1
00:00:11,375 --> 00:00:13,872
Hi, my name is Maryam Elassar.

2
00:00:13,872 --> 00:00:16,738
This is my fourth year 
in Amana Academy School,

3
00:00:16,738 --> 00:00:19,724
and this is my first time 
giving a Ted Talk.

4
00:00:19,724 --> 00:00:24,983
I'll be talking about my idea how to unify
the people of this world together,

5
00:00:24,983 --> 00:00:29,198
so we can all live peacefully 
and stop fighting over our differences,

6
00:00:29,198 --> 00:00:32,591
and focus more on our similarities.

7
00:00:33,001 --> 00:00:36,811
It all started one day
when I went to the park after school.

8
00:00:36,812 --> 00:00:39,573
I didn't have anyone to play with.

9
00:00:39,573 --> 00:00:41,612
And then this girl came.

10
00:00:41,612 --> 00:00:43,675
She was so quiet and shy.

11
00:00:43,675 --> 00:00:45,623
My mom saw her and said,

12
00:00:45,623 --> 00:00:47,803
"Why won't you go and talk to that girl?


13
00:00:47,803 --> 00:00:49,473
Then you can play together."

14
00:00:49,473 --> 00:00:51,381
I thought it was a good idea.

15
00:00:51,671 --> 00:00:55,881
Once I went to the girl, asking her
if she would like to play with me,

16
00:00:55,883 --> 00:00:58,639
she looked at me with her eyes wide open.

17
00:00:59,121 --> 00:01:03,775
Suddenly, she seemed confused
and stared at me like I was an alien.

18
00:01:03,775 --> 00:01:05,823
I stared at her back.

19
00:01:06,706 --> 00:01:11,186
Then she said with a foreign accent,
"Why are you dressed that way?

20
00:01:11,186 --> 00:01:13,072
You look weird."

21
00:01:13,072 --> 00:01:17,155
I felt sad because she was judging me
based on what I was wearing

22
00:01:17,163 --> 00:01:21,124
So I said to her, "And why
are you talking in a weird way?"

23
00:01:21,124 --> 00:01:23,454
To pay her back for what she said.

24
00:01:23,888 --> 00:01:27,469
The girl now seemed 
embarrassed by what I said

25
00:01:27,477 --> 00:01:29,698
and I didn't want her to be sad.

26
00:01:30,010 --> 00:01:33,494
Maybe I wasn't supposed 
to pay her back that way,

27
00:01:33,594 --> 00:01:34,984
so I got an idea.

28
00:01:35,644 --> 00:01:36,742
I told the girl,

29
00:01:36,742 --> 00:01:41,305
"I will tell you why I dress this way
and tell you a little about myself,

30
00:01:41,327 --> 00:01:44,927
and in return, you will tell me 
why you talk differently

31
00:01:44,927 --> 00:01:47,858
and tell me a little about yourself too.

32
00:01:47,858 --> 00:01:50,216
Maybe after we understand each other

33
00:01:50,235 --> 00:01:53,188
we can become friends instead of enemies.

34
00:01:53,188 --> 00:01:56,367
Then we can play together and have fun."

35
00:01:57,086 --> 00:02:01,635
I started explaining that wearing
a head cover and long skirts

36
00:02:01,635 --> 00:02:04,575
is just good for my religion for girls,

37
00:02:04,575 --> 00:02:06,275
and I'm a Muslim child.

38
00:02:06,862 --> 00:02:08,650
The girl still looked puzzled.

39
00:02:08,650 --> 00:02:11,540
Then she said, "What's a Muslim child?"

40
00:02:11,548 --> 00:02:13,908
Right away I had a splendid idea.

41
00:02:13,931 --> 00:02:16,701
I remembered the poem I always recited

42
00:02:16,701 --> 00:02:19,903
when I felt the need 
to explain myself to others.

43
00:02:20,133 --> 00:02:25,084
I read it in my favourite book
called "Muslim Child" when I was five,

44
00:02:25,084 --> 00:02:29,877
and decided to use it in situations
like this, so it could become handy.

45
00:02:29,887 --> 00:02:33,531
I stood in front of the girl and told her,

46
00:02:33,531 --> 00:02:39,061
"Listen to this, and hopefully, 
you'll accept me as a friend afterwards."

47
00:02:40,532 --> 00:02:44,794
Please, for all of you who want
to know what a Muslim child is.

48
00:02:44,804 --> 00:02:47,725
Allow me to share this with you as well:

49
00:02:49,517 --> 00:02:56,030
"Muslim child, child of peace,
child of war from a far off distant shore;

50
00:02:56,714 --> 00:02:58,835
what do your black eyes see?

51
00:03:03,405 --> 00:03:07,705
My eyes are not only black,
sometimes they are blue as the sky,

52
00:03:07,705 --> 00:03:12,032
or green as a tropical sea,
or brown as a trunk of a palm tree,

53
00:03:12,032 --> 00:03:14,442
and every shade in-between.

