Social Segregation
I was reading a while ago the novel "3omaret Ya3kobian" Yakobian's Building. In it, the author describes tenants of this famous building that exists in down town Cairo. He tried to give us a small display of all different types of people in the society, the rich, the poor, the ladies' man, the politician, the merchant.. Etc. I did not like the fact that almost all of these portraits are not really the normal, or at least accepted, the average Joes were not here at all. I guess he thought they would not make interesting stories, but this one guy Taha, the only one who seemed like a hard working ethical religious character in the story, he turned him into a terrorist at the end! Didn't like the implication, but that is not what grabs me here.
The story talked about how he is so proud, and maintains his dignity, even though he is the son of the doorman. In its own, the doorman job is honorable and there is nothing shameful about it, but the society unfortunately imposes a social segregation, as if making them into different people. This is not Islamic in any sort.
The guy Taha talks about how when he went to college for the first time, was in awe of all the different people, and how people were almost immediately divided into different groups according to social or financial standards. A metaphor he used that I liked: Like oil and water so clearly separate, so did the different social standards. They do not intermingle at all.
When I read this, I remembered my days in college, and yes this so did happen. But I don't recall consciously deciding not to mingle with this or that, it just happened naturally somehow, did not think of it as segregation, but now that I am working, it is much less pronounced, people mature a bit I guess, and realize we are all the same more or less, I can mingle with anyone as long as they are decent and polite.
But I had never looked at it from the point of view of the others, the ones of a less prestigious standard may I call it? It was described that Taha was terrified of talking to anyone lest they would ask him what his father does, and he has to lie, or appear inadequate. Insecurity led him to stay away from the social life. Then he found solace in this guy whose socks he noticed was full of patches and holes. That is who he could be friends with.
I felt bad for him, I wouldn’t want to think that anyone would not talk to others because he is of a lower social or financial standard out of shame. I would like to think that talking to one’s same standard is because they would have more in common, have similar interests, backgrounds and so can have more fun together, but not for feeling inadequate for any reason.
And yet, I know this segregation is true. The society is a harsh and cruel critic and judge. And Is so unfair. What makes one better than another is their deeds and heart, not their worldly possessions. What we have in life is often out of luck and fate rather than us being superior or inferior to anyone else. And it does not make us superior or inferior either.
Wish people would take the time to talk to one another, even those that they feel are “not their type”, just for the sake of lessening this segregation thing. We are all brothers and sisters after all.
The story talked about how he is so proud, and maintains his dignity, even though he is the son of the doorman. In its own, the doorman job is honorable and there is nothing shameful about it, but the society unfortunately imposes a social segregation, as if making them into different people. This is not Islamic in any sort.
The guy Taha talks about how when he went to college for the first time, was in awe of all the different people, and how people were almost immediately divided into different groups according to social or financial standards. A metaphor he used that I liked: Like oil and water so clearly separate, so did the different social standards. They do not intermingle at all.
When I read this, I remembered my days in college, and yes this so did happen. But I don't recall consciously deciding not to mingle with this or that, it just happened naturally somehow, did not think of it as segregation, but now that I am working, it is much less pronounced, people mature a bit I guess, and realize we are all the same more or less, I can mingle with anyone as long as they are decent and polite.
But I had never looked at it from the point of view of the others, the ones of a less prestigious standard may I call it? It was described that Taha was terrified of talking to anyone lest they would ask him what his father does, and he has to lie, or appear inadequate. Insecurity led him to stay away from the social life. Then he found solace in this guy whose socks he noticed was full of patches and holes. That is who he could be friends with.
I felt bad for him, I wouldn’t want to think that anyone would not talk to others because he is of a lower social or financial standard out of shame. I would like to think that talking to one’s same standard is because they would have more in common, have similar interests, backgrounds and so can have more fun together, but not for feeling inadequate for any reason.
And yet, I know this segregation is true. The society is a harsh and cruel critic and judge. And Is so unfair. What makes one better than another is their deeds and heart, not their worldly possessions. What we have in life is often out of luck and fate rather than us being superior or inferior to anyone else. And it does not make us superior or inferior either.
Wish people would take the time to talk to one another, even those that they feel are “not their type”, just for the sake of lessening this segregation thing. We are all brothers and sisters after all.
posted by doshar @ 8/26/2005 09:25:00 PM
4 Comments:
At 8/27/2005 7:18 AM,
LouLou said…
Some people call this social apartheid. Yes it is very inhumane - exactly like racial apartheid.
But why does it bother you that the guy turned into terrorist?We all know that social, political or economic marginalization is a major factor in the spread of terror. A lot of studies have shown that.
In Britain for example, they are looking at the terrorism problem as an issue of immigrants having failed to integrate & become accepted by the host society - and so they turn against it & search for identity & dignity in other quarters & the terrorists take advantage of that.
Does it surprise you that someone who grows up afraid to talk to people incase they reject him because of his social class might turn into some kind of sociopath?He would certainly be vulnerable to that - unless there is a lot of emotional support to compensate for the social alienation. And since it is a religious society, sociopathy tends to take a religious form.
At 8/27/2005 12:43 PM,
roora said…
I agree with you ya doshar, being from a cetian class or better educated , was something you were born by and you could of been in other situations elhamdAllah .
That was the case in my college , but not in my work , and it makes a lot of difference for them. At the end " mn tawad3 lelah Rafa3oh". I believe in this hadith very much as the rest of Ahadith but this one I felt it before.
Loulou, I heared about the story , didn't read it , I think what upset doshar from turning Taha to a terrorist was what upset me , that the writer turned all the characters to be extreemly bad models as if we have no good models in our life , even the man who was trying hard , he turned him a terrorist and the girl who was working hard , she misled her way , it was very frustrating , as if there is no hope in life.
At 8/27/2005 3:21 PM,
doshar said…
loulou, yeah roora summed up what bugged me, this story was supposed to include the different patterns in society, and taha was the only one with a bit of ethics and religion, and he turned him into a terrorist. I understand that this social segregation turned him like this, he had little self esteem, and needed to belong somewhere, and these people gave him what he needed, attention, ranking, importance and a sense of belonging. It does not surprise me at all this end, but i wish the author had included some other religous model that was "normal", so as not to stereotype all religous people as to be terrorists.
At 8/27/2005 4:30 PM,
Me said…
I've heard about the novel but haven't read it yet... there's been a lot said about it lately.. I even heard that some of the characters displayed in the novel are sort of "true" not really "fictitious"... and some are filing a lawsuit against the author for presenting a very negative picture !!!
"I felt bad for him, I wouldn’t want to think that anyone would not talk to others because he is of a lower social or financial standard out of shame. I would like to think that talking to one’s same standard is because they would have more in common, have similar interests, backgrounds and so can have more fun together, but not for feeling inadequate for any reason."
I think ya Doshar that it's a mixture of both.... I think some people,even if they don't feel inadequate at the beginning may feel inadequate later because they don't have "more in common, have similar interests"... know what I mean? There are others, however; that may just feel that they are "different" and not feel "below" or "inadequate" .... that, I think depends on their upbringing and psychology as they grew up...
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