GHS208-01 Spring 2020 China and the Islamic Middle East

I am a journalism major and I decided to dive into some research about how Western journalism and media impacts the way we view the Arab culture. I found a JStor journal article from the Middle East Journal called “Islam and the Western Journalist” and I wanted to share with you all. My takeaway was that the piece essentially argues the way western media portrays Muslim people impacts the reality of Muslim thought. The first portion of the article goes into depth about the basic practices of journalists and what they aim to do. The author defines journalism as “the production of general knowledge.” and that ” a journalist is someone who has to sift the particular knowledge and experience of individuals or groups of people, and to extract from it a message which larger groups are able to understand and willing to hear.” The article goes on to argue that there is a weakness in how western journalism treats the Islamic world. The author references a book called Covering Islam which argues that instead of understanding the Islamic world western journalists have simply “tried to explain them in terms of the peculiarities of Islam as a religion, or of Islamic languages and cultures such as Arabic and Persian, which are supposed to predetermine the course of Muslim thought.” The author argues that as a result western society has viewed the Muslim people as “irrational savages” instead of trying to sympathize with the various Muslim peoples. 

The last task I was presented with for my ICR final project assigned by the IACA prompted me to create a public service announcement that would focus on the importance of empathy and understanding during the current pandemic. I was also asked to discuss ways in which misinformation relevant to our unique situation can be disputed. Recently, I have seen many public service type announcements that focus in on many different aspects of the pandemic. My goal was to create a short announcement that would encompass several of the main points needed in order to make informed decisions during the difficult time. The outline that I used while creating my public service announcement is included below:

During this unprecedented and uncertain time, we must stay informed on important information shared with us about COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. We need to be aware of the facts and necessary steps we must take in order to protect our families and those around us.

With the recommendation by President Trump for Americans to shelter in place, we must have empathy given the current global pandemic that we are currently experiencing. Medical professionals are working around the clock to treat patients with the coronavirus, and medical researchers are working hard to test medications, create vaccines, and track data on patient treatments, as well as their outcomes. We must have empathy as we experience this pandemic and do our best to follow the guidelines that are set forth.

Even if you are not worried about your own health and safety, we must realize the impact that this can have on others, if we don’t follow the guidelines put in place. For individual’s with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and young children, the virus can be detrimental to their health. It is therefore important to be considerate of the lives’ around you at all times.

There are many things we need to consider when going out into public. Keep in mind the difference between essential and non-essential needs. When you must go out, please keep a minimum distance of six feet between yourself and those around you. Important items to have with you at all times when you are out in public include: hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, a mask, and gloves (if you choose). It is wise to shop early and take advantage of any early shopping hours provided for the elderly or immunocompromised. When returning home with your essential items, it is crucial to take the necessary precautions in order to protect your household. It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (also known as the CDC) that you wipe down groceries with a disinfectant wipe before using. For those who choose to support local restaurants during this time, it is important to follow the previously recommended guidelines. Medical research has shown that hot meals are less likely to harbor the coronavirus, and experts suggest reheating the food if concerned, as the virus cannot maintain itself in high temperatures. If possible, it is best to take advantage of online shopping and delivery services for essential items.

Given the circumstances, we must realize that we will be exposed to several opposing viewpoints through social media, news outlets, and our friends and family. Keep in mind that some information shared may be deceiving. Following the guidelines from the CDC, as well as from the World Health Organization, is key to staying informed on the facts. Although this is a challenging time for society as a whole, it is important to remember that there are many people who are fighting for their lives, while many of us are still in the comfort of our own homes. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay informed, and most likely follow the guidelines.

The Chinese government has always been a big proponent of surveying their citizens, but the crisis that is Covid-19 has given them an excuse to monitor their citizens even more than they have been in recent times. This CNN article details the current happenings in China. The article describes the story of an Irish man named Ian Lahiffe who lives in China, and the day that he found a camera being posted up outside of his apartment facing straight at his door. The Covid crisis has allowed the Chinese government to justify their incredible invasion of privacy. According to the article, the Chinese government actually does not have any formal laws regarding the use of surveillance cameras, but they are already a regular part of life in China with the monitoring and social credit systems that they have in place. However, I feel that this is a new step of invasion by the government. The social credit system and surveillance in public I feel is very different than putting cameras directly outside people’s houses, or even in them. I do not think that this crisis justifies that amount of surveillance, and China is on pace to have six times as many surveillance cameras than the United States. Even though the addition of these cameras is an incredible invasion of personal privacy, I find it hard to believe that anyone will actually stop the Chinese government from doing this.

