Middle Eastern Culture
Article by: Paige Ivins
Comparing and Contrasting Middle Eastern Cultures to Western Cultures
In the Middle East, religion governs not only people’s personal lives and values, but it also governs their society and laws. There are two major religions in the Middle East, Islam and Judaism. Generally, Middle Easterners are actively religious. The idea of separation between church and state is very difficult for Middle Easterners to grasp. “Educated people want modernization and change,.. They also want to keep much of what they consider their Islamic lifestyle.” (Nydell, 9) Nydell also explains how in Arab culture, religious attitudes are different from that of other areas of the world.
Some basic Arab religious attitudes include: “Everyone believes in God, acknowledges His power, and has a religious affiliation of some kind.” “Humans cannot control all events; some things depend on God’s will, that is, fate.” “Piety is one of the most admirable characteristics in a person.” “There should be no separation between church and state; religion should be taught in schools and promoted by governments (that is the Islamic view, not necessarily shared by Arab Christians).” “Established religious beliefs and practices are sacrosanct.” “Liberal interpretations or indiscriminate imitations of Western culture can lead to social disorder, lower moral standards, and a weakening of traditional family ties, so they must be rejected.” (Nydell, 15).
Americans and Westerners share a definitive contrasting point of view. Americans are drawn together to protect freedom of religion. To protect that right, they clearly separate church and state. Political correctness has been a direct consequence of this separation. Speaking about religion at all, in many cases outside of church, can be offensive. Because religion is so prevalent in the Middle East, and affects every aspect of their lives, it is difficult for us to understand each other. It is quite easy to see Middle Easterners as religious radicals, just as it is easy for them to see us as liberal athiests. Atheism is not comprehendible nor is it accepted. To them, religion is a must, a need, something a person cannot do without. Honor to Arabs is what Freedom is to Americans. Honor is a key element in understanding Arab culture. Honor is upheld by every member of the family. Honor must be maintained by each member of the family, but the family, and society as a whole, are more important than personal decisions. Saving face is what honesty would be in american culture, at least its cared for that way. It is the "right thing to do" to lie, if it means that you are "saving face". This means not bringing any shame upon that person, their name, or family.
Tribalism is unlike anything in the United States. Tribes are needed not just for social reasons; they are needed for protection and security. Belonging to a tribe is a form of insurance, that keeps each member safe admist the curcumstances. "Every human society must establish order if it is going to survive and prosper. Arab culture addresses security through "balanced opposition" in which everybody is a member of a nested set of kin groups, ranging from very small to very large. These groups are vested with responsibility for the defense of each member and responsible for harm any member does to outsiders. If there is a confrontation, families face families, lineage faces lineage, clan faces clan, tribe faces tribe, confederacy faces confederacy, sect faces sect, and the Islamic community faces the infidels. Deterrence lies in the balance between opponents. Any potential aggressor knows that his target is not solitary or meager but rather, at least in principle, a formidable formation much the same size as his." (Salzman, 1)
In the Arab world, relationships are not taken casually. There is no such thing as a casual friend. An Arab is either your friend, or they are not. The way they view friends is similar to how Americans view family. They care for their friends like Americans would a sister or a brother. There are expectations for friends that Arabs take very seriously. Expectations are to give help and do favors to the best of his or her ability, to their standard of care.
In Arabic, the closest word to privacy is loneliness. “Good manners constitute the most salient factor in evaluating a person’s character.” (Nydell, 55) Americans see their family as often as Arabs see their friends. Arabs have closer, more intimate, relationships than we as Americans do. Family ties in the Arab world are essential. An Arab’s relationship with his or her immediate family is hardly comparable to an American family. American children aspire to go away from home and start their own life; “blaze their own trail”. The family is extremely important to people of the middle east. This less personal attitude is often seen as apathetic and rude. Arabs take special care of elderly people. They respect and honor those who are older, they look to them with love and wisdom. As time has continued in America, respect and love for the elderly has decreased significantly.
The media probably plays the most significant role in how America and the Middle East view eachother. Both the Middle East and America see eachother through an imperfect lens. We get ideas and "pictures" painted for us by the media, as to what the people in the Middle East are like. There is no limit to the media. We look to it for our source of knowledge to the outside world, as does the Middle East.
Over the last twelve weeks I have watched Middle Eastern news, and observed what they think and feel instead of America's reaction to what is taking place. It has opened my mind to watch and understand what they see and feel, without much of the "fluff" that is fed to Americans through our media. To view Middle Eastern news and media coverage, Mosiac is an excellent source: http://www.linktv.org/mosaic
Bibliography
Nydell, Margaret k. Understanding Arabs. 4th ed. Boston: Nicholas Brealey, 2006.
Arabic Children: www.gmi.org/images/cd_kids2.jpg
Salzman, Philip C. "The Middle East's Tribal DNA." The MIddle East Quarterly XV.1 (2008): 1-8.
Siegel, Robert . "Sayyid Qutb's America." NPR (2003): 1-4.
