From Ugandan Corespondent Arinaitwe Rugyendo…

Why is the African Union silent on the pro-democracy demonstrators in London who are being referred to as hoodlums? The AU should call on the United Kingdom to respect the rights of the British people to exercise their right to demonstrate and freely express themselves. Those arrested should be subject to a just and due process of the law. The Met Police should stop using teargas and rubber bullets and or violently stopping the peaceful demonstrators. The UK is quick to preach democracy to African nations. It is now their turn to preach to the west some tenets of democracy and respect for human rights.

And On this one, I want to quote  the news agencies-verbatim on the reactions from across the globe.

The riots in London have sparked shock around the world, with some countries issuing travel advisories for Britain and China blaming the UK’s “human rights violations”. Here is a round up of international reaction:

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe: “Britain I understand is on fire, London especially and we hope they can extinguish their fire, pay attention to their internal problems and to that fire which is now blazing all over, and leave us alone

China

Riot-swept Britain is tasting the “bitter fruit” of its failure to introduce Chinese-style controls on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, Chinese state media crowed on Tuesday, while raising questions over whether London could be trusted to stage a safe 2012 Olympic Games.

“The West have been talking about supporting internet freedom, and oppose other countries’ government to control this kind of websites, now we can say they are tasting the bitter fruit [of their complacency] and they can’t complain about it,” wrote one commentator in official Communist Party mouthpiece, People’s Daily.

Iran

The conservative Resalat newspaper, in a commentary headlined “unrest spreads from Tottenham to Brixton”, called the protests the “worst possible news for David Cameron’s coalition government” and blamed “human rights abuses”.

“The violence and continued chaos in the UK are the result of factors like human rights violations in the country, prejudice against immigrants and coloured people, incidents like the Murdoch scandals and the country’s critical economic conditions,” the newspaper concluded.

The hardline Iranian newspaper claimed that the violence was carried out by students who were forced to drop out of university because of the rise in university tuition fees.

Germany

Germany issued a travel advisory for Britain, posting on the foreign ministry’s website: “Travelers are advised to be especially careful and to pull out at the first signs of riots, and follow instructions of security forces.”

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe: “Britain I understand is on fire, London especially and we hope they can extinguish their fire, pay attention to their internal problems and to that fire which is now blazing all over, and leave us alone.

“We do not have any fire here and we do not want them to continue to create unnecessary problems in our country. We want peace, and the people of Zimbabwe want peace.”

United States

The (obviously measured)US reacted with shock to Monday’s late-night scenes in London, which due to the time difference took place just in time for prime time television and early evening news bulletins. On Tuesday, the country’s biggest newspapers carried prominent coverage of the riots for a third consecutive day.

In a front-page story headlined “London unrest escalates, spreads”, the Washington Post wrote: “In the worst bout of urban violence to hit Britain in more than two decades, parts of London morphed into lawless no man’s lands. Most of a block in the Croydon neighbourhood erupted Monday night into an inferno that incinerated the 140-year-old Reeves furniture store, a south London landmark. After midnight Tuesday, an even larger fire tore through a Sony distribution centre on the other side of the city, in Enfield.

On its own front page, under the headline “Rioting widens in London on 3rd night of unrest”, The New York Times told its readers: “For Mr Cameron’s government – indeed for Britain – the rapidly worsening situation presented a profound challenge on several fronts. For a society already under severe economic strain, the rioting raised new questions about the political sustainability of the Cameron government’s spending cuts, particularly the deep cutbacks in social programs. These have hit the country’s poor especially hard, including large numbers of the minority youths who have been at the forefront of the unrest.”

Australia

Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister: “I, like many other Australians, have been very, very disturbed to see the images coming out of London,” she said.

“There’s no excuse for the kind of violence we’re seeing on our TV screens.”

