"American East"

      The film "American East" demonstrates what it is to be an outsider by showing the challenges and struggles of an American Eastern person, Mustafa living here in the United States. Selling his father's land back in Egypt and moving to another country with hope to provide a better life for his son, daughter and sister. Mustafa now works very hard to support his family here in the USA, while at the same time sending money over sees back to Egypt trying to buy off the land he sold for the money to move here. He learns that he cannot keep up with being a good Muslim and being good father at the same time. Which all leads to a main idea that an outsider has to make sacrifices of his own culture, life, and religion in order to fit in with the community residing in and belonging to.
      Movie "American East" does a great job displaying a message that Arabs are just as human beings as anyone else. Americans living here in the states, have an unconscious feeling toward all "Arab looking" people and stereo typing them as terrorists, which creates a natural fear of all Middle Easter people in general. The movie portrays characters that go through a inside conflict of battling between being faithful and loyal to their religion and country, and between living it up and enjoying themselves in a new county which supposed to be "land of the freedom and opportunities." Mohamed, Mustafa's son asked his father "Why am I a Muslim?". After Mustafa responds with an simple explanation of "You are a Muslim because I am a Muslim," Mohamed asks his dad if they can get a Christmas three. Mustafa is left speechless because he knows that in this new country, specially the new generation is going to be greatly influenced and affected, and their cultural and religious views of life will fade away over time. Mustafa now realizes that he will have to make sacrifices in order to live in the new country they moved to.
 Another great example that can be used to recall the idea that people need to change and lose some of their self-identity to fit in with the community is when Omar has a constant problems with always having to play a terrorist when being filmed as he is working as an actor. He is happy that he has a nice job working in a filming industry, but this comes back to haunt him, because he understands that he has to lie to himself every time playing a terrorist. By accepting a role of a terrorist in a film he is playing a role for, he accepts and agreed with a stereo type that all Arabs are terrorists, which just crushes his soul inside. This puts him in a tight situation whether to stay loyal to his culture and religious or to accept the new way of life in this country which is that money controls everything, and people will do anything for a nice paying job such as an movie actor.
       The group discussions on the film have expended my critical thinking and ideas on what it is to be an outsider or an insider. Having read the different responses to the film, I now have more knowledge how other people view on this same idea and concept of a person having to struggle while fitting in with the community. I have found it interesting that one group member in our discussion teams who is from Middle East himself, thought of the movie ending not be realistic and almost cartoon-like. Ahmadi Zabih said in his post: "If things were that simple, you would not have some of the fighting that is going on between Israel and Palestine for example or other middle east countries that don't get along." Although this is a true statement and I have to agree with it, I liked how the filmmaker made a nice message at the end of the movie when Mustafa and his Jewish friend Sam opened a restaurant together, the Muslims and Jews were still fighting over who gets to enter first. This shows that even thought the two countries with different religious and views can come together and work something out, there will still be a tensions and conflicts that might erupt into something much bigger any moment.
      Living in a whole different community will have a very different and unique experience on a person no matter who it might be. The main point is that in order for outsider to fit in with the public, some sacrifices will have to be made no matter what. After getting used to a different atmosphere living where a person might not be comfortable, there will come a time when things will ease off, which will conclude that sacrifices has been made in order to fit in and feel belonged.