|Ruling regimes, groups or individuals believe in racial or ethnic discrimination in order to distinguish themselves from others, if for reasons of biological, cultural, political, tribal, religious or otherwise.|
Hitler was a racist, because he believed in the supremacy of the Aryan race (the gifted race among others) such as the Germans and Persians, which made no sense.
I also think the former South African regime believed in the supremacy of the white minority in that country over the black majority people. In another expression of racism, or the false and funny pride, the people of Isfahan in Iran believed their city was half the world, perhaps because at that time they had not heard of places like London or Beijing or New York. The Egyptians are still chanting that Egypt is ‘Mother of the World’, etc.
The idea of superiority of one group over the other is often based on scientific fact though there are differences and inherited elements related to the nature of the people or their abilities for reasons related to the environment or the family, education and climatic conditions, and other things that change human beings in case the conditions are controlled or changed.
And therefore it is unfair to deal with people belonging to one race or tribe or group as inferior or socially and legally different just because their religion or their tribe or their color is different from the others.
We have seen how human beings excelled from a modest environment and are considered by some as inferior when they moved to live in scientifically advanced environment.
It is absurd that an individual considers himself better than anyone else, creed or color or race, while he at the same time is inferior to them in manners and understanding of literature and knowledge.
We do not choose our position in the community as our right to be proud of it, but we are born inside as a result of factors which we have nothing to do with, how therefore can we take pride in it?
It is nice to belong to peaceful and generous homeland, but when the homeland behaves foolishly, and assaults others unjustly, people who refuse to belong to it are not to blame.
It is nice to belong to a sports team or political party, or a social club, and be proud of that, but we must not hesitate to leave the membership of that entity once it is not committed to its objectives.
And nice to belong to a religion or doctrine, and be proud, but that does not mean accepting the practices of followers if they harm others, and interfere with the private life of others, their well-being or any other matter.
Price for religious or sectarian, ethnic or tribal affiliation should not come at the expense of the others; otherwise we become hated racists, knowing that there is not a day we can claim is better than the other.
Physical, cultural and artistic richness, beauty, food and literature is not confined only to a people or group, but is distributed to all the peoples of the earth. It makes us all need what we lack, or what we have not, but plentiful among others.
If we assume that the people who believe distinctly in financial and ethnic, tribal and religious uniqueness, and are self-sufficient, we must ask if they can live in isolation from the world?
Of course not, since it is impossible in today’s world of isolation, what the people need is peace, money, food and drink, beauty, furniture, building materials, products, industry, transport and mobility, and produced undoubtedly the best of it. Therefore it is foolish if some people show their arrogance to the world, in the belief they are superior.
By Ahmad Al-Sarraf