Our identity crisis

Last week, we had a team lunch at work. I've realized lately that I don't really like one of my colleagues. Other than him not being very helpful at work, he's not just a conservative Muslim, but one who's a little annoying. He's still boycotting everything American, and I can actually see the dismay on his face when he hears that Diet Pepsi can of mine pops open. And he keeps giving me those religious books and tapes (not really sure what that implies!).

Anyway, for some reason that identity topic came up while we were enjoying the great food at JW Marriott (one hell of an awesome hotel, see, even that guy paused his boycotting when it came to great food). I think the topic started when I was saying how Alexandrians really suck (hehe) when they throw those heavy household utensils from the windows ontop of moving cars on New Year's eve and end up breaking their windshields.

So some how we ended up discussing our identity, him claiming that there's no such thing as being Egyptian, because we're under the large umbrella of Islam, we're just Muslims.

One thing I disliked about that discussion is his assertive way of talking as if he's definetely right, and as if he's teaching me the truth. I understand a Muslim being confident in the basics/core of his/her religion, such as the fact that there is no divine being but Allah, and that Muhammad is His messenger for example (and many others). But not everything you interpret in Islam will be the absolute truth (you might be close enough). Please learn something from the great yet humble early scholars.

Why do we have to have one single identity, and that has to be the one great identity that is flawless, and negate any other identity?! Some Muslims argue that we're Muslims and that's it. Arab nationalists argue that we're Arabs, and we should lose the boundaries and integrate all those Arab countries. Some Egyptians say that we're all originally pharaohs, and speaking Arabic doesn't make us Arabs. Some Christians argue they're not Arabs, but just Egyptians. I say, what's wrong with being all of that together. Which we are, like it or not. Each identity of those sucks in its own way, yet it doesn't help when we claim that, no, that's not us. We can try to fix it, but we can't deny it. So, Arabs suck, and I'm an Arab. Egyptians suck, and I'm Egyptian. Muslims are screwed up (they suck, except Malaysians), and I'm a Muslim. My relatives are weird, and they're still my family. I'm crazy, and I'm still me.

No one has a single identity, but we are so culturally monotonic, closed-minded and intolerant that the only thing we accept is that we all be the same! Everyone has multiple identities, they're just hierarchical identities, and each one prioritizes her identities differently. Here's an example: One's own self, then the lover, then the atomic family, then the extended family, then Egypt, then Islam/Christianity/Judaism, then Arab, then the rest of the world.

But then in Islam, God asks us to take extra care of our parents and not even say "uff" to them, but only disobey them if they encourage us to go against God's commands. Its also an obligation by God that we fight our own ego and inner self, so I'd understand if some devout Muslims would change the order for example to be:
God, one's own self, atomic family, extended family, Muslims, Egypt, rest of the world. And so on, with different variations. A true romantic lover would place his lover before his own self for example.

Many different orders of priority for our multiple identities. We don't have to be the same. Even Muslims don't have to be just Muslims and negate all other identities. Didn't God say that He made us into different nations and tribes to get to know each other. Didn't He say (I'm not sure if this one is in the Quran or was said through the prophet) that there is no difference in His eyes between an Arab and non-Arab except by one's piousness. Which is an admission that there are different identities, just that they don't count in the judgement day (and you know why that was said. Arabs were thinking that just by being Arabs, they are better Muslims (pretentious Arabs)! So no, your piousness is all that counts). Also, isn't Egypt, the country, mentioned in the Quran several times.

Sacrifices are made when one overlooks her own good (the higher priority identities, like one's own self, or one's atomic family for example) for the good of the larger identity. That's what could be considered noble. So when you sacrifice your life in a war for your country, you're being somewhat noble. If you have Islam in the end of your list (hierarchy), and you sacrifice your enjoyable sins for God's pleasure and spend some time praying instead of doing something else for yourself, you're being kind of noble!

My point is, I have multiple identities, and so can everyone else, regardless of how flawed each of them might be. I am many things, with different orders at different times. Sometimes I'm selfish, sometimes I'll compromise for the person I love and be noble (huh).


Thinking about the post title again, I think I might be exaggerating to call that identity issue a crisis.