The “Dream Deferred” Essay Contest
on Civil Rights in the Middle East

The "Dream Deferred" Essay Contest on Civil Rights in the Middle East received over 2,500 entries from young writers from the United States and the Middle East. Below is a small sample of the ideas and writing produced by these young thinkers.

Everyday, in Iran, I woke up going to school wearing a scarf was like saying good bye to my freedom. In school I was never allowed to express myself. We never had a debate or even a small conversation about any of our subjects. Everyday walking to school in Iran was of fear, what if my hair is too much shown? What if I am late to school, oh but I can't run to school because "it is not proper for a girl to run". If I like a joke, I can't laugh out loud, because I don't want to get into trouble. I can't walk with my guy friends outside in the streets, I can hold my boyfriend's hands. In the buses men and women are separated, women are in the back. I can't play soccer outside in the streets or even in the park. I am not allowed to go to soccer stadiums, and cheer for my favorite team…
-U.B., California

I have lived in the Middle East for almost ten years. I went through the feelings of stress and despair every Arab goes through in a country where talent and hard work count for nothing. My grandmother used to tell me when a child is born a new star rises to the sky to look over the baby and becoming his or her guiding light. There are many bright stars in the Arab sky but unfortunately they are hidden behind the curtains of terror and fear.
-S.E., Virginia

We must stop silencing our citizens in order to see the changes that are essential to the economic and social development of Morocco. This silencing degrades us as individuals. It deprives us of our sense of self. It takes away our integrity. When these changes occur then quite literally, we can talk.
-S.A., Morocco

I no longer feel safe discussing my opinions publicly. I no longer contribute to magazines and newspapers with socio-political commentary because I have a constant fear of what may be done to me. I was once passionate enough to overcome my fears and submit my work to a local non-government owned newsletter, and in the end they were rejected because it jeopardized the newsletter itself. I felt imprisoned; I felt betrayed. I felt as if I'd rather belong to another country that would allow me to wander freely and say what I want without the looming risk of the police knocking at my door, ready to cart me away to a gloomy prison cell to be harassed by the guards and potentially be beaten and starved. How different, though, is that prison from the intellectual cage I'm automatically put in, where I'm expected to follow orders without questioning them?
-E.A., Bahrain

When your god-given rights are taken away from you and you are forced to do things that you don't want it makes you feel like a bird in a cage and that somebody else owns you. Your wings have been cut so you cannot fly.
-N.W., Washington

You do not need to be an ethnic or religious minority to feel discriminated against. You do not need to be physically assaulted to feel harassed. You do not need to be poor to be looked down upon. You do not need to be uneducated for people to ridicule what you have to say. I may have had all the privileges, some people only dream of. But I live in an authoritarian society where nobody can do, think, or even feel what she likes if there is an authority of any kind that does not approve of these acts, thoughts, or emotions.
-N.R., Egypt

Today's Middle East reformers are subject to persecution by the tyrannical governments who are afraid of change and reform. They can and have been jailed for voicing opinions contrary to the despotism. Due to the tight controls instituted by the government, many aspects of their lives can be controlled by the government. Their income, their education and their futures can be put in jeopardy if they dissent. Outsiders are immune to this pressure, based outside of the oppressive zone of influence. Therefore, it falls on those who are immune to the tyranny. It is our duty as free human beings to stand up for them.
-A.E., Virginia

The Arabic word for mercy, rahma takes the same root as the word for womb, which is sometimes referred to as rahm. Islam is a mercy that therefore emanates from the mother. Similarly, the Arabic word for woman is hurma that is similar to a sanctuary, something that should be protected. However, the general image we see is of women struggling to be granted basic rights and respect; the right to travel without the permission of fathers and husbands; the right to start businesses and even rights to initiate divorce or maintain custody of their children.
-O.R., Saudi Arabia

