In an ideal world, each and every one of us would have the opportunity to be educated, and I’m not talking about trivial subjects like learning the chemical compound of salt or how to measure and graph the oscillation pattern of a singing pendulum – but lessons relevant to life. Ever since the World Wide Web came into play, education has become easier to access with platforms dedicated to improving learning with a much wider reach.
Take TED, a multimedia platform dedicated to sharing “ideas worth spreading”. It was launched in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design converged and now it takes place through various platforms in various locations discussing a broad spectrum of ideas – from scientific and business innovation to global issues.
The best part of TED is the fact that people of any gender, faith, race and age can be part of it – the only requirement is to have a message/idea worth discussing/spreading. This kind of opportunity is a godsend for minorities, giving them a chance to reach a global audience. For localities like the Middle East, it gives people the chance to showcase a different side instead of the one portrayed in the media. The Middle East is too often associated with notions of terror and primitiveness; here are five TED Talks that beg to differ:
El Seed – Street art with a message of hope and peace
This French-Tunisian street artist needs no introduction. Known for his talented “calligraffiti” (calligraphy meets graffiti), Seed’s ambition is to create art so beautiful that it needs no translation. His work has been displayed worldwide and is underlined by the message of unity; unifying communities through art. “I always make sure to write messages that are relevant to the place where I’m painting,” he says in his TED Talk. “But [also] messages that have a universal dimension, so anybody around the world can connect to it.”
Alaa Murabit – What my religion really says about women
“The misrepresentation and misuse and manipulation of religious scripture has influenced our social and cultural norms, our laws, our daily lives, to a point where we don’t recognize it.” Aiming to economically and politically empower women, Murabit is a Libyan feminist who wishes to equip everyone with the ability to challenge distorted religious messaging.
Women are constantly asked to take the backseat in important life matters or their involvement is underplayed and breezed over in religious and historic texts, states Murabit, using the example of Khadija financing the initial stages of Islam in the world and how this event is, like others involving women, hardly given the attention it deserves during lesson plans.
Her work had led to a number of threats to her life, which she admirably takes into stride, simply asking: “Why, if we are equal in the eyes of God, are we not equal in the eyes of men?”
Zak Ebrahim – I am the son of a terrorist. Here’s how I chose peace
The apple does not fall far from the tree. That’s a phrase that we’ve all heard at some point in our lives. We are the product of our parents and therefore we reflect their personalities within our own. Good people foster good and bad breed bad. It’s a notion that makes perfect sense until you take into account stories like Zak Ebrahim’s.
The son of El-Sayyid Nosair, a branded terrorist convicted of targeting/bombing NYC landmarks, Ebrahim was raised in a bigoted environment, taught to judge people based on arbitrary measurements like a person’s race or religion. For instance, homosexuality is a sin, therefore homosexuals are a negative influence. This was the train of thought that Ebrahim grew up with and one which he stuck by until his early twenties when he experienced the real world and interacted with so-called sinners and unbelievers.
His experiences brought him to TED, where he announced himself as the son of a terrorist, but also as a testament that circumstances ought not to dictate your actions. “I stand here as proof that violence isn’t inherent in one’s religion or race,” he states in hopes of inspiring people to reject a path of violence.
Sheikha Al Mayassa – Globalizing the local, localizing the global
Qatar’s Sheikha stepped forward in 2012 with an important message regarding globalization and tradition. As the world becomes more connected and “shrinks” (metaphorically speaking), it has allowed for the homogenization of certain cultures wherein aspects of major cultures (like the West’s) are adopted into others as can be seen in cloth wear and greetings. These adaptations are made in an effort to understand the cultures and traditions of other societies in an effort to unify and form peaceful relations.
However, Sheikha Al Mayassa is of the opinion that a country’s art and culture is crucial to its unique identity and that instead of adopting the cultural traits of others, each society should reassert its traditions but still allows others the opportunity to experience it. “We don’t want to be all the same,” she says. “But we do want to understand each other.”
Zahra’ Langhi – Why Libya’s revolution didn’t work – and what might
Lobbying for women’s socio-political empowerment, Langhi is the cofounder of Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP) advocating equal rights. With Libya being a hotbed of riots and revolutions, it is no surprise that the new power structure in Libya is yielding as many positive results as its previous one, which in this case means not as many as one is hoping for. The Gaddafi era left a lot of damage but the subsequent political dance that followed hasn’t led to the change that the people are vying for.
“Gaddafi left behind a heavy burden,” says Langhi, “a legacy of tyranny, corruption and seed of diversion.” In her talk, Langhi outlines that what the country needs is collaboration and compassion instead of competition and rage because the euphoria of he revolution has long faded, revealing the underlying violence and anger that still remains.
“We need to stop acting as agents of rage and calling for days of rage. We need to start acting as agents of compassion and mercy,” states Langhi vehemently. “We need to develop a feminine discourse that not only honors but also implements mercy instead of revenge, collaboration instead of competition, inclusion instead of exclusion. These are the ideals that a war-torn Libya needs desperately in order to achieve peace.”
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