Spain

The troubles in London make the frontages of many of Spain’s national newspapers again on Tuesday. El Pais shows a photo taken in Hackney of riot police facing rioters as cars burn with the headline “The battle for London”. It states that “no part of London is safe from the violence” sparked by killing of Mark Duggen by police and recalls other cases such as Jean Charles de Menezes and Ian Tomlinson. In an editorial the newspaper said the coalition government had been “slow to react to the social and racial violence” spreading across London and that David Cameron’s credibility has faced a setback because of it.

Portugal

In Portugal the London riots are also front page news. Jornal de Noticias carries a scene of riot police and burning vehicles in Hackney with the headline: “Violence spreads in London”.

Afghanistan

A report on Afghan state TV said: “Massive demonstrations in London, the capital of Britain, and spread to three other cities. The biggest demonstrations were last night and the police have arrested more than 200 people. Thirty five police have been injured. It began when a young man was killed by the police. People have started burning cars and buildings and stealing from supermarkets. David Cameron has returned to London halfway through his summer holiday to solve this problem.”

Pakistan

The riots in London yesterday knocked violence in Karachi, where seven people were killed overnight, from the top slot on television bulletins in Pakistan, where suicide bombings, gang violence and political turfwars are a mainstay of the 24-hour news channels.

An editorial in the Express Tribune newspaper wondered how a killing could erupt into riots, when previous examples of police brutality have not. “The answer may be found in the austerity measures taken by the Cameron government,” it said.

Russia

In Russia, which has close business, financial and educational ties to London, the riots are rapidly moving up the news agenda. Most Russian commentators chose to see the trouble through the prism of what they said was Britain’s failed immigration policy. The state-owned Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper published a picture on its front page of a policeman walking past two burned out cars with the headline “Gangs have surrounded London”. It said that the worst affected areas were home to immigrants from the poorest countries in Africa and the Caribbean. The trouble was a repeat of rioting in Paris in 2006 and 2007, it added.

Tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda ran a comment piece from Sergei Markov, a prominent Russian MP from Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia Party. Mr Markov suggested that the riots were emblematic of Britain’s failed immigration policy. He wrote: “As well as maximum police strength, Britain needs consolidated political will. The authorities need to say clearly: if you want to live in England – get a job and become English. Otherwise go away.

South Africa

The South African owner of a looted London restaurant yesterday described Britain’s capital as a war zone.

In an interview with the country’s City Press newspaper Odile Ham told how hooded thugs raided her Wimpy franchise during riots in Clapham on Monday night.

“It’s like a war,” she told the newspaper, adding: “When we drove to the restaurant to see what is going on we were faced people on the rampage in the street.”

Headlines in other newspapers and websites were also heavily dominated by Britain’s crisis. A report on Johannesburg’s 702 radio station described the Metropolitan police as ‘powerless’ to halt the civil disobedience. “Shock and disbelief are the order of the day in the capital, with rising anger about what has happened in the city since Saturday,” the station reported.

Zambia

Zambia’s Post newspaper featured a report about the latest disorder illustrated by an image of a blazing London shop and headlined ‘PM to hold crisis talks on riots, clean up starts’.

Mauritius

Even newspapers on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius reported extensively on the riots. The country’s French-language Le Mauritian newspaper ran a striking image of a Metropolitan riot squad officer standing helpless by a burning car.

Reporting on how the unrest had spread outside the capital, its headline read: ‘Great Britain: After London, violence spreads to Liverpool and Birmingham’.

Abu Dhabi

The National in Abu Dhabi reports that British politicians have condemned the riots in London, but notes that they are not as violent as recent protests in Athens.

Dubai

Dubai’s Gulf News carries a brief comment piece which condemns the violence in London but concludes that it is the fault of the British authorities for marginalizing immigrant communities and calls for improved economic development and social integration policies in poorer areas.

Israel

Most Israeli newspapers do not cover the protests -of course they wouldn’t-(emphasis mine), but the Hebrew-language Maariv carries a story on its front page headlined “London in Flames” and notes that 450 people have been arrested.

Libya

Libyan state-run Al-Jamahiriyah TV showed a programme called “Homeland’s Desire”. The presenter, Yusuf Shakir, midway into the programme, began to address the British people in English, urging them to “defeat this British regime” which “killed their brothers”.

