t you do, woman?
Seriously, the Black community faces those same issues of colorism, possibly in a more publicized light. I can remember my mother scolding me for being in the sun too long. I was so militant back in those days that I would play outside for extended periods of time on purpose just to get darker. In fact, to this day my mother tells people (jokingly), “Chris chose to be that color. He did it on purpose!” It’s hard to break free of these “color-caste systems,” if you will, when our society (and therefore our media) is so Eurocentric, with fair-skinned, blue-eyed, blond-haired images dominating the airwaves (especially in association with all things positive) because of what many refer to as “universal appeal.” What actually gives people universal appeal is who they are, not how they look. The sooner we realize that, the better off we all will be. Wonderful article.
Sunny,
Wow – your grandmother sounds exactly like my grandmother, your parents sound like mine and you sound a lot like me
My grandmother has given me the EXACT same explanation about the color issue also; that people with darker skin were not seen as privileged as lighter skin people when she was growing up. It’s been TOUGH getting her out of that mindset, but as she’s become exposed to more she’s definitely loosened up more.
This topic is extensive so I tried to sum it up as best I could. Thank you so much for reading!
~Boss Lady (Simone)
Chris,
Thank you so much for reading
I used to do the exact same thing you did (stay in the sun to get darker) for the very argument I’ve highlighted in this piece – because my career was based in hip-hop, I always felt I’d be more “accepted” in the culture by being a more “obvious” person of color.
I’m called various things by various people nowadays. I hear from some that I’m “white”, from others that I’m “Middle Eastern.” Some think Middle Eastern people are “white” while some consider us people of color. I’m just looking forward to the day we don’t feel the need to categorize people anymore and we just love and accept each other for all our similarities and differences.
~BL
Boss Lady,
By using your influence to bring such issues to our attention, rest assured that you’re speeding us along to that day.
Ralph Nader is one of the greatest thinkers, orators and minds this world has ever seen! He endured death threats, character assassination and smears in the 1960s for standing up to General Motors and his fight for cars equipped with seat belts—-his work has led to millions of saved lives over the course of 4 decades of social/civic work. (Plus he has worked on issues pertaining to clean water, clean energy, consumer product protection, and clean elections during those same 4 decades). He is a national treasure and icon. I admire him, but it is a shame he gets unwanted grief and persecution (for standing up for what he believes in and fighting for the middle and poor class of this country. I wish he was indian (or I was Arab) to proudly say that Nader and I belong to the same ethnicity!
A lot of nasty things have been said about Ralph Nader because of his honesty and integrity. But nobody has ever said he denied his Lebanese heritage or was a bit concerned about his appearance. He is a proud Lebanese-American and so is the rest of his family.
Great article…. but everybody should be accountable of what there race is if your not proud of it left for you. Not by people judging them althought. Not by white people saying middle eastern are white. There was a department form I saw saying middle eastern people are classified white it should be classified arab-american even by every foreign country.
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