Identity Crisis of Jews and Muslim Minority and Identity - Essay Example

? Current Affairs Portfolio Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts (12, August, IntroductionIdentity is not just a simple word. It has severe repercussions on the mindset of an individual or a group. Everyone in this world wants to label himself either by his or her own name or by nationality, racial or religious group he or she belongs to. It is in human nature to seek recognition and identity in some form or another. An individualistic person might have an individual identity while a collectivist can use his or her social group as his or her identity. Identity is actually how the world knows a person. Human beings have always strived for gaining an identity. Importance of identity cannot be ignored as all individual and groups strive to have some sort of identity. We can look around us; everyone identifies himself or herself as a Jew or a Muslim or an American or a Black or a British or an Irish or a Scottish etc. There is always some group one belongs to and that serves as one’s identity. Lack of identity can leave people and sometimes nation perplexed. Identity can have significant influence on actions and attitudes of a person as well. Belonging to a social group may force a person to act or think like a typical member of the group. In this paper an attempt will be made to better understand identity through two articles. The first article talks about Identity of Jews and how Israel is striving to get an identity. The group involved is Jews and the issue is the identity crisis. Possible problems that this identity crisis can cause will be discussed. The second article talks about Muslims and how they are trying to get a religious identity in the western countries. Muslims are also trying to protect their identity in the wake of terrorism blame that they face today. The media portrayal of different groups in articles will also come under scrutiny. Identity Crisis of Jews Israel became a separate state in 1947 and it is one of the few ideological states in the world. The article contends that Jews are still today fighting for their identity and wants the world to recognize them as a separate entity. The article explains how people of Israel try to identify with the persecution they experienced. Israelis also try to explain their identity through their religion. The article talks about the decision of the courts that Jewish free Schools should give admissions on religious basis not on racial terms. This has started the debate of identity of Jews; whether they should identify themselves as a race or a religious group. The article also talks about Israel and how the country is going through an identity crisis. Jews living in Britain are also suffering through an identity crisis. There are many possible identities of Israelis like an ethnic group, a cultural group or a religious group but there is a problem as the country is not able to identify itself as a one entity (Vallely, P. 2009). This identity problem can have serious repercussions and it may be a reason why Israel uses violent means against Palestinian population who do not recognize Israel. We will have to understand the issue keeping in mind the genocide that Jews experienced. Since then they are searching for a separate identity. A person is known to associate him or her with a group when he or she in under threat (Dietz-Uhler & Murrell, 1998). This explains the behavior of Jews as they want an identity so that they can feel safe. The persecution that they have experienced is playing a major role in making them conscious about their own identity. This identity crisis can explain the violent attacks of Israel on Palestinian population as it can be an attempt to protect Israel’s identity. Nations that are marginalized or are under threat experience a surge in nationalistic fervor (Downs & Saunders, 1998). This is how individual protects themselves when they are threatened. It is the only way of survival for people when they are under threat by other groups. Israel was also once marginalized therefore it developed this nationalistic fervor that led to the creation of a separate state. It can be argued that state was made as a result of an external threat and there was no national identity behind the state. This is why once the threat is removed the state is finding it hard to establish an identity. Identity crisis of Israel also suggests that there is a decrease in the level of threat Israelis feel in today’s world. They are actually not threatened today as they enjoy a strong political position. But there is an attempt made on a state level to make sure that there is a national level identity of the state. This is very important for political reasons and governance reasons. States have long used nationalism as a means to justify dictatorships and cruel rule. Government level efforts in this regard are not a surprise as the job of the government is to give a national level identity to its residents. There is also an international level need for Israel to have an identity. Many states have not accepted Israel and this may be the reason of state level threat. This is a reason why government is trying to force Palestinians to accept separate identity of Israel. A sense of relief is associated to acceptance and this relief will be greatly important