He said the Libyan people and their leader supported “black power in America and Britain” and always defended blacks who “suffered racial discrimination” in the UK.

He said blacks and the poor took to the streets in London to demonstrate against the British “fascist” government. He added that Libyans would hold demonstrations holding up pictures of Mark Duggan, the man shot by police in Tottenham. Source: BBC Monitoring

Social networking in Middle East

The London riots were followed in great detail by many Arab users of Twitter, the social network that played a very important role in the Arab Spring.

Many note the difference between the dignified and largely peaceful protesters who protected banks and shops from looters during the uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and elsewhere, contrasting them with the behaviour of those on the rampage in London.

“Protesters in these countries actually protected property of others & prevented looting despite huge numbers,” wrote one Twitter user going by the name of LibyaNewMedia.

Hisham Almiraat, a Moroccan doctor, had a different take, writing: “London rioters despicable, if only because they are stealing media attention away from where it really matters

My Postscript:

The silent African Union should denounce the violence in Britain and call on authorities to respect the rights of PEACEFUL demonstrators!

From Nora Fakim…

During these past ten years, there has been a growing media campaign aimed at inciting prejudice against Muslims. Since 9/11, and especially since the London Tube bombing in July 2005, many Asians and Muslims have been harassed and racially attacked because of the negative image Islam has.  

 But the question is does Islamophobia actually exist? The trouble with the idea is that it confuses hatred of, and discrimination against, Muslims on the one hand with criticism of Islam on the other. The connotation of “Islamophobia” is all too often used not to highlight racism but to silence critics of Islam, or even Muslims fighting for reform of their communities.

With Channel 4 being the first station public-service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom to win favourable support from the British ethnic minorities, does this also mean that it is more Islam friendly compared to other media stations?

According to the  School of Journalism in Cardiff, the fact remains that the reason as to why the  media coverage on British Muslims has significantly increased, is due to 36% of stories on British Muslims is in relation to terrorism. Furthermore, in many newspapers like the Sun, they are known to use negative language when referring to Islam.

But what is extraordinary about Channel 4, is that it seems to show Islam in a different light. One in which it aims to reach out to everybody no matter what ethnicity or religion and tries to make people aware that British Muslims are suffering too. With the negative image of Islam in the U.K, many Muslims live in fear of practicing their own religion and find that the negative stigma around their religion creates a barrier between them and the rest of the British community.

According to the 2003 Communication Act, ‘Channel 4 is a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society.’ This is the reason as to why the channel was efficient at tackling the problems of Islamophobia by being aware that it was and still is a serious matter and so they made every effort to help decrease tensions between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

In 2008’s most watch interviews, Jon Snow challenges Salman Rushide about the Western and Easter conflicts. Although Salman Rushdie is talking about his new book which describes similarities between Eastern and Western cultures, Jon Snow questions him further about the modern day issues of Western and Eastern cultural conflicts.

He states to Rushdie that the ‘West needs to also be involved in building a bridge with the East.’ Mr Rushdie is unable to even answer some of Snows questions because many are questions which the British media refuses to acknowledge and which the public would never dare to bring up as they are questions which give the Western World a negative image such as; ‘Many people think of the East that we think nothing of their culture… the West has no culture… the East has culture’ (Snow). Although Salam Rushdie is trying to refer each time to his book which is set in the past, Jon Snow is trying to put this cultural conflict at forefront in our present day society, which is highly important in making people understand the Western and Eastern cultural conflicts whether it being in Britain and the rest of the world.                                                 

Channel 4’s dispatches showed the documentary which was presented by Peter Oborne; ‘It should not even happen to a Muslim’. This documentary aimed to make people aware of the difficulties many British Muslims face; whilst living and growing up in Great Britain. 

The documentary found that 61 % of hostility increased towards the Muslim community since the 2005 London bombings. Mr Oborne even managed to interview the Muslim MP Shahid Malik; about his life as a British Muslim. Malik quoted that he often receives ‘hate mail’ about being Muslim and anger towards the Muslim community.

