Reflections on the Racial Complexities Confronting America

Last month a video emerged and went viral of an African-American man, Tyrone Mazyck, being abused and beaten up in a horrendous fashion by Arab store owners in North Charleston, South Carolina.  The video prompted a variety of responses, from defence of the store owners and derision of the victim to xenophobic and Islamaphobic attacks on Arabs and immigrants.  I do believe that what was missing in the aftermath was an honest examination of the different angles to this incident. My intention here therefore, is to distil a few pertinent points and add some much needed perspective.  

What the store owners did to Mr. Mazyck was wrong. There can be no excuse for this brutality and humiliation.  It has been claimed that Mr. Mazyck has a troubled past and had been caught stealing.  Even if this is true, the correct way to proceed would have been to call the police, not the bone chilling treatment involving a gun and a sword that was meted out.  One does not have to venture far to locate where this behaviour stems from and I have no hesitation in saying it unequivocally- racism.  Many Arab and South Asian immigrants harbour deep rooted racist beliefs towards persons of African descent.   Some of them deny it and those that are also Muslim spew the expected clichés when confronted that “there is no racism in Islam” and reference Bilal, the companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).  The evidence however, is overwhelming.  It can range from violence, use of words like “Abeed”, “Kala”, “Cheedee” and “Nurdo”, the spouting of rhetoric centred on black pathology, and both subtle and open discrimination to obsession with light skin and systematic aspirations to whiteness. 

I am of Gujarati origin and I grew up in a small, insular and rabidly racist Gujarati community in Barbados where the views held about black Barbadians are akin to those of white racist Southerners from the USA. I have been to India, North Africa and the Middle East.  I have interacted with Arabs and South Asians there and in other parts of the world- people born in those countries and people a few generations removed. I am speaking from intimate and vast personal experience when I talk about the racism of many Arabs and South Asians.

We know all too well the story of Arab and South Asian corner store owners in working class black neighbourhoods selling alcohol, cigarettes and lottery tickets. These storeowners, despite whatever they may claim, are not there for altruistic reasons. They are there for one reason- profit. That this profit is based on exploitation and on contributing to the socio-economic decay of these communities is of no concern to them.  What makes it even more insidious is that many of these storeowners are Muslim, peddling the very evils that Islam prohibits.  If they were genuinely interested in helping the community and in displaying how a Muslim should behave, their businesses would be socially inspired, contributing to the upliftment of these communities.  Instead, they demonstrate a callous disregard for the black communities on whose backs they enrich themselves, a disregard rooted in their racism.  It is this contempt and racism that most likely allowed the storeowners to abuse Mr. Mazyck so freely, contrary to every single statement of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about how a Muslim must treat another soul.

The reaction of right-minded people was outrage, and rightfully so.  Unfortunately, the press conference of black leaders degenerated into a farce where these leaders in speaking out against the actions of the store owners, decided to spout xenophobic, Islamaphobic rhetoric.  It was quite ironic to hear black leaders talking about “this is America”, “foreigner” and “go back to your country” and appealing to the same very ideals and institutions that oppress their communities in a city like Charleston. A city where Walter Scott was murdered in cold blood by a policeman who was then incredulously found not guilty, a city where Dylan Roof murdered nine black churchgoers, a city where the rates for incarceration, school drop outs and poverty of black people are alarmingly high, a city where black people are routinely racially profiled and stopped by police, a city where gentrification is fast pushing black people from their neighbourhoods, a city where all of this is part and parcel of a deeply entrenched structural and institutional racism.  In resorting to anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant vitriol, they align themselves with the same very right-wing forces who hate black people.  It is these types of “leaders” that Malcolm X denounced with some very apt descriptions and whose failures to truly advocate for the people they pretend to speak for led to a new generation of younger leaders exemplified by Black Lives Matter.