for Israel as it has experienced genocide before. International level identity is therefore important for Israel as it secures its future. A group when is cornered also sees an increase in cohesion. It is because people try to feel secure when they feel they are under threat. Israeli society was also cornered in the Second World War. This is why they have developed this strong sense of identity at that time. They were also successful in making a separate state. It was actually a need of the hour therefore no one questioned their identity. It was not until the generation after Holocaust was born. This generation in Israel is not cornered. In fact they are superior to other nations in many areas. Now this generation requires an identity and is confused. They are confused whether they have a national or a religious identity. The racial identity of Israelis is also under debate therefore the young generation does not have a clear identity to look towards. Strong sense of identity in collectivist cultures can also decrease crime rates (Komiya, 1999). The feeling of identity is therefore important as its absence can also increase crime rates. Israel is therefore desperately craving for an identity because it is important to hold the nation together. The political system of Israel is evident of the identity crisis the country is facing. They use the threat of Palestine to govern their states. Everyone knows that the threat of Palestine is not very potent but still Israeli politicians, government and opposition alike, are also fearful of Palestinian groups. This may be because the threat is the only way Israeli society can be united. The identity crisis of Israel is resolved by uniting them under the fear of an enemy (Palestine). The fear of an enemy can do wonders for any nation as they become more united. It is in normal peaceful times when people inquire about their identity. When under fear everything is forgotten and this is seen in Israel today. The use of Holocaust is also an important dimension of Israeli society. The article discusses how everyone can relate to the event (Vallely, P. 2009). Holocaust is another way Israeli society can find an identity. The Holocaust massacre has become a historical event and people in Israel are still not able to forget it. Media is also playing a role in reminding people about the unjust that Jews experienced during Holocaust. Media also portrays Israel in a unique manner. The injustices of Israel towards the Gaza strip are not shown on media. Rather Israel is portrayed as an aggrieved party. A few rockets from Palestine do little harm to Israel but still the country reacts with coordinated military attacks. This is a clear hypocrisy of media with regards to Israel. Now in some factions of media questions are being raised and violent attitude of Israel is being understood with regards to the identity crisis the country is going g through. Muslim Minority and Identity The second article talks about the Muslim identity and how Muslims in United Kingdom try to identify themselves (Ahmed, Q. 2010). The article tells that Muslims are trying to ignore their ethnic identity and are trying to cling to their religious identity. A Muslim in United Kingdom, it means, likes to call him or her a Muslim rather than a Pakistani. This gives Muslims in United Kingdom an opportunity to associate them with the rest of the Muslim world. The article also explains why this trend of taking refuge under a religious identity is increasing in Muslims of UK. Since the 9/11 attacks Muslim communities all over the world have attracted lots of negative attention. The world suddenly felt unsafe and this lack of safety was attributed to Muslims. The attacks of 9/11 made the world aware of the words like Muslim extremism and religious fundamentalism. There was also a strong negative sentiment about Muslims in general all over the world. It was actually difficult for Muslims who lived in different parts of the world in minority communities to understand why they were being looked with a suspicious eye. Young people were specially affected by this increased distrust. We should all understand here that all of us like to be liked. Social desirability is important for everyone. Young Muslims have become socially undesirable and this is confusing them. This undesirability has cornered young Muslims and has forced them to form groups. Religious groups are a way through which the young Muslims are trying to protect their identity by uniting under one religion. This is why there can be seen an increase in religious clothing and representation in young Muslims. This religiousness has overcome the ethnic identity of Muslims in United Kingdom. The event of 9/11 has renewed the religious identity of Muslims and made them choose a religious identity over a social identity (Peek, L. 2005). Religion is something that provides a powerful basis for identification for young Muslims. It is a collective basis for identification for young Muslim. This is why we can see a clear increase in religious depiction in young Muslims. The point of concern is that these Muslims were not religious before the 9/11 attacks. They formed a religious identity as a reaction to all the criticism they were under after the 9/11 attack. In United Kingdom after 7/7 attacks British born Muslims also felt a danger of losing their