One of the four identities which I am especially proud to be identified by is Egyptian. Because to me this is what made me who I am today the experiences I have to date. Even though not born in Egypt but in Saudi Arabia, there is this rule in Saudi Arabia that states the following:
A child born in Saudi Arabia to a non-Saudi father and a Saudi mother has the right to Saudi citizenship upon reaching the age of majority if they fulfill the following:
- have permanent residency.
- be fluent in Arabic.
- the grandfather of the mother must be Saudi.
- getting an approval from the highest authority in the country (The King)
This is probably an old rule now but looking at previous reports from 2004 and 2008 looks like it is still the case for many like me who their father or grandfather from their mother side is not from Saudi.
None the less I am proud to grow up in Egypt and be Egyptian this is where my morals, beliefs and friends were forged. Along with those my education and understanding of the world, not only the western world, but the east as well to be specific the northern Africa and Arabian peninsula region. So, I am proud to be with such experiences and knowledge of people and friends and a place I “call” mother land. I have learned equality and equity, I have learned about no difference in how we look, talk, walk, or do daily activities.
I would say the one identity that is painful is being kind, not that I would not be kind, but kindness does not always get reciprocated. Usually, people will take advantage of kindness and people will use you for that. At work this has been the case multiple times, and yet I never would hesitate to help a person that needs help. One needs to know when to be kind and when not it comes through the experience of life. For example through being kind one would expect the person whom they share an idea with would respond the truth if it is useful or not, and when they say it is not, then they should not use it for their own gain. Being kind somewhat makes you blind in some situations when you try to read people, some days I envy those who are egoistic and can be selfish and not completely selfless.
This is an interesting one, there are many stereotypes from my identity whether it is being a Muslim and being lumped with a radical group of people who the media claim to be “Muslims”. Or whether it is being Egyptian and people thinking you are well off like a Saudi prince. Both are stereotypical thoughts, and both are quite far from the truth anyways. Thanks to nowadays media and news, we must take the nonsense, the bullshit and filter out the facts from what’s not.
Reference:
- JAWHAR, S. A. B. R. I. A. S. (2012, October 18). Citizenship rules victimize Saudi mothers and non-Saudi children. Arab News. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.arabnews.com/citizenship-rules-victimize-saudi-mothers-and-non-saudi-children
Adventures in Life 