Of stereotype concepts
today, we are living in the era of information, and the one who possesses suitable information at the suitable time in the world of finance, politics, industry, scientific advancement and other aspects is the strongest. information happens to be immeasurable and goes beyond comprehension. therefore, we are unable to form an actual picture or facts of a given issue. this pushes us to create or form a stereotype concept in many issues without deep thought. we describe half of a nation’s population as foolish, and the other half as thieves or misers, and so forth. with time, one of the stereotype concepts we are forming in the minds of members of the society will turn into axiomatic fact based on ethnic background or creedal or race or even their names. many kuwaitis, for instance, say over and over again that any person named “ibrahim” is intelligent, and so forth. i remember a court in malaysia issuing a verdict several years that attracted condemnation and mockery at that time, as it barred non-muslims from using the name ‘allah’ in their speeches and writings. the right of usage was exclusive to muslims, and i don’t think the ruling came into effect. perhaps, it was overturned later. i also remember a reader named riham who wrote a comment on my article about singapore and how its national flag bears the symbol of “islamic crescent”, which is in honor of the muslim minority that currently constitutes about 600,000 of the entire population —while the number was even smaller in 1959. i mentioned that “the choice of islamic crescent points to a secular state that respects all social calibers”. riham said the singaporean flag was adopted in 1959 while the country was enjoying autonomous rule, as part of the british colonies at that time. similar design of the flag was adopted for the second time when singapore gained independence from british on aug 9, 1965. she proceeded to say the singaporean flag is divided horizontally into two colors; red and white, and on the upper left corner is the crescent with five white stars. the elements of the flag indicate a young promising country that calls for affinity and brotherhood, and follows the national ideals. the red color represents brotherhood and equality among the people, as well as purity and virtues. the crescent in the flag represents a youthful nation, and the five stars are the superior ideals; democracy, peace, prosperity, justice and equality. in view of the fact that crescent sign on the flag symbolized the religion of islam since three or four decades ago, its use has almost been monopolized by muslims. therefore, it is natural — through this misguided impression — to interpret its existence on a flag or building as a symbol of religion. this is exactly what happened to us!
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