Been thinking about this for hours and I’m torn. On the one hand, I’m cheering for the Black & Asian communities that this helps elevate. On the other hand, as a member of the Middle Eastern/MENA community, I feel completely nonexistent in this conversation. https://twitter.com/incartsuk1/status/1310868268694097920

I feel like people forget that the Middle East is in Asia. Apparently in academic circles it’s now defined as West Asia. And West Asia only appears in this document once - as a region which contains “people who have experienced racism.”

It doesn’t take a genius to know how MENA communities have experienced racism. But I refuse to let that be what defines me as a person.

Instead of being lumped into BAME I’m now lumped into “ethnically diverse.” Would rather just call myself Iranian (as I’m sure my colleagues would rather call themselves Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi). But:

We don’t get the “luxury” of calling ourselves by what we are - most of still have to tick “other” on your equal opps forms. But that’s a whole other issue to deal with.

Point is: Middle Eastern / MENA people largely are still here and still experiencing the same struggles as the rest of the community formerly known as BAME. Please don’t erase us or forget us, please give us an equal footing at this conversation.