As a child, I was asked to stay hush about issues pertaining to tribalism and conviction, because these issues were surrounded by a series of "givens" which no one could control. Once, my mother refused to talk to me for a day because I "failed" to appreciate the simple fact that while I was asking for trivial rights such as a woman's entitlement to receive an equal inheritance, other women in the Arab world did not even have the right to vote. During my 3rd year at Jordan University, I was asked to leave a class because my opinion about a certain religious issue didn't conform to the opinion of the majority of the people around me. Somewhere along, I realized that we are taught that individuals are impotent, unable to influence society. I realized that in order to motivate a much needed change, we must start talking about society, criticizing it, and asking for what every human has the right to have. I realized that my voice must be heard.
-R.A., Jordan

Many simply believe that because the American government is taking action in the Middle East, it is not necessary for them to be concerned or to take action. However, even with aid from the United States' government and the United Nations, Middle Easterners still need help to achieve civil liberty and equality. Americans should help civil rights reformers in the Middle East because doing so will bridge the gaps between Non-Muslims and Muslims to promote better understanding, because Middle Eastern governments are too oppressive for Middle Easterners to surpass them alone…
-R.C., Maryland

The American people don't have to wait for their government to take action - just like northern activists played an instrumental role in desegregating the south by bringing the true horrors of segregation and Jim Crow to light, so too can Americans help democrats in the Middle East by showing solidarity with them, by traveling to the region and protesting.
-J.A., Michigan

We think that violence will solve all of our problems, and through the strength of arms we could reach our salvation. Contrary to what they say, that is not true. We only have to take a look at history to know that many of the great steps towards civil rights were won by peaceful demonstrations, strikes, and boycotting. The people in Montgomery won the battle against segregation in the city transport system simply by walking. They were determent to reach their goal. An old woman was asked whether she was tired of walking or not, she replied that her legs were tired but her soul was not.
-S.A., Iraq

I used to believe that I alone could not make a difference in the world, let alone help to reform civil rights in the Middle East. However, when I visited Iran that one summer, I met a group of Iranian teenagers, made up of girls and boys, and discussed the issues of civil rights. They felt that Iran was not up to par with civil rights and realized that change was needed; the problem was that they didn't know how to act on it. I told them to start discussing this issue with your other friends, and to spread the word and idea. If played correctly the idea could spread exponentially and maybe someday, the spread would lead to changes in the Iranian society. I saw the eagerness in their eyes when I introduced the idea; they felt that they could make a difference.
-J.S., Texas

As an individual living in the US, unfettered and free from the shackles of my contemporaries in the Middle East, I can add my voice of dissent to challenge the repression of the Middle East dictators. With the resources at my disposal, I can contribute to the grassroots movement for civil rights and the dissemination of the truth about who is really responsible for much of the pain and suffering that the ruling fundamentalists and hardliners have inflicted on the rest of the world…
-S.M., New York

DALLAS, April 1, 2010 - The call for civil rights reform in the Middle East has come from many voices. The voice being heard more and more often by leaders throughout the region is that of the organization Ahl Ar-ra'y (www.ahlarray.org). The name means People of Opinion in Arabic and generally refers to learned individuals who are consulted on Islamic matters. The People of Opinion whose voices matter to Ahl Ar-ra'y? Teenagers. Since its inception four years ago today, Ahl Ar-ra'y has taken civil disobedience to a new level, fueled by technology, youthful exuberance and the desire to change the world. "What better place to find the technological comfort, the energy and the white hot ember of that desire than in teenagers?"
-A.M., Texas

Stunned by reality and still dizzy from my dreams, the characteristics of my desired society start taking a different yet more realistic form. And a new image is now created, an image of a society aware of the importance of human rights. A society that is no longer apathetic to the needs of its members and where the rights of the weakest and smallest minorities are ensured. A society that pays no attention to gender and religious beliefs, for all men are created equal and shall be judged accordingly by their Creator. A society of men and women working together in pursuit of happiness for all their fellow humans, recognizing that their own happiness would be otherwise at risk.
-M.B., Jordan

My dream results in individual liberties yet to touch the Middle East, a place where freedom of (and from) religion will be standard, where women can dress as they like, and where people can say what's on their mind, however blasphemous, degrading, or different it may be. Finally, but most importantly, I envision a Middle East free from the shackles of hatred and shame that currently imprison Middle Easterners in a vicious cycle where the enemies are Jews, liberals, Westerners, or oftentimes religious minorities in their own lands. I dare to dream…
-P.E., California

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