Shifting The Veil Of Ignorance Analysis

Morena Mekho
English Composition 2
Professor Mano
UCLA ID #404040359

Lifting the Veil of Ignorance

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a hard time explaining my ethnicity to people. Telling an American that I am an Iraqi is like playing 9/11 and terrorism news clips in their heads. Living in a post 9/11 world, people assume that we Iraqis are radical terrorists, or at the very least someone to be pitied for our lack of rights in an oppressive culture. For this, I blame the media for instilling ignorance and lies into everyday American’s thoughts. American’s opinions are mainly formulated from what is exposed to them through news coverage and online media. For example, if one simply went onto CNN or any other news station
they would find images of bombings and deaths. It is disappointing that the news never shows the pleasant aspects of Iraq and the people from there, but then again negativity sells. Using American’s daily judgments as a lens, I will analyze the neighborhood of Abasseya and its culture in an attempt to lift the veil of ignorance that many American’s maintain.
Where you come from is where the growth of who you will become begins.
I myself was born in a small town located in Northern Iraq, called Abasseya. Presently there is approximately a population size of five-thousand people. Abasseya is like most small towns in Iraq, it is isolated; in fact, it takes about a fifteen-mile drive to get to each town. The main entrance into Abasseya is through a checkpoint. For the safety of each town’s residents, the towns’ checkpoints are guarded round the clock by Iraqi military. The Iraqi military guards are very subjective and they determine who to let in or turned away. No one is allowed inside unless they live there or have a legitimate reason for wanting to enter; this is done in an attempt to avert any potential crimes or quarrels amongst different
townspeople. Abasseya is very diverse and contains people from all ethnic backgrounds from Arabs, Kurds, and Chaldeans. The diversity allows for a more cohesive knowledge of different cultures both in school and on the streets. According to the IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis, approximately 80% of kids attend school on a regular basis. In school, children are taught how to respect authority. Schools in Abasseya teach with an emphasis on religion and national sovereignty. Teachers are very authoritive and are given the right to go to any extent needed to teach the children, so students know that they must respect school officials. Unlike U.S public schools, that are very lenient with homework, schools in Abasseya take homework and assignments very seriously in attempt to instill responsibility within students at very young ages. In Abasseya, children are required to only attend elementary school; upon completion, the families get to decide if they would like to further their child’s education. Many times though, due to lack of income, families are forced to take their children out of school to have them work in the family owned businesses. This still ensures that the youth learn how to become entrepreneurs and become skilled sales people, hence offering them essential life skills in order to survive in the Middle East.
All stores in Abasseya are in walking distance from the houses, which allows for a healthier lifestyle and safer streets than what most Americans believe it is. Many of the town’s people in Abasseya get around by simply walking or riding bicycles. Most stores are either family-owned small produce stands or convenient stores. The produce stands contain products that are all locally grown and organic. Daily necessity for cooking and cleaning can all be found at the convenient stores. Stores in Abasseya must all close from 4-6 p.m. to allow families to have dinner together and guarantee family bonding time. They then, must be closed at approximately ten o’clock at night.
At the age of ten, while most American children are playing on their video games, children in Abasseya are running family-owned convenient stores and produce stands.
A good Iraqi child is obedient and in no way questions authority. At very young ages, Abasseyas’ youth quickly attain proper etiquette that they must use both at home and especially in public. Children must keep quiet in public and are not allowed to be loud or boisterous. This teaches children self-discipline and restraint. At puberty, girls are separated from neighborhood boys in order to retain their purity and femininity. Females then tend to take on household domestic work, while the males work with the father. The Abasseya way of child upbringing is very much different from the Western culture, but the most distinctive aspect of all is how much more responsibility the youth
attain. Abasseya is such a family oriented town that families all live in one household. Most houses are so abundant in size that they can accommodate up to three families. The houses usually contain about ten rooms with six bathrooms and four kitchens. Due to economic hard-ships, families tend to live in extended households. The extended family unit usually consists of grandparents, sons, their wives and families, and unmarried siblings. This enables the grandparents to help with the child-care while, the women do the domestic housework, and the males work at the family owned stores. The male elder in the household has sole authority and makes all the decisions concerning things such as the amount of education the children will receive, their future occupations and whom they will marry. All these decisions are made with careful consideration to ensure each child’s welfare.
In Abasseya, marriage is seen as a sacred commitment between two people that lasts for a lifetime. This is contradictory to the United States whom, according to the U.S Census Bureau, has a 49% divorce rate. Historically arranged marriages were more prevalent, but in present-day Abasseya couples have more freedom of choosing their spouses. However, the proposed spouse must have parental approval and blessings. Partners often come from the same kinship group, which allows for many similarities between the couple, hence leading to a long-lasting marriage. Divorce is accepted, but is very rare in the town and is only practiced in the most extreme cases. Similar to the U.S., in the event of a divorce, custody is granted based on what is the best arrangement for the children’s wellbeing.
For females that live in Abasseya modesty is more than just covering up; it is a way of life. Their femininity is expressed through forms of dress, actions, and speech. Dressing modestly and veiling with a hijab enables women to be respected more by their male counterparts, which leads them to accept a woman for whom she is and not what she looks like. Most American women tend to believe that women who wear the veil are oppressed. However, the idea of freedom for Iraqi and Westerners is very divergent. Most Americans spend an abundance of time and money on materialistic things because they worry so much about the opinion of others; in essence, it is they whom are oppressed. Covering makes people, particularly men, treat women with respect. This is because they are forced to judge her on more than just her looks. Despite what Americans like to think, not all women revile the hijab; in fact, women in Abasseya dress modestly because it helps them to live a pure and modest lifestyle.
The residents of Abasseya live such a minimal lifestyle yet they are so grateful for what they have. I myself am a product of growing up in this culture. For this reason, I am proud to have such knowledge of my background and be able to grow from that. For all who still perceive my neighborhood with a negative connotation, I urge you to come visit for yourself. A crucial step in life is to learn how to go underneath the surface in order to appreciate people’s diversity and uniqueness to justly understand who they are.

WORKS CITED:
n.p. “IRIN Middle East.” IRINNNEWS.org. IRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis, 14 March 2007. Web. 20, January 2012.

n.p. U.S. Census Bureau . Methodology and Standards Council. 16, February 2011. Web. 19,January 2012.