Exploring hidden racism in our communities and how they may appear in traditional marriages by the selection of our spouses.
- Artwork by Maitha Omar (Instagram: @mythjourney, Twitter: @myth_shj)
In the holy Quran, Allah the All-Mighty says: “O mankind, indeed we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 2016) (Al-Hujurat, 13). But despite this clear and straight forward verse from the Holy Qur’an, racism is still prevalent today as it was in the past.
Racism is a form of discrimination that takes place due to prejudice or dislike because of ethnicity, origin, or skin tone. Recently we have read or seen throughout different news outlets and social media the slogan “Black Lives Matter” after the death of George Floyd. This made me wonder if racism in a different form is present within our GCC communities.
In the GCC, racism is practiced in marriage arrangements, as some believe that certain bloodlines should not mix, based on superiority and lineage. Furthermore, certain individuals acquire the belief that marriage should be between certain families to keep the family wealth within its members. This sort of ideology was present in different eras in the past, and it is still practiced today.
Such practices still exist in our GCC communities, especially as arranged marriages are the most common practice in the region. Once parents begin the search for the appropriate bride for their sons, they start by looking at the family’s bloodline or ancestors before considering the bride’s personality or even her education. With the prevalence of this kind of mentality, it cannot be said that racism does not exist in our GCC societies.
Our Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) portrayed the best example of tolerance and acceptance in marriage when he proposed his adopted son Zaid Bin Haritha for marriage to one of the nobility of the Quraysh, Zainab Bint Jahsh (may Allah bless them both). This illustrates that both men’s and women’s merits are taken into consideration over bloodlines or ethnic roots (Mashal, 2018).
As the world around us develops in different domains such as technology, economy, and more, our way of thinking should elevate so we can acquire a society with the maturity that judges an individual based on their virtues, merits, and actions instead of biological characteristics that we have no hand in determining.
References
Mashal, T. (2018, November 19). About Zaid Bin Haritha. Retrieved from Mawdoo: https://mawdoo3.com/معلومات_عن_زيد_بن_حارثة
Quran. (2016). Quran.com. Retrieved from Al-Hujurat: https://quran.com/49/13
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