Ana Taliba

Ana taliba

 “Ana taliba,” rippled from the mouths of the students.  The words seemed odd, and then I began to ask for their meaning.  “I am a student,” was the answer, but how many times in media and other forms of communication do we hear that word – “taliba” -used? 

I have grown up in a traditional-values western family. My mother is native Cuban, while my father is a mix of Italian, English, and Irish descent.  After spending the summer between my sophomore and junior year in Egypt, learning about Middle Eastern culture, tradition, and language, I see it as my duty to educate people about the meaning of this word.  Coming back to the states after my trip, I noticed what I didn’t see before.  This was, that several American people once they here the word “taliba” in Arabic, they automatically assume terrorism.  As a 17 year old girl, I do understand that anything having to do with terrorism is to be dealt with through National Security, but others distort the difference between those who are in the Taliban and those who are simply people or students (taliba) from the Middle East.

On countless late night shows and YouTube political skit, people take the Middle Eastern culture and twist what it truly is.  Part of my experience in Egypt was learning about the people, their hospitality, and their faith.  Most Middle Easterners are Islamic, meaning they believe in a monotheistic religion -- the same as Christianity or Judaism.  So why do they seem so “foreign”?  The reason is our unawareness of Middle Eastern culture.  This unknowing makes us susceptible to making the worst assumptions.  From my experience I concluded Middle Easterners are honorable; even when greeting each other they say “Peace be upon you”.  Also as in any family, the mother or the grandmother will continue to offer food no matter how full and bloated you feel, just as my mother and Irish and Cuban grandmothers do.  They treat you like part of a family even if you are from halfway around the world.  From my experience, I now know that the Middle East is not all about bombs, terrorists, and the Taliban, but it has a hidden characteristic of kindness.  More people should learn about this kindness and try to understand what they don’t know.

Americans should attempt to consciously use the word “taliba” with the utmost respect for its meaning and try not to put everyone in the Middle East into the same category.  An example of this is a women wearing the hijab [head scarf], it is seen as different and unusual, and the majority of the time people will ignorantly assume she is a bad person.  At times it is sad to live in a country where middle easterners are continuously looked down upon in shame.   Instead, try to imagine the war and problems in the Middle East being a situation in the western hemisphere, and how you would feel if people halfway around the globe were mocking you?   We can start showing greater respect for other people’s of the world, even if they are not familiar to us, by taking more care with our use of a simple word, “taliba”.