How You Can Help the Arab World
By: Anthony Bayyouk / Arab America Contributing Writer
The situation in certain parts of the Arab World has not been ideal for decades. Since the discovery of oil and the Nakba, the Arab World has undergone many hardships. Countless immigrants were forced to immigrate because of the lack of safety, jobs, and many other factors that made life unstable in the Middle East. With war came food scarcity and job loss.
The Arab World is not getting better unfortunately, corrupt governments continue to rise to power and basic necessities have become a luxury. It is our duty as Arab Americans to give back to our homeland. Although it is the responsibility of government leaders to take care of their people, their efforts have shown no improvements and we cannot leave our people behind simply because it is the government’s responsibility to provide for them. Morally Arab Americans have an obligation to help the struggling people in the Middle East. The list of ways to help is long. Starting with donating money and contacting your government representatives.
Donating money to foundations such as the Red Cross can help millions of people on the ground. The Red Cross supplies civilians with basic necessities such as food, water, and medication. The Red Cross also does not discriminate against gender, religion, or ethnicity. There is also UNICEF, UNICEF work is seen every day on the ground in the Middle East they are one of the biggest supporters of the Palestinians in Gaza. Whether you donate to the Red Cross or UNICEF you can guarantee that your money is being used to help people.
Across the Middle East, there are foundations that focus on certain aspects of life such as education, health, or housing. These foundations build homes, schools, and send doctors to the Middle East. These foundations are very important to the revival of the Middle East because they go into small villages and refugee camps and help people that bigger foundations such as the Red Cross or UNICEF may overlook.
Other than donating to foundations there are many other effective ways of helping the homeland. Such as writing to your State representatives. Representatives are very busy people and may not have time to keep up with current events abroad. By writing to them you can bring attention to the situation in the Arab World. Although your letter or phone call may not change Congress’s course of action, it will at least start the conversation. With enough people writing and calling, Congress will act to address the problem. Whether they send aid, pass legislature or push for a foreign government to act, something will be done. State Representatives work for us, their job is to solve problems.
In the past, Arab America has written and called State Representatives to declare April Arab American Heritage Month. Now dozens of Governors across the United States have signed proclamations that recognize April as Arab American Heritage Month. It takes consistency but in the end, your hard work will pay off.
One of the most important things a person of Arab descent can do is uphold traditions and culture. Palestine for instance is not only the West Bank and Gaza, Palestine is all over the world. Every Palestinian that has moved abroad has brought their traditions and culture.
This also goes for every immigrant no matter what country they come from. Teaching your children the language and culture will ensure that Arabs everywhere will always be connected to their homeland. Although it is easy to fall into the trap of westernization there can definitely be a balance of upkeep your traditions while also adapting to other customs and traditions.
It is an immigrant’s duty to their homeland to help in some kind of way. Whether donating money or time or simply starting the conversation about not only political situations in the Middle East but also starting the conversation about traditions and customers is more effective than you may think.
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