identity. This fear forced them into corner and they found solace in finding a collective identity. There exists general bias with regards to Muslims in the western world including United Kingdom. People see them as a threat, and at times their fear is also justified. Muslims were involved in the infamous 7/7 attacks on UK and the 9/11 attacks. This is why people look suspiciously over Muslim population. This suspicion has united Muslims and they are portraying this unity through their dresses and appearance. Racist people use 9/11 attacks as a way to justify their hatred against Muslims (Salaita, S. 2005). These attacks have just provided a reason for racist to attack Muslims of all origins. A Muslim is considered a Muslim no matter what ethnicity he belongs to. In such a situation Muslims of United Kingdom had to find an identity that would make them feel safer and secure from the criticism. That is why they have started to practice their religion rigorously. It should be noted that Muslims of different nationalities were not treated differently, and all of them were categorized as dangerous people. This is why they reacted radically and adopted a religious identity. British Muslim intellectuals argue that multiculturalism is good but it should accept the religious differences of Muslims (Modood & Ahmad 2007). This shows that Muslims in United Kingdom are not ready to trade their religious differences in the name of multiculturalism. The trend can be seen in young people especially as they are trying to tell the society that they are different. Young Muslims want to blend into the society but they do not want to forget their religious identity. This is because Muslims faced hostility from other social factions of the British society. Muslims had no choice but to return to their religion and form a collective religious identity. It is known that negative stereotypes and attitudes regarding a community force them to revolt (Samad, Y. 1996). The rejection of second generation Muslims in Britain has cornered them and they have no option but to identify with their religion as a reaction of the rejection of the white majority (Ballard, R. 1996). The reaction of Muslims should be understood keeping in mind the reaction of society. Young people were treated in a bad way by the British society and they had no place to go. They wanted to survive so instead of changing their identity they started to cling strongly to their religious fundamentals. Young people are more susceptible to a religious identity in Britain because they have a tendency to go against what they are told to do. A negative reaction of the society regarding their religion forced them to go see what their religion was all about. When people started to criticize them, they instead of changing their ways started to practice religion. Media portrayal of Muslims is also not good. Muslims are seen as terrorist by the media and they are quick to blame any terrorist event on Muslims. The article under discussion was written by a Muslim therefore it was in favor of Muslims generally. But otherwise media is generally biased and Muslims are not portrayed in positive light. Conclusion Both the articles have talked about the different identity issues faced by two communities in United Kingdom. The Jewish community is trying to seek an identity in United Kingdom and in its homeland Israel. Muslims who live in minority in United Kingdom are also finding solace in holding on to their religious identity in the wake of social reaction after 9/11 and 7/7 attacks. The Jewish community is having problems in identifying themselves as a religious or an ethnic Jew. Israelis are facing the same problems because they were cornered in 1940s therefore they developed a sense of unity and nationalism. But today they are having problem in identifying themselves because they feel no more threatened by any enemy. Israel is also having problems in telling their youth about their identity. The conflict is between the religious and the ethnic identity of Jews. Israeli government tries to remove this conflict by using Holocaust and keeping the nation in fear of Palestinian threat. Muslim community in Britain is also facing identity problems. Young people are trying to identify themselves as Muslims and they are ignoring their national and ethnic identities. They are doing this as a reaction towards biasness they have to face from the British society. After 9/11 and 7/7 attacks people have become more biased regarding Muslims and this is why Muslims are trying to seek a collective identity. Bibliography Ahmed, Qanta. 2010. The search for Muslim identity. The Guardian. Accessed on August 12, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/dec/11/muslim-identity-face-to-faith?INTCMP=SRCH Ballard, Roger. 1996. The Pakistanis: Stability and Introspection. In C. Peach (ed.), The Ethnic Minority Populations of Great Britain: Ethnicity in the 1991 Census, Vol. 2. London: Central Statistical Office. Dietz-Uhler & Murrell. 1998. Effects of social identity and threat on self-esteem and group attributions. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2(1): 24-35 Downs & Saunders. 1998. Legitimacy and the Limits of Nationalism: China and the Diaoyu Islands. International Security, 23(3): 114-146 Komiya, N. 1999. 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