WEBVTT

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Hi, my name is Maryam Elassar.

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This is my fourth year 
in Amana Academy School,

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and this is my first time 
giving a Ted Talk.

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I'll be talking about my idea how to unify
the people of this world together,

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so we can all live peacefully 
and stop fighting over our differences,

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and focus more on our similarities.

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It all started one day
when I went to the park after school.

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I didn't have anyone to play with.

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And then this girl came.

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She was so quiet and shy.

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My mom saw her and said,

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"Why won't you go and talk to that girl?


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Then you can play together."

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I thought it was a good idea.

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Once I went to the girl, asking her
if she would like to play with me,

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she looked at me with her eyes wide open.

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Suddenly, she seemed confused
and stared at me like I was an alien.

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I stared at her back.

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Then she said with a foreign accent,
"Why are you dressed that way?

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You look weird."

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I felt sad because she was judging me
based on what I was wearing

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So I said to her, "And why
are you talking in a weird way?"

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To pay her back for what she said.

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The girl now seemed 
embarrassed by what I said

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and I didn't want her to be sad.

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Maybe I wasn't supposed 
to pay her back that way,

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so I got an idea.

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I told the girl,

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"I will tell you why I dress this way
and tell you a little about myself,

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and in return, you will tell me 
why you talk differently

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and tell me a little about yourself too.

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Maybe after we understand each other

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we can become friends instead of enemies.

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Then we can play together and have fun."

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I started explaining that wearing
a head cover and long skirts

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is just good for my religion for girls,

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and I'm a Muslim child.

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The girl still looked puzzled.

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Then she said, "What's a Muslim child?"

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Right away I had a splendid idea.

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I remembered the poem I always recited

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when I felt the need 
to explain myself to others.

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I read it in my favourite book
called "Muslim Child" when I was five,

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and decided to use it in situations
like this, so it could become handy.

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I stood in front of the girl and told her,

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"Listen to this, and hopefully, 
you'll accept me as a friend afterwards."

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Please, for all of you who want
to know what a Muslim child is.

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Allow me to share this with you as well:

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"Muslim child, child of peace,
child of war from a far off distant shore;

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what do your black eyes see?

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My eyes are not only black,
sometimes they are blue as the sky,

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or green as a tropical sea,
or brown as a trunk of a palm tree,

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and every shade in-between.

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My skin can be black as molasses,
or as pink as the blush on a rose,

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as golden as freshly made honey,
or dark copper brown as a penny,

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and every shade in-between.

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I am the richest of rich
and the poorest of poor.

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As famous as famous can be,
a general's child, pampered and bored,

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a soldier's child, orphaned by war.

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And every rank in between.

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I come from many countries,
speaking many languages,

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but in one set of beliefs;

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I believe in Noah, Jesus, Abraham,
Muhammad, and Moses.

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And in God who sent them.

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And in every messenger in between.

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So then, Muslim child, child of peace;

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what do your bright eyes see?

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I see that we're each a piece
in the puzzle of humanity.

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I'll try to understand you,
if you try to understand me."

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Now back to my story,
guess what the girl did?

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She gave me the biggest smile ever,
clapped for me, and told me,

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"I would love to be your friend."

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Isn't that amazing?

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How just a sincere couple
of words, full of knowledge,

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can change the whole situation?

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I told the girl, "Now it's your turn
to tell me about yourself.

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I have to understand you
like you understand me now."

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The girl started to tell her story.

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I am from Mexico; we came here
for a better chance of life.

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My dad is a farmer.

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He tries to support my family by moving 
from place to place, finding new jobs.

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We moved to this area last month.

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I'm still trying to adjust
to my new school.

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It's just so hard for me to improve
my foreign accent that fast.

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I understand better than I speak.

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And I don't have a lot of friends
to practice speaking with.

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"Maybe if we become friends
you can help me", she said.

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I felt sad and asked her
to forgive me for my ignorance

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when I made a comment
about the way she speaks.

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And told the girl,
"I would love to be your friend.

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Now let's go play."

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I had so much fun playing with her
and I gained a new friend.

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Please, now, for everyone listening to me,
I hope you got the idea:

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we all have to start fighting
ignorance with knowledge.

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Stop picking on each other,
overcome our differences.

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If each one of us start to pass
a good book, or a nice quote,

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give a beautiful speech,
or write an inspiring story,

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hopefully, my generation can live
in a more peaceful world.

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We all come from different
cultures and backgrounds.

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The way I dress shouldn't change
how people view me in the world.

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Instead, we should all be judged 
by our actions and characters.

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Thank you for listening.

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(Applause)