Arabs must unite and push their presence
The GCC and the region as a whole needs to push its presence further in the global arena as with Western dominance, we are struggling to keep up our culture and values. Having been raised in Europe, I feel less connected with my culture and traditions as a result from growing up with Western dominance. “It’s okay, they were raised in the West,” is a line that my parents and other family member would use to excuse my siblings and my behaviour, and it appals me every single time that it is brought up.
There is a great Arab community outside the Middle East but what are we doing to preserve and carry on our culture and values to further generations and to the global arena? I have been to several Arab countries, including those in the GCC, and whenever I have done so, I have really felt connected to my roots just by eating traditional food or seeing people walk around wearing traditional clothing.
I do agree that there is definitely a rise in western culture all around the world, and just like Abdulkhaleq Abdulla points out in his article ‘Time to promote Gulf brands’ — it is due to globalisation and the fact that GCC nationals have become minorities in their own country. However, I see this as a determining push factor that should make people of the region want to work harder to push their presence further, and that too at a time where we are being targeted and misjudged for the violence that is taking place in the name of our religion. From Mr Mohannad Al Zubaidi Student based in Gothenburg, Sweden