Which brings me to the right-wing.  The most ridiculous part of this entire episode was witnessing Trump supporters online using the incident as justification for Trump’s Muslim ban.  These are racist white folk who espouse black pathology and who in their droves find themselves online justifying the murder of black people by police.  The irony of them pointing to the beating by Arab storeowners of a black man as a deplorable act that shows why Trump is right to want to ban Muslims! I’m still trying to process this and I don’t think I ever will manage to. 

This incident highlights how multi-layered the problems facing this country are.  On the one hand, it is quite depressing to see such polarisation and hate and often-time I throw my hands in the air and wonder what will become of all of us.  On the other, I feel encouraged when I see the voices of reason, of protest, of solidarity.  Voices that cross boundaries and form alliances to fight against hatred.  My sister, Dr. Haajima Degia, is a sociologist and she often talks about people confronting their discomforts in order for society to progress as a whole.  She makes a case for people to deconstruct the way they view the world, step outside of themselves and look into society as outsiders. The result- the revealing of uncomfortable truths but also a means of understanding why people do what they do and hopefully a society of people working together for the common good. There are signs that just as racists feel emboldened by recent political victories, others are willing to become allies and fight back. We just need to find a way to convince some of the right wingers to confront their uncomfortable truths.

A Board Game in a Coffee Shop- Much More than it Appears to be

I wrote something light about technology and human interaction today and posted it on LinkedIn. Click here and have a read. 

Of Dogs & Slaves: An Ex-Diplomat’s Perspective on the Egyptian Minister’s Comments

I wrote an article about the despicable language used by an Egyptian Minister at a recent African Union conference.  It was published today by MuslimARC, a group that focuses on education and awareness about racism, particularly amongst Muslims.

The article can be read below or here.

The news broke on May 31st of an incident at a United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) held in Nairobi where the Egyptian Minister of Environment called Africans “dogs and slaves”.  Egypt currently holds the Presidency of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).  African countries were justifiably outraged and a statement dated May 29th was issued by Yvonne Khamati, chairman Africa Diplomatic Corps Technical Committee (ADCTC), condemning Egypt’s behaviour and calling for an apology.  The statement also requested that Egypt does not negotiate or take any leadership position on behalf of Africa and that the country should resign as president of AMCEN with immediate effect.
 
In response, and unsurprisingly, the Egyptian Government took an adversarial stance.  The Egyptian Foreign Minister denied that the abhorrent language had been used and instead attacked Ms Khamati, accusing her of committing excesses in her statement.

This incident does not shock me in the least.  I met and worked with a number of Egyptian diplomats in my fifteen year Foreign Service career.  I want to offer some context to this incident so that it is not viewed as an isolated slip of the tongue but rather understood within the prism of how certain segments of Egyptian society operate.

Egypt is located in Africa but as a whole Egyptians identify themselves as Arab and Muslim and not African.  However, in the world of multilateral affairs where countries form different alliances to advance their interests, Egypt finds it convenient to claim its African background and developing country status.  It thus straddles various negotiating blocs within the United Nations system, with the Group of 77 and China, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Group, the Arab Group, and the Organisation of Islamic Conference being the main ones.  They play a leadership role in most of these groups and in particular the African Group.  They exert a significant level of influence amongst African countries and from my perspective, often time their behaviour in leading the African Group bordered on the patronising.  I often observed the African Group, at the urging of Egypt, adopt blanket positions on issues that were not necessarily in their interest.  While repeatedly making claims of being African, I never in 15 years saw an Egyptian diplomat who was dark-skinned. The same can certainly be said of other North African countries like Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. 

The issue of Palestine is used by Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries as a convenient tool and one constantly sees Egypt making an elaborate show of championing pro-Palestinian resolutions.  The fact is that the Egyptian government along with the Palestinian Authority are the main enforcers of Israeli apartheid.  There is an inherent contradiction in Egypt taking the floor at the United Nations to criticise Israel and table resolutions on Palestine when it allies with Israel in blockading Gaza.  A key component of this Egyptian facade is lobbying within the negotiating groups it belongs to in order for its resolutions to win bloc support.  At the United Nations, bloc sponsorship provides the perception of popular backing.  When their petitioning efforts fail, they are incredulous and particularly at those “weaker”, “smaller” or “lesser” countries whose support for the more enlightened Egyptians should be unconditional.  It appears that something similar happened at the UNEA meeting in Nairobi where Egypt was unable to obtain the collaboration of all African countries for a position concerning Gaza.

