During a recent interview with ESPN, WWE Superstar Sami Zayn spoke about many things, including his desire to reestablish the stigma attacked to Arabs. This topic came about when asked about President Donald J. Trump‘s immigration travel ban.
The order temporarily bans travel from 7 nations, including Syria, where Zayn’s parents are from.
Here’s a quote when asked about the stigma attacked to the middle east:
“It’s definitely a sensitive topic to discuss, but I have felt since I signed with the WWE I was in a unique position to reestablish how Arabs were perceived in the WWE and western media. Ever since I was a kid and growing up and watching things like the ‘Naked Gun’ movies, there was always this stereotype about how Arabs were perceived and portrayed. I’ve never watched those Arab villains in the movie and felt like that was me. They were nothing like me, and now I get to just be me — and hopefully being me strikes a chord with a lot of young Arabs and non-Arabs, honestly. We’re really not all that different.”
Zayn also commented on the future perception of Arabs:
“I think it’s important for youngsters from all walks of life to have some sort of representative that they can look up to and aspire to be and let them know there’s a chance for anybody from any background. That’s the spirit of America, right? Anybody from any background can make it anywhere with enough hard work. I think the more people from all walks of life who speak up and the more diverse success stories we have, the better that is for our youngsters growing up, knowing they can attain those same goals just like anybody else.”
Zayn isn’t effected on the travel ban because he was born in Canada and does not have a dual citizenship.
If you’d like to read the full interview, you can CLICK HERE.
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