He also said in the interview that the media play a role in misinterpreting issues dealing with people of his religion. Another programme on channel 4 which was targeted in educating the non-Muslim community about Islam was the weekly programme; ‘Make me a Muslim’. The idea was to give non-Muslims an idea of what it was like to live as a Muslim in Britain. After the series, all the contestants had a more positive image about the Islamic faith then when they first arrived at the beginning of the show. This show was another effective way of trying to build an understanding between both cultures.

 Channel 4’s website publicises several Muslim organistations such as, ‘The Muslim Association of Britain’ and ‘F.A.I.R.’ Whilst interviewing Karima Sbitri, who is a member of F.A.I.R she confessed that Channel 4 was the ‘best un-biased channel’ when it came to talking about Islam. I interviewed several Muslims from City University and I asked them what their favourite British channel was and eight out of ten replied Channel 4.

From this article we can see that there have been many showings on Channel 4 to tackle the problem of Islamophobia in Britain and this is a reason as to why it is favoured by many Muslims and ethnic minorities living here in the U.K. Its recent multicultural diversity statement was that, ‘Multicultural programmes remain at the heart of Channel 4’.

Let us hope that it carries on helping to resolve the problems of Islamophobia and other cultural issues here in Great Britain!

From Nora Fakim…

With today’s British society becoming more and more multicultural, this can sometimes lead to fear of the unknown and often racial tensions can start to develop such as Islamophobia. Many multi-faith organizations such as those at St. Ethelburga aim to reunite different faiths, help build peace and break down the barriers of resentment and ignorance.

St. Ethelburga is medieval church which was re-built in the fifteenth century after it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was most recently destroyed by an IRA bomb which exploded near by. Since then it has become a centre for reconciliation and peace.

A regular visitor of the centre is thirty year old Roksannaa, who converted to Islam five years ago. She came to this centre because she felt that she could reunite with different cultures without neglecting her European upbringing. She follows Sufism, a form of practicing Islam by chanting in a specific rhythm. Before becoming a Sufi, she was a Buddhist.

‘To me Islam made more sense and I felt I belonged to it and that is the reason why I converted to this religion,’ she said and also says Islam was a way for her to stabilize her identity.

The notion of identity comes up hugely in religion. The question is how can religion help build somebody’s identity? When we asked this question to Rouksanna, she said that people turn to religion as a form of identity because practicing it becomes their way of life.

She prays five times a day and sometimes at St. Ethelburga, where she meets other Muslims and they pray together. When asked whether turning to religion could lead to segregation amongst non practicing communities, she replied that those who turn to religion and take it to the extreme means that there is a reason as to why they are doing this. This reason may not necessarily be seen as morally correct but it can help make a human being feel ‘more secure within themselves’ according to Dr Riya Patel at the University College London Hospital. Tensions amongst Muslims in the West have been more evident since September 11th attacks in 2001. According to a Channel Four’s documentary ‘London Mosque Uncovered,’ many Muslims have stayed more and more within their communities and have reverted to Islam greatly, because many do not feel accepted in English society. This can also be another reason as to why different communities stick to themselves. However this way of living is not necessarily beneficial from both sides of the spectrum. This can lead to ignorance, hatred and insecurity towards others who are not like them.

Rouksanna believes that a reason as to why she converted to Islam was because she felt that she was missing something in her life. “I lost my father at a young age and I did not feel complete.”

This again incorporates both religion and identity. What is unique about St. Ethelburga is that it has a very North African feel. This is why the centre has a great way of bringing people of different religions and cultures together through concert reunions, multi-cultural art and architecture. All this is a way of breaking down the fact that religion does not have to be the only factor which identifies somebody. And if this is the case, it can explain why terrorism can sometimes exist. The centre is the way forward as it brings out the positive elements such as peace, respect and love which sadly many extremists forget about.

