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Judas_Thaddeus
Guest
Seriously?
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Judas_Thaddeus
Guest
Seriously?
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:newidea: (There we go!)
Jesus is an Israelite, Jesus (I consider) is a Jew,
so I wonder how many of those Christians would
accept him if he came again, but they had not a
clue of who he was?
D
dzheremi
Guest
Not in the United States, my friend, where Arabs are (for the time being) majority Christian (last I read, maybe 3-4 years ago, something like 63% of the Arab and Arab-descended population are Christian).
M
malphono
Guest
I’ve seen similar, and I wonder about the accuracy of such reports. Perhaps they meant those who identify as “Arab” whether they are or not? Oftentimes these studies lump all people from, or tracing their decent to, an “Arabic-speaking country” and that’s a problem. A large number (perhaps the largest single group) are Maronites, mainly from Lebanon and Syria, and we’re not ethnically Arab (although some profess to be out of total ignorance, but that’s another horror story that I won’t delve into here). Another large community is Chaldo-Assyrian, also not ethnic Arabs. And of course there are the Copts and SOC/SCC, again not ethnically Arab.
The majority of Melkites and AOC are, of course, ethnic Arabs, as are the Latins from the Holy Land. There is a handful of Protestants, mainly those converted by American and British missionaries in the 19th Century, but they are mixed, some being ethnic Arabs, others not. But the combined numbers are relatively small when compared to the non-Arabs from Arabic-speaking lands. When one looks at places like Dearborn, which has the largest ethnic Arab population in the US, and where all but a handful belong to invaders’ religion, the picture seems to take on a different dimension.
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dzheremi
Guest
I don’t remember exactly where I last read that statistic, but I would’ve assumed it was by self-identification, in which case what they truly are basically doesn’t matter (speaking only of its use for statistical purposes, of course). Then again, I seem to remember a few years ago the Arab-American Institute (or some such) got in trouble for identifying Maronites and Assyrians as Arab even though they had asked the institute to stop doing that some time before, so who knows. Census’ do have their own biases, after all.
Quasi-relatedly I have yet to meet an Arab-identifying Copt in real life, only on the internet.
But our priests certainly do get mistaken for Muslims in America, which I always find a little odd given the fact that they wear large crosses as part of their standard dress when out and about; you’d think that would counteract the long beard and Arabic accent, but I guess ignorance knows no bounds. Perhaps that is why beards among non-clergy fell out of fashion among the Copts some time ago. A bearded Indian acquaintance of mine once told me that he got many strange glances and questions when serving as a deacon at a Coptic liturgy (e.g., “Why is a Muslim serving the liturgy?”), to the point where he returned the next week clean-shaven and people told him they were grateful that he looked “more Christian”. Ay… :doh2:
That’s nothing compared to what the older Tewahedo ladies back home get, though. Sheesh…perhaps nobody remembers a time when most women of a certain age had at least their heads covered in some way (I do, at least among my grandmother’s generation; that might be a Mexican thing, though, since pretty much everyone 50+ had their heads covered in the part of rural Mexico where I volunteered at an orphanage 20 years or so ago). Even though some of the Tewahedo women even have the Cross tattoorf on their faces (a custom from the old country that obviously they couldn’t reverse just because they’re in America now), still you hear ignorant ferenjis prattling on about how “there sure are a lot of Muslims around here…”, just because they’re in their netelas!
So it’s not just you, OP and other “Arab-looking” people…even non-Arab Africans have to deal with this! :banghead:
Quasi-relatedly I have yet to meet an Arab-identifying Copt in real life, only on the internet.
But our priests certainly do get mistaken for Muslims in America, which I always find a little odd given the fact that they wear large crosses as part of their standard dress when out and about; you’d think that would counteract the long beard and Arabic accent, but I guess ignorance knows no bounds. Perhaps that is why beards among non-clergy fell out of fashion among the Copts some time ago. A bearded Indian acquaintance of mine once told me that he got many strange glances and questions when serving as a deacon at a Coptic liturgy (e.g., “Why is a Muslim serving the liturgy?”), to the point where he returned the next week clean-shaven and people told him they were grateful that he looked “more Christian”. Ay… :doh2:That’s nothing compared to what the older Tewahedo ladies back home get, though. Sheesh…perhaps nobody remembers a time when most women of a certain age had at least their heads covered in some way (I do, at least among my grandmother’s generation; that might be a Mexican thing, though, since pretty much everyone 50+ had their heads covered in the part of rural Mexico where I volunteered at an orphanage 20 years or so ago). Even though some of the Tewahedo women even have the Cross tattoorf on their faces (a custom from the old country that obviously they couldn’t reverse just because they’re in America now), still you hear ignorant ferenjis prattling on about how “there sure are a lot of Muslims around here…”, just because they’re in their netelas!
So it’s not just you, OP and other “Arab-looking” people…even non-Arab Africans have to deal with this! :banghead:
A
Aramis
Guest
I’ve been mistaken for Eskimo - keep in mind, most of the Orthodox in Alaska are one of Tlingtit, Tsimshian, Haida, Athabascan, Aleutiq, Inupiaq or Yupiq… and only the last two are “eskimo”… I’m of mixed european and western slavic descent (My paternal GGpa emigrated via Poland, but was probably not an ethnic pole.) But when my hair is long, and I’ve gotten sun, I can be mistaken for eskimo by those who don’t know to look for the epicanthic fold (which I lack) and see the byzantine cross I used to wear (my sweat ate the chain) or see me pray before eating.
So, people see me when I’m swarthy, with long dark hair, making the byzantine Sign of the Cross or wearing the Byzantine cross, and leap to the “Must be orthodox, so probably eskimo.”
