Virulent Racism In The Middle East

The issue of racism appears to have been talked about more in terms of the relation between black and white people, that is, between Africa and the West. The case of racial segregation in the United States and South Africa have often served as prime examples. This has led the sometimes virulent racism in the Middle East to pass under the radar. Some Middle Eastern scholars have focused attention on critiquing Western racism, totally ignoring the racism of their own people. Such a blindspot in scholarship can hardly be forgiven given that racism in the Middle East is not a recent phenomenon. Recently, however, there have been increasing reports of racism in the Middle East, especially in places like Lebanon and Israel. Scholars sometimes see black Africans, Arabs, and Israelis, as somehow having a common cause that stems from having been oppressed. Thus, a work like Edward Said's that deals with imperialism is seen as speaking from the perspective of the colonized and has thus become a classic in postcolonial studies. However, it appears that Said's people also have the superiority complex that breeds imperialism. Thus, it now appears that black Africans, Arabs, and Israelis do not have a common cause. By trafficking in racism, the Arabs and the Israelis are manifesting a critical element of the imperialistic imagination - the superiority complex.