‘Peace is not simply the absence of violence; it is the cultivation of understanding…’ (TNH)

From Lama J…

“Habibi (babe), you’ve worked hard this year. I want to take you on a special vacation this summer, not only to Canada, but to London. I know you’ve never been there and can’t wait to take pictures of you next to the London Bridge”.

That was my husband.

It was our first wedding anniversary and my husband decided to make it special for us. He bought me a diamond ring, the type I always wanted and suggested we take a vacation in London.

April was the month when I decided to apply for my visit visas to the United Kingdom and Canada. Usually I make sure I won’t need my passport in April, as I will be applying for visas during this stretch and my poor Jordanian passport is often gone for a long time. This past summer I didn’t care how long it took, as in the end I would have an unforgettable experience.

I guess I was right to call it an unforgettable.

I decided to apply to the Canadian embassy first, as I wanted to make sure I had a good reason to give the UK embassy if they asked why I wanted to visit London. As an Arab, I have wonderful experiences with embassies, their procedures and always entertaining questions.  I got my Canadian visa after sending my application by DHL and received my passport again via DHL with the visa in less than week. How cool is that?  I didn’t even have to speak to anyone.

It was Wednesday when I dressed up and headed towards the British Consulate representative office, preparing all my documents proud of my Canadian visa.

 “If I can go to Canada… I can go to London for sure,” I said to myself.

“Good Morning Sir, I need to apply for a visit visa to visit London with my husband for 3 days”, I said with a smile.

“Good Morning, why you want to go to London?” the man behind the counter asked.

“I am going to Canada with my husband and thought of stopping by London, I have never been there and I am excited,” I answered.

“What’s your nationality ma’am”?

“I am Jordanian, and I would like…”

Before I could even finish my sentence, he cut me off and said,” Usually people from countries like yours don’t get the visa… You should know your chances are very low.”

I was shocked with his reply, as he hadn’t even seen my papers yet.

“Can you please at least look at my application? It’s all complete as per your website,”   I said quietly. 

“Ok, but you can’t mention that you want 6 months duration. We will decide not you,” was his curt reply.

I wanted to smack the guy at this point, but took a deep breath, paid the fees and went home. Three weeks later I returned. You might me surprised at this, but I had to go through an interview before they would even consider giving me a visit visa.

Over the three weeks, I was scared I may get rejected. I was looking forward to going so much, but I couldn’t get that jerk’s words out of my mind. Any time I thought about it, I kept hearing, “People like you don’t usually get the visa.”

My husband kept telling me it would be ok and several times said he wanted to go down to the consulate and stick that guys head somewhere I cant repeat here. Nevertheless, I was nervous as I waited in the lobby to be called for my interview.

Finally after nearly half an hour, I heard my name.

“Lama J… next room please”

Feeling both scared and angry, I even had to go through with this, I did my best to remain calm.  When I entered the interview room I was shocked to see four cameras waiting for me.

A woman, who for some reason seemed unable to speak clearly, mumbled a few things in one of those slurry British accents and gave me strange look. She asked me to look at each camera from all angles while I spoke. The interview then began and soon enough, I began to feel like a criminal being interrogated by the police. One of the more ridiculous questions I was asked was “Have you ever been accused of being a bad character?”

I mean really, what kind of question is that?? “No ma’am” I replied stoically.

After several more questions, she took my fingerprints and said “You can go and wait to get a reply from us”.

“When shall I expect your reply, ma’am?” I asked.

 ”Don’t worry, we will decide and will send you an sms. Don’t call us,” she answered.

I left and was upset by the treatment I received. I told my husband about what happened and as always, he wanted to look at the positive side. “Don’t worry, we will enjoy our vacation. All we have to do now is wait,” he said.

As it turned out, he was right.

When our plane landed at London Heathrow, I was very happy. As we approached the passport control, there was a long line ahead of us but the British immigration officers were fast and efficient. When our turn finally came, my husband and I handed over our passports to the control officer. Of course, a smile and a quick stamp came down in my husband’s golden Canadian passport.  Then while chatting with my husband he asked “Are you together, Sir?”

