Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Islam calls for unity and equality among its followers, but Muslims around the world seems to have forgotten the message, and many social ills, including racism, have slowly crept back into their lives. It is dreadful to learn that the scourge has taken over even schoolchildren who discriminate against each other based on tribe and ethnicity at a very young age. Maha Jamil, a mother of three, said her young son came back home from school one day crying because a friend of him insulted him saying he was not originally Saudi. “Jeddah is a city with different cultures and backgrounds and parents should teach their kids to respect the differences no matter what. Also, the schools should play an important role in educating children from a young age about the implications of racism and discrimination," she said. “The need to educate the Saudi youth about the negative consequences of racism has become all the more important because we live in a global village. Despite globalization, Saudi society remains trapped in tribalism," she said. Saleh, a father of four, said his kids go to a public school with children from different tribal backgrounds. “I had my six-year-old child asking me about our lineage and whether we come from an influential tribe. At this age, I want my son to play football and study hard and not think of our family background," he said. “Society, from parents, teachers, and decision makers to religious leaders, must come together to eliminate racism. With years of awareness a just society could finally be achieved." According to Khalid Bahaziq, a family consultant and psychologist at Al-Mashfa hospital in Jeddah, 70 percent of children's behavior is inherited from parents. “To educate kids about the dangers of racism in schools, teachers have to focus on the spiritual side by giving examples of the prophets and how our religion rejected such behavior. We have to encourage respect and hard work to achieve better. What a human leaves behind is more important than his lineage," Bahaziq said. Bahaziq says racism has always been there and will remain. “In our society it is very hard to control bigotry. The main problem is that it starts from parents," he added. Bahaziq highlighted another problem between children at schools concerning orphans. “I have worked with orphans and sometimes kids at school ask questions such as ‘where are you from' and ‘where your parents are" and the orphan can't respond and gets very distressed," he explained. He noted that racism results in inferiority complex and insecurity. “We can't tell people not to talk but we can achieve and prove ourselves that we are not inferior to anyone," he said.
