Post 4: The Intersection of Technology and My Partner’s Salient Identity

Nabiha Kahn shared with me her personal salient identity that she believes takes the reins on her worldview perspective. Her Muslim faith, she shared, is what drives everything that she does, perceives, and the actions that then follow. A strong faith, rooted within her since she was young has allowed her to carry on her life with empathy, kindness, and respect for those around her in ways that few others are able to. When I was asked to share a piece of technology that came to mind my first thought was, “drones”. Maybe it’s because of how allusive I find drones to be, I’ve only heard of them as failed Amazon transportation methods, toys to gift to children, and more pressingly as military weapons, started in the Obama administration, used to target civilians, breach their privacy, and lead down an endless road of war. These military drones or, unmanned arial vehicles, are utilized by the United States for target killings, airstrikes, and spying, primarily in Middle Eastern countries. So maybe as a physical object, drones and Muslim faith have no correlation, nothing that would make you stop and see an intersection between the two. But what if we took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, what drones symbolize, how they can be used as a microcosm for Nabiha’s salient identity. And I think there is some intersection there. Just as drones are sort of weaponized and used to in some sense incite fear in the people the US is at war with, people with Muslim faith are too often used by others to perpetuate stereotypes and incite fabricated fear in others.  Just as Nabiha, and those whose Muslim faith help carry them and guide them through the arduous journey that is life, there is this sort of target on their backs in this country that they, unfortunately, learn about at a young age.  These same targets one could liken to the targets the missile drones are sent out to attack in these Middle Eastern countries, and as we have seen all too often these drones have been known to kill innocent civilians, mistakenly targeted. The way these drones breach the privacy of so many people can be compared to the same entitlement people seem to feel towards those of Muslim faith, to look into what they are doing in their everyday lives.