With a smile of his own, my husband replied “Yes, this is my wife.” 

The passport officer’s smile quickly vanished when he looked down and saw my Jordanian passport. “How long are you willing to stay here, Ma’am?”

“Only three 3 days,” I answered.

He also asked me where would be staying and what places I was going to visit while in London. My husband later told me these were standard questions, but at the time I was a little surprised. He was polite and I answered in kind. After another quick look,  the stamp came down and I was in. 

After collecting our bags, we took the Heathrow Express Train into London and hoped a couple metro lines until arriving at our hotel.  We paid a good price for the room and I was expecting something to match the cost. Although it was nice new room, it was very small and the bathroom was tiny. I discovered a downtown centrally located place in London would only be spacious if you paid a king’s ransom. But I didn’t care, I was just happy to be in London!

Over the next couple of days we went to all the nice places, visiting the beautiful London Tower Bridge, Buckingham palace, the famous wax museum, Westminster Abbey and more. I had a great time, but we spent a lot of money in only three days. I especially remember having lunch in a cheap cafeteria-style restaurant, nothing fancy at all, and paying 80 dollars! I thought the city is cool, but you need to bring a lot of cash and credit cards to survive there. Nevertheless, I don’t regret the experience in the slightest and I was happy to have had the chance to see London.

After a month in Canada hopping from Edmonton, to Calgary, to my husband’s beautiful family farm out on the prairies, then to Victoria and Vancouver, I was tried and exited to go back to Dubai. I missed my routine and looked forward to getting things back to normal. The only sad part was I travelled alone. My husband would remain in Canada longer, wanting to spend more time with his family, as he only gets a chance to see them once a year.

While at the well-organized and easy to get around Vancouver airport getting ready to fly back to London-Heathrow, I dreaded the trip back. I needed to fly nine hours from Vancouver to London on Air Canada, one of the best airlines I’ve ever been on, and connect via British Airways, to then fly another 7 hours to Dubai. It’s a long way, but I’d done it year before and was more comfortable with the ordeal this time. Besides, its only once a year.

Air Canada arrived at Heathrow a half-hour late, landing at 11:00 am, as opposed to 10:30. Not bad, but my connecting flight was at 12:40pm. Things suddenly became very tight.  Time got even tighter when we had to wait  for another 20 minutes on the tarmac, as there were so many planes lining up with passengers from every corner of the earth. Soon enough, I started worry. Not long after that, worry turned to annoyance.

By the time I made it out of the plane, it was 11:20am. I landed at Terminal 3 and knew I had to run to terminal 5. ” Oh my God, am I the only passenger here who has to connect? It seems everybody’s final destination is London except me”, I thought to myself as I felt my heart rate pick up speed.

And so my race began, as I starting sprinting with my oversized carry on bag through the airport. Another young man was following me, as he too was headed to Dubai, and it soon became apparent he had no idea where to go. So there I was, after a nine hour flight, running as fast as I can, my bag bouncing all over the place and my fear of missing my next flight growing with every second.  I made my way down to the busses that would take me to Terminal 5, but just my luck… none were there! “Come on!! Where is the bus??” I said aloud.

“Excuse me, Ma’am… where is the Terminal 5 bus?” I asked a woman in an airport uniform.

“Sorry, it’s under maintenance. You need to go to terminal 4 and catch the bus from there to get to 5″ she said flatly.

Second laters, I was running again, my fellow late arriver running along with me.

“Oh my God… it’s 11:40am and I am still running around the airport.” I said to myself.

“I’m gonna miss my flight.”

 A few minuets later, sweat now pouring from my forehead, I arrived at the bus stop and hopped on. It was so packed I had to squeeze myself through a sea of people, with the young man just making it on behind me.  We arrived at Terminal 5 and a huge line was waiting for me “Oh, God I won’t make it… but I have to try!”

