The Middle East has been a place of turmoil the past couple of years, with radical religious groups, civil wars, corrupt leaders, and bombings. However, another major issue plagues this region. Racism.
Before I begin with this article, Islam completely abolishes racism and is against it. This has nothing to do with the religion of Islam. There are Arab Christians and Jews, who are just as racist, it has nothing to do with beliefs, just the region.
Since April 8, 2011, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination has worked to abolish racism the best it can in the Middle East. Some countries have grown to be accepting of its African brothers and sisters, although some countries are much worse.
In countries such as Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, there aren’t many black people from their country, so they are generally looked down upon and called racial slurs, along with being treated poorly. A famous singer from Lebanon, Haifa Wehbe, in one of her songs referred to Nubian black people from Egypt as “monkeys.” Another incident in Lebanon was dated back in 201o, during a Sudanese fundraiser, Lebanese Internal Security Officers intruded into the event, calling people “animals” and beating them with batons. The few black immigrants that are there, are normally from Ethiopia or Somalia, and they hold low-paying jobs such as a housekeeper.
As for Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, racism is huge. Most Africans hold low paid labor jobs, which doesn’t earn them much respect within the community. In Saudi Arabia, foreign workers have been abused physically, sexually and verbally, raped, underpaid, overworked, locked in small cement rooms and some have been forced into slavery, not receiving any pay at all. Workers do not exploit their employer in fear of further abuse and being sent back to their home country. However, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, people tend to be more accepting. In cities such as Mecca, there are more people with multi-ethnic makeup, which makes for a more accepting group of people versus other parts of Saudi Arabia.
