“You're not Muslim?” is what they generally ask me after I reveal that I am actually Orthodox. Stereotypically speaking, most Arabs are Muslims, but realistically speaking, only a majority of Arabs are Muslims, not all of them. Stereotypes of people are found everywhere, which justifies why people tend to believe them, but what people do is that they rely on these stereotypes too much to a point that they will brand someone on the spot before knowing more about the person. This happens to me far too often, and I have completely adjusted to it by now.
The heart of the Islamic world lies in the middle of the Middle-East which causes Middle-Eastern people to generally be highly associated with Islam and it is common to find them being branded as Muslims even though they may not be. Since I am from Egypt, which is a part of the Middle East, I am usually considered to be Muslim even though I am Orthodox.
The main religious groups in the Middle-East are Islamic, Jew, and Christian groups. The Christian population makes up a large percent of the population of many of the Middle-Eastern countries. In Egypt the Christian population amounts to over 15% of the entire population.
The stereotypes, in fact, are not entirely wrong, but people take them to extreme lengths, which I become a recurring victim of. Almost every school I go to I get the usual “Aren't you Muslim?” when I answer their questions of what my religion is. This happens too often, and I used to be quite upset after it happens, but now it’s completely natural and I don’t think of it much.
I still remember the first time this happened to me: I was 6 at the time, the school day finished and after I had taken the bus home I remember I sat down in front of my mom and started crying about it. You may think this is too much of a reaction but that is how much of an effect being branded can have on someone who has been taught thoroughly about religion by their parents and now respects their religion well. Whenever it happens to me now I just correct people and move on with my life, I don't think much about it anymore.
Assuming is not wrong, in fact, people should assume more. But if they act too hastily or have no tact when they act based on their assumptions, sometimes someone can get very hurt emotionally.
After I had moved to Canada, I met a kid called Imran, he was nice and we became friends pretty quickly and I knew from previous experiences what would eventually happen to him. About 2 weeks after the school started, the class just dragged away from the lesson and a conversation about religion started. This was normal, almost too normal, so I didn’t think anything of it and stayed neutral on the matter. Sadly when it started criticizing Arabs, and Muslims in general, I began to get a bad feeling.
Eventually, it began to escalate more and more, until Imran and I were targeted by a few inquisitors. I got through the problem with my usual face and usual way of doing everything, but I actually regretted doing that in the end, because Imran got even more pressure put on him; so much that he ended up running out of the classroom and headed straight to the principal’s office crying, until his parents came and took him home.
Needless to say, the teacher of the class got fired by the school because she didn't do anything to stop the conversation, even though I bet she knew where it was going to go. Imran was actually Christian so he wasn't fazed by the criticism of Muslims, but rather the denial of him being Christian. And, since I was in his shoes a couple of times, I understand what he went through.
This is why stereotypes should not be relied on as heavily as people do now, and if you do happen to be guilty of branding someone based on an assumption you made according to a stereotype regarding that person, be sure to check that that person is not affected, or hurt, by it. If you happen to see anyone who has been victimized by the so-called inquisitors, be sure to tell that person “Don't listen to those people, they don't mean anything by it, and if they do, they're just stupid.” That will definitely bring their spirits up, unless too much damage was done too quickly.