This is where the last, and as it turned out, my biggest problem came to pass. Air Canada and British Airways are not linked for some reason - why I have no idea –  and I couldn’t simply go to my gate, but had to get issued my beading pass first.  I ran towards a police officer telling him, “Sir… please I need your help, I need to catch my flight. Is there any fast track here? I can’t wait in this line. I need to catch my flight to Dubai or I will sleep at the airport.”

He was a nice gentlemen and understanding my situation got the desk to issue my boarding pass straight away. He then told me I needed to run as fast as I can so that I could pass the security check. He assured me that if you explain your situation to them, there should be no issues.  I thanked him and I once again, I ran… the young man still behind me.

I came to the fast track zone and explained my situation to the policeman standing there. He told me to go see an officer named Juliana, pointing her out to me, and so I did. I can still remember how sour the woman turned out to be.

“Hi Ma’am, I need to catch my flight to Dubai and the both the gentlemen at the ticket counter and this officer back there told me you would help me to go through the security check via the fast track.”

“Stay on the line please till your turn comes,” she said sharply.

It was my guess she didn’t understand what I’ve said. “I was told by the two gentlemen that you can help me to go through the fast track,” I said once again.

 ”You stay in the line there. There is no fast track. You need to wait,” was he answer.

“But Ma’am, I’ll miss my flight and can’t spend a night in London. I’ll end up sleeping in the airport. I would be grateful if you can let me go.”

“Quiet! I don’t want to hear a word from you! I said NO!”

At this point, I start mumbling angrily in Arabic. With that, she came right next to me and raised her voice. “What are you saying? I don’t want to hear you talking!  Do you understand?!”

Making sure I knew she was serious, she put her hand on her hand Billy Club. At this point, I got scared, so I decided to shut my mouth. The young man was next to me and soon asked, ” You think we’re gonna make it to Dubai?” 

“I don’t know if her majesty will allow us”, I replied.

Pleasant officer Julia then came back again and said, “Excuse me. One more word from you and I have to take to my office.”

I started laughing at this point, because I really didn’t know what else to do. The young man then told me, “Just leave it and ignore her… she must be having a bad day”.

Everybody was staring at me and I felt embarrassed. I wanted to break her neck, but of course couldn’t do that. I left things alone as I surely didn’t want to end up beaten with a Billy Club and in jail. Most especially, because I know that my respectful Jordan embassy couldn’t care less about a Jordanian citizen being screwed in London.

With that said, many people were kind enough to offer me and the young man the place in front of them. When we finally reached the front of the line, a Hassidic Jew refused to take off his hat, while angrily arguing with the police. I begged him to take his hat and then finally…  I was through.

One more time, I was off and running.

The flight was set t depart at 12:40 and it was already 12: 45.  It was then I heard my name being called over the speakers. My heart raced even faster.

They were still calling my name when the assigned gate number finally appeared in the distance. I had my boarding pass, I was there, and I was safe. I reached the counter and felt a huge sense of relief.

The lady at the counter then said, “Sorry Ma’am, the gate was changed. You need to go to gate 39.”

No WAAAYYYY!

And so, I was running again.

I changed my direction took off like an Olympic sprinter.  The young man was running with and finally asked my name.  “Lama, and you?” I said in between taking deep breaths.

“David, I am going to Dubai for the first time. I’m Canadian what about you?”

 ”I am Jordanian.”

“What’s a Jordanian is doing in Canada?”

“My husband is Canadian.”

I was giving him short answers as I was out of breath and not really in the mood to talk given the circumstances.  I felt guilty that I was a little mean to the young man.  Maybe he didn’t know anybody in Dubai and wanted to talk about where to go there, but I was going mad at the time.

And then, at long last… we were on the plane.

People stared from their seats, annoyed their flight was delayed because of me. Whatever! I didn’t really care. I made it! 

When I finally arrived in Dubai, it seemed only befitting my bags were lost and never made the transfer. I called my husband and started crying and told him what a nightmare I just been through. At home on my bed I could still see that monster police lady in front of me. I was wondering what I did I to get on her in her nerves like that. 

Is it my passport? Maybe, because she knows my country will never care if I was to get into any trouble which means she had the green light to kick my ass. Or maybe she was just having a bad day… I’ll never know for sure.