54
00:03:14,947 --> 00:03:19,757
My skin can be black as molasses,
or as pink as the blush on a rose,

55
00:03:19,761 --> 00:03:24,256
as golden as freshly made honey,
or dark copper brown as a penny,

56
00:03:24,256 --> 00:03:26,524
and every shade in-between.

57
00:03:27,386 --> 00:03:31,068
I am the richest of rich
and the poorest of poor.

58
00:03:31,279 --> 00:03:35,999
As famous as famous can be,
a general's child, pampered and bored,

59
00:03:35,999 --> 00:03:38,831
a soldier's child, orphaned by war.

60
00:03:38,831 --> 00:03:41,303
And every rank in between.

61
00:03:42,420 --> 00:03:46,493
I come from many countries,
speaking many languages,

62
00:03:46,493 --> 00:03:48,634
but in one set of beliefs;

63
00:03:48,634 --> 00:03:53,557
I believe in Noah, Jesus, Abraham,
Muhammad, and Moses.

64
00:03:53,561 --> 00:03:55,392
And in God who sent them.

65
00:03:55,392 --> 00:03:57,682
And in every messenger in between.

66
00:03:58,836 --> 00:04:01,286
So then, Muslim child, child of peace;

67
00:04:01,299 --> 00:04:03,809
what do your bright eyes see?

68
00:04:03,812 --> 00:04:09,273
I see that we're each a piece
in the puzzle of humanity.

69
00:04:09,273 --> 00:04:13,167
I'll try to understand you,
if you try to understand me."

70
00:04:14,877 --> 00:04:18,912
Now back to my story,
guess what the girl did?

71
00:04:18,912 --> 00:04:23,071
She gave me the biggest smile ever,
clapped for me, and told me,

72
00:04:23,071 --> 00:04:24,892
"I would love to be your friend."

73
00:04:25,002 --> 00:04:26,844
Isn't that amazing?

74
00:04:26,844 --> 00:04:31,434
How just a sincere couple
of words, full of knowledge,

75
00:04:31,447 --> 00:04:33,667
can change the whole situation?

76
00:04:33,667 --> 00:04:38,025
I told the girl, "Now it's your turn
to tell me about yourself.

77
00:04:38,030 --> 00:04:41,882
I have to understand you
like you understand me now."

78
00:04:41,882 --> 00:04:44,152
The girl started to tell her story.

79
00:04:44,852 --> 00:04:48,845
I am from Mexico; we came here
for a better chance of life.

80
00:04:48,845 --> 00:04:50,792
My dad is a farmer.

81
00:04:50,792 --> 00:04:56,807
He tries to support my family by moving 
from place to place, finding new jobs.

82
00:04:57,017 --> 00:04:59,237
We moved to this area last month.

83
00:04:59,237 --> 00:05:02,206
I'm still trying to adjust
to my new school.

84
00:05:02,206 --> 00:05:06,408
It's just so hard for me to improve
my foreign accent that fast.

85
00:05:06,848 --> 00:05:09,597
I understand better than I speak.

86
00:05:09,597 --> 00:05:13,082
And I don't have a lot of friends
to practice speaking with.

87
00:05:13,082 --> 00:05:16,477
"Maybe if we become friends
you can help me", she said.

88
00:05:17,967 --> 00:05:23,220
I felt sad and asked her
to forgive me for my ignorance

89
00:05:23,220 --> 00:05:25,913
when I made a comment
about the way she speaks.

90
00:05:25,913 --> 00:05:28,753
And told the girl,
"I would love to be your friend.

91
00:05:28,753 --> 00:05:30,343
Now let's go play."

92
00:05:30,343 --> 00:05:34,704
I had so much fun playing with her
and I gained a new friend.

93
00:05:37,579 --> 00:05:43,535
Please, now, for everyone listening to me,
I hope you got the idea:

94
00:05:43,895 --> 00:05:47,245
we all have to start fighting
ignorance with knowledge.

95
00:05:47,249 --> 00:05:51,252
Stop picking on each other,
overcome our differences.

96
00:05:51,252 --> 00:05:56,519
If each one of us start to pass
a good book, or a nice quote,

97
00:05:56,534 --> 00:06:00,264
give a beautiful speech,
or write an inspiring story,

98
00:06:00,267 --> 00:06:04,849
hopefully, my generation can live
in a more peaceful world.

99
00:06:06,185 --> 00:06:09,815
We all come from different
cultures and backgrounds.

100
00:06:10,145 --> 00:06:14,710
The way I dress shouldn't change
how people view me in the world.

101
00:06:14,716 --> 00:06:20,041
Instead, we should all be judged 
by our actions and characters.

102
00:06:20,041 --> 00:06:22,134
Thank you for listening.

103
00:06:22,134 --> 00:06:23,964
(Applause)