I remember quite vividly an incident that occurred when I was working at my country's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.  The Egyptians wanted the states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to agree to a collective position on a report of the Human Rights Council (HRC) because one issue of many in the report related to Palestine.  I was negotiating on behalf of the Caribbean Community countries (CARICOM) and refused to give our backing because we viewed a common NAM policy on the report of the Council as outside the mandate of the group.  The Egyptians were furious and accused us of betraying Palestine.  My Egyptian counterpart then accosted me and berated me for forgetting my roots.  This is nothing as reprehensible as calling Africans “dogs and slaves”, but her behaviour stemmed from a similar place of feeling superior towards “those” African people.  In accusing me, a non-black Muslim of abandoning my roots, the underlying questions being asked were: how can you small islands, many with populations predominantly of African descent, have the audacity to differ with Egypt; and furthermore, how dare you, a non-black person and a Muslim, not stand with your Arab brothers.

Egyptian diplomats are overwhelmingly from the country’s secular elite and clearly disconnected from the average Egyptian.  The make-up of their government and diplomatic core is a reflection of the rigid social stratification of Egyptian society centred on skin colour and class.  My views were only reinforced by what I witnessed when I spent a few months in Cairo- the class structure, the way the elites behave and live, the manner in which skin colour is closely linked with class, wealth and standing, etc.

The unfortunate reality is that this furore will blow over because in international affairs, principle and ethics are more often than not trumped by interests.  The countries involved will for the sake of mutual convenience “make up” and the usual order will continue.  Moreover, with the fast pace at which news stories become stale, some other matter will overtake this in prominence.  Unless of course, we as Muslims concerned about the racism being espoused and practised by our own, raise our voices, speak out and take action.     

The Proudest Brother in the World

I am always happy to be in London but this morning I am sitting at Heathrow airport waiting to fly to Bonn and feeling a bit sad. Tomorrow, God willing, my sister will graduate and receive officially her PhD. I went to her graduation ceremonies when she received her first degree and Master's but this would have by far been the best. My sister, who already possesses a plethora of academic and professional achievements, will add one more to her list. May the Almighty continue to bless her so that that list always grows. She, despite all that she has achieved, remains immensely humble and she has maintained fiercely her independence and integrity as a scholar. Her research and her work continue to be ground-breaking and of the highest intellectual levels. She is simply quite outstanding! I may not be there in body but halfway across the world, I will be smiling, the proudest brother in the world! Dr. Hajra Degia- I love the way that sounds!!!

P.S. I was able to watch it online. I admit I shed a tear as she walked and collected her scroll to the sound of loud applause and cheers.  I also saw some pics that the university and the newspapers posted online and my wife sent me the pics she took :) 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, March 6, 1927 - April 17, 2014

“Wherever they might be they always remember that the past was a lie, that memory has no return, that every spring gone by could never be recovered, and that the wildest and most tenacious love was an ephemeral truth in the end.” - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Thank you Gabo, for sharing your literary brilliance with the rest of us.

Tony Benn- The Best PM the UK Never Had

I did History, Government and Politics, and Sociology for my A’ Levels during the years 1994-1996. History was divided into two components- Caribbean and American- as was Government and Politics- British and American.  It was during that time when reading about the 1981 election for the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party that I was introduced to Tony Benn.  I was a 17 year old who identified with leftist politics and as I did more research on him, I became a fan.  I again came across him shortly afterwards when I did a British politics course in my first year at LSE.  His outspoken statements, his criticisms of New Labour and his leadership role in the anti-war movement continued to endear him to me over the years.  Tony Benn was a man whose intellect I held in high regard and whose willingness to speak truth to power I respected a great deal.  It was with great sadness that I woke up to the news of his death this morning.  His loss is a huge one for the UK and the world, especially at a time when voices like his are rare to be heard.  He was for me the best Prime Minister the UK never had.

