How ‘white’ fragility perpetuates anti-Black racism in Arab societies

Last week, Dr. Amir Al-Azraki (CLS) published an article in The Conversation that discusses how anti-Black racism in the Arab world is sustained, in part, by white fragility. An excerpt is below, read the article in its entirety by following the link. 

Excerpt:

I wrestle with my own positioning as a “white” or lighter-skinned Arab within the Arab world, and concurrently, as a “person of colour” navigating Canadian spaces, grappling with the complexities of adopting a concept advanced by a white American scholar.

The term white fragility refers to the defensive reactions and discomfort exhibited by white people when discussing race and racism.

This fragility hinders meaningful dialogue and perpetuates systems of oppression. Not all facets of white fragility seamlessly translate into the modern Arab cultural landscape, but echoes of its influence resonate and shed light on the multifaceted nature of anti-Black racism in the Arab world.

Within the Arab context, white fragility reinforces and maintains racist views of Black people, thereby perpetuating anti-Black racism and preserving existing power inequities. As such, tackling the nuances of whiteness and its associated fragility is essential in addressing and dismantling racial hierarchies within Arab societies.