All do know however, one time to London is good enough for me!

Hmmm… maybe next year we can try Paris….

From Nora Fakim…

Growing up in a mixed background in Kent, U.K. may  sound unique but it has not always been easy living with it. As soon as the question is ‘Where are you from’ and I reply England, people sometimes stop in silence and look at me half jokingly and say ‘come on you don’t look English, where are you originally from?’ Or they presume I am from a certain country which I find annoying and irritating.  I would then give them a fifteen minutes explanation of how I was born and brought up in Kent and that my mother is Moroccan and my father is Mauritian and I speak fluent French even though I am not French.

Then with that reply there would be more questions. All these questions would start to make me question myself as an individual and question how people see others in society. It also has made me understand why some ethnic minorities or mixed people stick together because if this mixed individual does not feel that he or she is seen as say for example  from  England, how would they ever feel English?

Priya Sachdev a London born British Asian says that the reason why she prefers to stick with her own Asian community is because growing up in Morden, a fairly white middle class area was problematic throughout her childhood. ‘I was seen differently by non-Asians’ she says. I therefore decided to be amongst British Asians like me because it was easier, we enjoyed the same foods, the same music, the bilingual upbringing and there were no questions between us, we were the same. I would not say I am Indian but I am British for sure. I enjoy my Fish and Chips but I also enjoy going to the university’s Diwali fashion week organized by the Asian society’.

However Anita Patel says differently. ‘I grew up in a predominantly white area in Beckenham and I think I have had the both of best worlds. I am able integrate in a white society just as well as in any other society as I do not put barriers. Some ethnic minorities stick together because it is easy and life is not meant to be easy. Also many pick and chose what they want from the English culture and from their parent’s culture too and that can be hypocritical’.

An ICM Research made last year interviewed 500 Asian people aged 16-34 and 235 white people aged 18-34 between 4 and 12 July. Of those polled 84% were satisfied with life in Britain and almost half thought they have more opportunities here.

All of the British Asians polled were of South Asian origin.

Half of them, and nearly two-thirds of the white people interviewed, agreed it was too easy for immigrants to settle in Britain. The poll showed that three-quarters of the British Asians felt their culture was being diluted by living in the UK and nearly half like Priya believed white people did not treat them as British.

A total of 59% of the British Asians polled felt they were British, compared to 73% of white people. Among the British Asians interviewed were 296 Muslims, 112 Hindus, 39 Sikhs and 33 Christians.

‘Many British Asians consider themselves to be British but at home they are more in touch with their cultural and ancestral root’ says Reena Combo a journalist for the magazine Asian Women.

             Among the Sikhs, 77% said they felt completely British or a lot. For Muslims, the figure was 64%, followed by Hindus and Christians on 46%. However Priya Sobrati who is a member of an Asian Women’s Organization in Harrow says that this poll should not be taken too seriously as each individual is different in terms of how he or she deals with his or her identity.

            ‘Some people in society and often the media always make an issue of race, religion, color! It is high time that the British society should stop talking and do more doing in order to unify racial misunderstandings between different cultural groups in the U.K. Both sides must play a role in order for this to happen and I feel that many British Asians are not willing to make an effort in order to integrate into the English society.’

Born and raised in the cultural mileu of London, England, Staff Writer Nora Fakim is daughter to a Moroccan mother and Mauritian father. The mix of traditional North African values and European cultural diversity has privileged her with a unique and informed global perspective. Fakim has a BA in French Literature from the University College of London, and a Master’s in North African Dialects, Culture and Hebrew, from The National Institute of Language and Culture in Paris, France. (INALCO) She is currently working on a second  Master’s, an MA in Journalism from City University in London, and speaks French, English, Arabic and Creole. Multicultural, diverse, eclectic, and forthright, Fakim is a breathing example of RELATIVITY OnLine’s multiplicity of perspective. Fakim runs her own blog at http://abfd211.wordpress.city-1.vsccreative.com/