Should I be considered white?
On the surface, I have light skin and blue eyes. My hair is currently brown (with grey creeping in), but it was blonde when I was a child. My mother is from a white American family, and my biological father is also a white American.
However, I have not had any relationship with my father or any of his family, and my mother was disowned by her family when she converted to Islam. My step father, and the biological father of 4 of my 5 siblings is Libyan and has very dark skin. I grew up in Libya, with a Libyan extended family and tribe. Half my siblings are dark, while I and other half have light skin.
I have always struggled with the Libyan/Arab side of my identity. When I was a teenager, I felt that the Arab identity was foreign and forced on me, and felt very defensive of how American I am, dammit! (Which is embarrassing in hindsight). I was living under Quaddafi's regime, and felt frequently alienated by his anti-American rhetoric.
My family are all Muslim. I used to identify as a Muslim growing up, but now identify as an ex-Muslim atheist. Because Muslim communities are extremely hostile toward apostates, this has driven a wedge between me and Muslim communities in general.
So, does that make me white or something else? And in our current climate of identity politics, what does that mean?
lostonearth35
Veteran
Joined: 5 Jan 2010
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,986
Location: Lost on Earth, waddya think?
Humans rely on their superficial vision, so unless they are blind they will see you as "white". Since you can't explain your heritage to every single person you meet, you will likely offend many people unless you identify as white. It's stupid, but that is how nearly all humans are. Blame society and genetics.
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