Western popular culture has not been kind to Arabs and Muslims.
Overwhelmingly, Arabs in film and television are depicted as terrorists and their main purpose is to be annihilated by the (usually) white, good-guy lead actor. In Disney’s Aladdin, the main character sings about Arab countries being barbaric. He and his leading lady have American accents and are lighter-skinned than their poor or villainous Arab counterparts, who speak with accents. The Oscar-nominated film, American Sniper, celebrates killing Arab “savages.”
A 2017 historical romance put out by a major U.S. publisher features an evil Muslim sultan who invokes the name of Allah (God in Arabic) while he sexually assaults the blue-eyed, porcelain-skinned heroine. At one point the Muslim character is referred to as a gorilla—in other words, animal-like, sub-human—and he eventually rapes the hero, too.
Dehumanizing these particular marginalized groups is widely accepted and generally goes unnoticed in the wider community. That’s why I, as the American-born child of Palestinian immigrants, decided to write a romance series featuring positive depictions of Arab characters.
While the primary purpose of the Clandestine Affairs novels is to entertain, they also serve to counter harmful stereotypes. Each book features English characters of Arab origin. And no, the women are not cowering, meek and oppressed. And the men are not barbaric, uncouth abusers of their women. Oh, and nobody blows anything up. The Arab heroines are smart and self-reliant, and have careers as writers, bonesetters and mapmakers. The Arab hero is an alpha male who is handsome, strong, loyal, generous, protective and tender.
My newest historical romance, The Marquess Makes His Move—about a half-Arab English marquess who goes undercover as a footman—is the third book in the series. The novel celebrates Arab culture and its treasured values of family, dignity, generosity, self-reliance, pride and loyalty. In addition to romance, sexy times, and a twist you won’t see coming, The Marquess Makes His Move series features a large, boisterous extended Arab family, famous Arab hospitality, and enticing Arabic foods and tea rituals. In other words, I wanted to share with readers the beloved traditions and values that I grew up with.
Anthropologist Dorinne Kondo says it’s important for people to see themselves “mirrored” in popular culture to be considered fully human. Growing up as an Arab American, that never happened for me. However, with the recent push in publishing to center more stories told by marginalized authors, and with novels like The Marquess Makes His Move, maybe change is coming.
The Marquess Makes His Move is available from Amazon and Bookshop.
About the author: Of Middle Eastern descent, Diana Quincy grew up all over the world as the daughter of a United States Foreign Service Officer. After college, she became a television journalist, but quickly decided it was much more fun to make up stories where a happy ending is always guaranteed. Since her 2013 debut, Diana’s books have landed on annual “Best of” lists in Library Journal and The Washington Post. Diana is now happily settled in Virginia, but still gets the itch to explore far-off places. When she’s not bent over her laptop, Diana spends time with her family, reads, practices yoga and plots her next travel adventure.