COVID-19 has majorly impacted the world, in more ways than one. Countries as a whole have went to shelters in place, and the global economy has taken a major hit. Even though many workers have began returning to work, things do not look promising yet. Personally, I am not sure that things will ever fully return to normal. After learning more about the impacts that COVID-19 currently has on Chinese individuals and restaurants, many of my concerns were amplified. I was therefore motivated to look further into the change in China’s international perception as a result.

In San Francisco, California, many reports have shown the negative impacts that COVID-19 has had on their Asian population. Studies have shown that people of Asian descent, Chinese Americans included, have been “shunned, verbally abused, named-called, coughed and spat on, even physically assaulted” (USA Today). Hate crimes and harassment related to the pandemic unfortunately span far beyond the borders of California and even the United States. However, it is important to reflect on the actual issue at hand; COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, is not a result of actions taken by Chinese Americans nor the entire Chinese population.

Similarly, statistics reported on business shutdowns as a result of the pandemic show the effect that it has had on Chinese restaurants. According to a CNN Business article written by Chauncey Alcorn, “59% of independent Chinese restaurants across America have completely stopped taking debit and credit card transactions” as stated by data subscription service Womply (CNN Business). This indicates that operations are currently ceased. It was therefore stated that without the help of targeted government intervention, many Chinese restaurants will not be able to survive.

After discovering the harsh reality that Chinese Americans are now living in daily, I was interested in looking at the broader evolving perception of China as a whole. Internationally, there are many different factors that influence how others may view Chinese nationals and dependents. Some of these factors may include, but are not limited to, political motive, economic interest, and environmental impact. Instead of focusing briefly on several varying opinions and perceptions, I decided to look deeper into the specific ways in which the United States’ mindset has been altered.

The current pandemic has brought to light many negative perspectives that some Americans may possess. Major news channels have been reporting on several different theories, while social media is continually exposing information that they believe to be true. By publicly declaring information to be fact before having access to all of the particulars, conflicting viewpoints are now rampant. Economically, sources show that Americans now view the United States as “the world’s leading economic power” (Pew Research). With this in mind, it can be expected that negative perceptions will continue to therefore shift internationally traded commodities to more domestically made products. Unfortunately, this will ultimately impact China’s workforce, economy, and unemployment rates.

While it is hard to look past the realities associated with our current situation, I have gained an increase in understanding and awareness for the difficulties that both Chinese Americans and China face daily. In the upcoming weeks, it will be important for the United States to open up our own economy and keep in mind the harsh realities that others will still be facing.

With Ramadan having official started just a couple days ago I thought that it could be something interesting to blog about, specifically some past experiences I’ve had with teammates participating in Ramadan. Throughout my first two years of high school, one of my friends and the captain of the cross country team was a Muslim. Being a captain of the team it was his job to help schedule and lead the early morning summer conditioning sessions before the actual season started in August. However, I remember what I think was my sophomore year, Ramadan happened to fall during June, about a week or so after we had begun summer conditioning. At the time I was pretty unfamiliar with Ramadan so this was a very interesting thing to have happen. Although my friend still ran most practices you could tell that was still pretty rough on him, and you could tell by his pace during runs. Luckily he was still able to stay well hydrated, but high school kids tend to eat a lot, especially when you’re running 60 miles a week. As a kid in high school I really didn’t understand just how important this event was in Muslim faith so I was a bit confused as to why someone would want to put their body through this. However, through this class and through my ICR experience my understanding of the Muslim faith has grown significantly. Although high school kids won’t have to be worried about athletics during Ramadan this year, it’s still interesting to consider just how it effects various aspects of their lives.

I wanted to comment on The Cairo House novel that we were to read earlier in the semester. I realized I never provided any commentary on what I took away from the novel and I wanted to share with you all: Much like he many readings for this course I felt that The Cairo House was a truly insightful and thought provoking texts. It really made me think about the storyline and want to care about the stories that were being told throughout. The life of Gigi was captivating and drew me in very easily. In fact, I was surprised at how enthralled I became with the story while I was reading it. As a result, the novel mad it very easy to learn about the culture and what the author was attempting to get across to the readers through the text. Although I have never been to Egypt the culture was portrayed in a way that made it easy to relate to the story as the reader. Despite the diverse pressures and experiences that she faced in the novel I feel like she was still a truly relatable character and as a result I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I went back to our readings from the Qur’an readings we were assigned in mid-March. Coming from a family of Christian faith I thought it was quite interesting to read theological text outside of the Bible. Although I have had limited experience with reading the Bible I still thought this was a refreshing experience. From my readings of the Bible it was also interesting to find comparisons between the two texts. At a few points in the text it would probably be hard to differentiate between the two unless you were a devout Christian or a devout Muslim. In my opinion there were many key similarities to what Allah was asking to what God is asking. One example is how followers must treat the poor and underprivileged. My grandma is a strict Christian and she always preached that I should help others especially the poor. This text from the Qur’an sounds like a piece that would be something out of the Bible.