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SyroMalankara
Guest
Let me tell you this: The weekend after 9-11 my cousin and I went to pump some gas at the corner BP, we were afraid for our lives. The European-American population were not friendly at all toward us, including gritting teeth and speaking loudly in our direction about what they’d do to “those ragheads” (I heard even worse, but I’d be permanently banned here for repeating it). I also remember scores of Sikhs getting attacked by ignoramuses thinking they must be Muslim, due to the turban.
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Kielbasi
Guest
The folks in question would still be ignoramuses even if they had been correct in their assumption about the turban wearers’ religion.
The ignorant part isn’t the people’s assumption that the Sikhs (or EC’s) were Muslim, but the fact that they attacked them because of it.
Anyone can make a mistake about what religion someone is particularly in areas where the group in question is a tiny minority, a well-meaning “Happy Ramadan” card to an EC who is presumed to be Muslim isn’t offensive.
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Aydan
Guest
This problem is not limited to Eastern Catholics it happens to some Latin rite Catholics as well. I am a Latin rite Catholic who chooses to cover her head not only in church but out in public as well as part of my modesty dress code. I never cared for the traditional chapel veils because they show my hair and they’re just not conducive for me to wear outside of the church all the time in public. As a result I have adopted the Orthodox style head covering and I am always mistaken for a Muslim especially since I do speak some Turkish as well. What usually happens to me is people see me on the street with my head covering and assume I’m Muslim until they see me in church then some visitors who don’t know me usually mistake me for an Eastern Catholic or someone who grew up Eastern Catholic which is not the case. I’m actually a convert and I’ve always been in the Latin rite. Most of the time people are just unaware of the head covering tradition and the fact that it is still practiced by some people.I’ve never experienced any bad treatment by anyone who mistook me for a Muslim. People were just curious about my head covering.
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Brendan_64
Guest
What is wrong here isn’t the fact that you were mistaken for a Muslim, but how the people who mistook you for a Muslim the treated you as a result. It just highlights how bigotted and prejudiced many people (not the OP) are towards Muslims.
Exactly.The sin is not that people are wrongly mistaken for being Muslims, but that they are given unfavourable treatment because of this.
Treating a person uncharitably in any way (let alone attack them) because of their religion (or perceived religion) is appalling and gravely sinful. Christ did not say, “Love your neighbour as you would love yourself, except if he is a Muslim”.
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Medical_Student
Guest
Yes, this is my life. I have a large beard, granted with the moustache still on. My name is “funny sounding” to Westerners but I do not have an islamic name. I have been stopped at the airport “randomly” more times than i can count though.
I remember buying bbq at the airport, one muslim family seemed distraught (the pork).
I remember buying bbq at the airport, one muslim family seemed distraught (the pork).
J
josie_L
Guest
You can always razor off the beard and moustache.
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Sarcelle
Guest
This thread reminds me of a story I heard from a coworker. He and his wife recently adopted a baby girl from China. One of the questions people ask them is
“How are you going to understand her when she learns how to talk and starts speaking Chinese.”
Keep in mind that this baby is only a few months old. How does she automatically know how to speak Chinese?
People’s ignorance can sometimes take you by surprise.
“How are you going to understand her when she learns how to talk and starts speaking Chinese.”
Keep in mind that this baby is only a few months old. How does she automatically know how to speak Chinese?
People’s ignorance can sometimes take you by surprise.
D
Duane1966
Guest
I’ve been mistaken for an idiot many times, even by my wife and kids. Wait a minute. Maybe it’s not a mistake.
S
SuperLuigi
Guest
Lesson: Don’t judge a book by its cover. :yup:
LaughingBoy1503
Well-known member
No, way. They have to be kidding. They have to be… I hope…:ehh:
M
Medical_Student
Guest
“Impious to Desecrate the Symbol of Manhood” – Clement of Alexandria, 2nd – 3rd centuryYou can always razor off the beard and moustache.
“But for one who is a man to comb himself and shave himself with a razor, for the sake of fine effect, to arrange his hair at the looking-glass, to shave his cheeks, pluck hairs out of them, and smooth them, how womanly! …] For this is a meretricious and impious form of snare. For God wished women to be smooth, and rejoice in their locks alone growing spontaneously, as a horse in his mane; but has adorned man, like the lions, with a beard, and endowed him, as an attribute of manhood, with a shaggy chest – a sign of strength and rule. …]
“This, then, the mark of the man, the beard, by which he is seen to be a man, is older than Eve… In this God deemed it right that he should excel, and dispersed hair over man’s whole body. Whatever smoothness and softness was in him He abstracted from his side when He formed the woman Eve, physically receptive, his partner in parentage, his help in household management, while he (for he had parted with all smoothness) remained a man, and shows himself man. …]
“Wherefore males have both more hair and more heat than females… It is therefore impious to desecrate the symbol of manhood, hairiness. But the embellishment of smoothing (for I am warned by the Word), if it is to attract men, is the act of an effeminate person,— if to attract women, is the act of an adulterer; and both must be driven as far as possible from our society. …]
“Let the head of men be shaven, unless it has curly hair. But let the chin have the hair. But let not twisted locks hang far down from the head, gliding into womanish ringlets. For an ample beard suffices for men. And if one, too, shave a part of his beard, it must not be made entirely bare, for this is a disgraceful sight. The shaving of the chin to the skin is reprehensible, approaching to plucking out the hair and smoothing. For instance, thus the Psalmist, delighted with the hair of the beard, says, ‘As the ointment that descends on the beard, the beard of Aaron.’ Having celebrated the beauty of the beard by a repetition, he made the face to shine with the ointment of the Lord.” (The Instructor, Book 3, Chapters 3, 11)
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