Being A Jasmine is A Struggle
“Arab, huh…that’s pretty exotic!”
“Are you sure you’re Arab? You don’t look Arab…”
You ALWAYS get “randomly selected” for extra screening by the TSA.
Who is this diet you speak of?
You feel obliged to give a disclaimer when you start dating someone new.
I’m sure it’s a lovely restaurant but it’s in my uncle’s neighborhood. Lets go somewhere else…perhaps another city?
“Oh that’s interesting that you go to school. Your family is ok with it?”
When you bring friends home you have to give them a mini orientation about your family’s unusual…rituals.
Baba, can you please stop yelling at the TV, you’re scaring Tiffany!
People assume you’re Muslim by default…
NEWS FLASH: We’re not all Muslim! We’re Christians, Jews, Atheists, and Beliebers. Get it straight.
Your siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, their spouses, and offspring have the capacity to populate an entire village.
As an Arab girl you get categorized into one of two groups, you’re either a Haifa:
Or a Nancy.
When your grandmother calls – you answer reluctantly.
Hey Teta, I just got a new job!
“If you loved me you’d get married, yalla…I’m going to die soon!”
We share an unspoken language with other Arab women.
A three second gaze can translate to: Yeah we should go soon, I’m down for pizza after. The score is 4-1. They say it’s going to rain tomorrow. Can I borrow that top? Of course I recorded Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.
Your parents typically have nothing nice to say about you…unless it’s to other people.
“My daughter had a full scholarship to study abroad and now she works at the top firm in the state.”
During your college years you had the luxury of using the library as a cover for just about everything.
I hope my mom isn’t reading this.
“Girl, why are you so conservative?”
It’s called class.
You get called awiya for speaking up.
Brains, beauty, and sass. BOOM bitch!
Western media has fooled the world into thinking we’re oppressed.
Don’t believe everything you read, except this post…everything I wrote has been scientifically proven*
*This post has not been reviewed by any scientist
When your aunt tells you there’s an ‘3arees’, you’re secretly lightweight curious.
He doesn’t sound like a complete loser…All right, I’m listening.
But after you meet said 3arees you feel the need to pay your aunt a visit
Every birthday some jerk-off relative has to suggest that you’re ‘expired’.
“You’re running out of eggs…When I was your age, I already had five kids.”
Don’t you have a cliff to drive off of?
You give people a simpler way of pronouncing your name but they insist on pronouncing it the ‘ethnic way’.
“Speak in Arabic…it sounds so sexy!”
ye3lan youm eli shoftak fi.
“Sooo how do you feel about America?”
That’s like asking us how do we feel about pie. We love pie. Who doesn’t love pie?! End of discussion.
When you attend weddings, you’re hit with waves of “you’re next!”
At any given moment a stranger will approach you and ask if you’re blah blah’s daughter
“I remember you when you were this little!!”
You must feel honored.
When you were younger, going out used to be more agonizing than going to the DMV.
“I don’t know if you can go out. Ask your dad, ma khasne.”
“So when are you going to show me some belly dancing moves?”
You, sir, are out of pocket.
“My friend is Arab — maybe you know them!”
Don’t assume we know all Arabs…although I probably do.
Being asked our opinion on the Arab Spring, Palestine/Israel conflict, Iraq War…
Do you have 17 hours to spare? It’s not exactly small talk.
You take advantage of people’s lack of knowledge of the Middle East and tell people you’re somebody important whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Because what the fuck do they know?
Your mom has tricked you into revealing secret information when reading your fortune in cup of coffee.
Shit.
But at the end of the day, we have our habibis and our hummus and we wouldn’t trade them for the world!
♥ The Tale Of My Heart ♥ 
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Ha! Growing up with a unique family across several different states, I’ve seen all this in different forms. There’s seemingly no escape from the straight up ignorant comments to the really mean prejudices, but I think it’s getting better because of talking about it. Thanks for posting.
Loved. every. word!
I think some of the marriage/baby stuff applies to all females regardless of race, ethnicity or location my sister is a teacher in her mid thirties and apparently teaching classes of 30+ teenagers should make her desperate for her own kids according to our gran, my sister says she can’t think of a more compelling reason not to have kids and prefers being the aunt who just spoils our kids then hands them back lol I have to say the belly dancing thing made me laugh as I have actually been taking a belly dancing class as exercise and it is a brilliant work out 😀