“Give to the near of kin his due, and also to the needy and the wayfarers. Do not squander your wealth wastefully; for those who squander wastefully are Satan’s brothers, and Satan is ever ungrateful to his Lord” 

Today I took a second look at the How to Perform Salah guide from earlier in the semester. I liked how it broke down what each process of prayer calls for. I think the most interesting part of this process is the fact that you have to make sure you are clean and in proper attire to pray. Males have to wear anything that covers from the nose to the knees and women must cover their whole body except for the face and hands. Christianity, a religion that may be more familiar to us in the United States of America, doesn’t normally require you to dress a certain way or follow a certain process to pray. Although many of my close relatives put on “church clothes” every Sunday to go to service I never really remember that being an absolute necessity for practicing the Christian religion. When you think about it, that concept from Islam makes a lot of sense. When you are preparing to pray it seems very symbolic for your body to be clean given that many people would view prayer as a spiritual cleansing. It seems like it would set you off on the right foot to be clean before you go to pray.

Mental Health is an incredibly important yet rarely-emphasized piece of the holistic healthcare puzzle. However, according to the World Health Organization, mental health ranks only second behind cardiovascular disease in its impact on disability within the United States. Any sort of mental health disorder can be crippling for day-to-day life, especially for those within religious and cultural minorities who already deal with barriers to healthcare.

The most visible barriers to healthcare for minorities are the cost of care, societal stigma, and the disjointed organization of available services. However, specifically within religious minorities, additional barriers include clinicians’ lack of awareness, bias, or inability to speak the patient’s language—which all result in an additional barrier stemming from the patient’s fear and mistrust of treatment. More generally, health disparities also originate from minorities’ modern and historical experiences with racism and discrimination, which affect their mental health and contribute to a lower economic, social, and political standard.

Specifically for Muslim Americans, there has been a growing rate of psychiatric problems including, but not limited to; major depression, anxiety, mood disorders, PTSD, and OCD. “According to the Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services in Chicago, 43% of Muslim Americans suffer from adjustment disorder, 15% suffer for anxiety disorder, 9% suffer from mood disorder, and 10% suffer from PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” In addition to mental health issues, emotional and behavioral health are also important indicators of future mental health status for young Muslim Americans. “16% of Muslim American children are diagnosed with ADHD, 13% with anxiety disorder, 15% with mood disorders and 2% with eating disorders.” According to the same study, there has been an exponential increase in the amount of reported mental health problems within the Muslim community since September 11th. This is a direct result of the victimization, trauma and cultural conflicts that have stemmed from illogical fear among white Americans (or Americans belonging to other minority groups.)

Source: Basit, A., & Hamid, M. (2010). Mental health issues of the Muslim Americans. Journal of the Islamic medical association of North America, 42, 106-108. Retrieved from http://jima.imana.org/article/view/5507/42_3-5

This semester, I made a point of finding something to read that would relate to course material, but would also be considered fun/personal reading. Luckily, my brother had recommended a science fiction series called “Remembrance of Earth’s Past.” The trilogy is usually referred to by the name of the first novel, The Three-Body Problem, and the series was written by the Chinese author Liu Cixin.

Taking on this trilogy was no easy task (as the novels are 400, 500, and 600 pages, respectively), but I do not regret a second of it. Liu Cixin is the most creative writer I have ever read, and I would agree with former President Barack Obama when he raved that the series is “wildly imaginative.”

While the series covers a very broad scope of topics relating to space, time, and spatial dimensions, it is mainly a study of humankind’s psychology when faced with the reality of: we are not alone.

I would highly recommend to any lovers of science fiction, and as I would not particularly consider myself one, I would also recommend to those who are not. Yuval Noah Harari, best selling author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, said that, “today science fiction is the most important artistic genre. It shapes the understanding of the public on things like artificial intelligence and biotechnology, which are likely to change our lives and society more than anything else in the coming decades.”