The issue of identities is quite important to me. It is irritating and appalling how people selectively associate others with single and limited identities and use these identities to paint their whole existence. People belong to a complex array of identities and I feel that it is disrespectful and condescending to box people according to one narrow aspect of their identity. Don’t call me a Muslim, don’t call me a Pakistani, don’t call me a Canadian. I would rather have you think of me as just a person for I belong to more than just a single trivial identity. Anything else is simply disgraceful.

I recently came across an inspiring talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She talks about single identities in terms of stories and says “The single story robs people of dignity…It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.”

The complete talk from the TED conference can be watched here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg