Compare and contrast aspects of Arab identity as manifested in Essay

Compare and contrast aspects of Arab identity as manifested in Palestinian and Druze communities - Essay Example do not have their own country, similar to the Kurdish people of Turkey today who are fighting for their own homeland through an armed secessionist movement in northern Turkey. The Druze never had a single country to call as their own due to being scattered in many places a long time ago and did not seek any piece of land they can call as their own homeland. This makes the Druze unique in history. They were left out when the British partitioned and left Palestine but had steadfastly retained their identity. Palestinians live within the original geographic borders of Palestine situated in the regions encompassing Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. Except for those who took up Israeli or Jordanian citizenship or of some other country, Palestinians are stateless because they have no officially-recognized country. Palestinians and Druze think of themselves as Arabs but with sub-identities such as an Arab (national), civic (Israeli or Syrian), and religious as Druze, Christian or Muslim (Hofman & Rouhana 76). This paper discusses two films that portray how these Arab identities are expressed in art such as films which mirror a collective consciousness that is manifested by people who are trying to define themselves. The Druze community is very small when considered as an ethnic group and this very smallness makes the Druze persevere in their customs and practices. They are very decided to remain identified as a Druze although in some quarters, the word Druze is often derogatory. In their communities, the person considers himself or herself as Druze first and second as Syrian. Druze people in the Golan Heights consider themselves as Syrian citizens. The Druze already have a well-defined or clear social identity unlike the Palestinians who are still struggling to establish an identity. This difference is well contrasted in the two films being discussed. In the film â€Å"The Syrian Bride† it was shown how ephemeral this idea of citizenship is because the bride