What Makes One a Bajan?

I was born and grew up in a working class neighbourhood in Bridgetown. I went to school with Bajans from all walks of life.  I also interacted with Bajans in rural parts when I went out with my old man on his itinerant sales job (“coolie man” as Bajans of all ethnicities refer to it).  I studied Barbadian and Caribbean History.  I know more about Barbados, its history, culture, government, politics, economy, etc. than the average Bajan.  However, to many Bajans, I am not a real Bajan because my ethnicity is Indian and added to that I am a Muslim.

When I was younger, I would be bothered by the various comments questioning my Bajanness, expressing shock at my Bajanness or insisting absolutely that I am not a Bajan.  I was a patriotic Bajan and who were these people to question my Bajanness?  One of my favourite ways to react to the ignorance displayed in these comments was to not only speak the rawest Bajan possible in my retorts but also to spice them up with a gigantic dose of Bajan “cussing”.  The shock on the faces of those who dared to question my Bajanness was always worth it.  You see, growing up in the heart of Bridgetown meant that I was exposed not only to everyday Bajan cuture like food, norms and language but also cussing and by cussing I mean cussing of the worst kind.  I was known for having a potty mouth from a young age and it has only been about two years since I severely restricted my use of colourful language, to the disbelief and relief of many.

Over the past five years though, my patriotism has increasingly waned to the extent that I find myself detached from Barbados and I no longer care whether Bajans accept me as a fellow countryman.  I have always had a global outlook but this was alongside a fierce Barbadian patriotism. Working for the government and my mostly negative experiences with this, growing older and seeing things differently have made me realise that in reality, I don’t fit in in Barbados. There is much to unpack in this disconnect I feel with the country of my birth so I won’t delve into it now and will leave it for a future blog.  Needless to say, when Bajans question my Bajanness because of how I look, it does not trouble me anymore and if I do counter, it is just to bother them as opposed to responding because I am upset.

This brings me to an incident that occurred this morning.  I am attending a training course for public sector managers this week. Each day there are different sessions with different presenters. This morning we had a session on “Diversity in the Workplace”. The “instructor” in her introduction says she will be speaking in Bajan so that everyone can understand her. Then she proceeds to look at me and ask if I will be able to understand her. Needless to say, I blew my top and let her have it, albeit without the insertion of any cuss words! I did not lose it because she questioned my Bajanness. Nope.  I lost it because it upset me that a retired senior civil servant was presenting on diversity in the workplace and had the bleeping audacity to question my Bajanness because I am not black! Then the idiot instead of recognising that what she did was wrong tried to make it seem as if I was the one who did not understand what was going on and again because I am an outsider to this group of Bajans.  I therefore decided to have some fun and on a few occasions questioned what she was saying.  I also made a point of expressing my absolute contempt for the silly personality exercises she wanted the class to partake in.  I took great satisfaction in knowing that she did not at all enjoy my challenges to her supposed expertise on the subject of the session.   

I have always relished making life difficult for teachers, presenters, trainers, religious folk, bosses and persons in authority when they make ridiculous claims and are unable to defend them.  Inevitably, they make fools of themselves because people who issue asinine pronouncements are generally the type that are incapable of offering solid arguments and hate being challenged.  They will get riled up and dig an even bigger hole for themselves when you tear their weak cases apart.  They expose themselves rather easily.  I guess I am getting old because I don’t usually do this anymore.  However, there are times like this when “hard ears” Mohammed does cahn help he self and he does gots to have some fun 😎

People like this woman occupy large swathes of the civil service, many in senior positions.  It is persons of this ilk that ensure my refusal to buy into this farce called public sector reform.   Big loud stupz! But no Rs and other such vivid words : )