The Middle East; Dangers and Delusions (3)
Middle East Totalitarianism and Terror
Iran and the Middle East Political Violence and Terror
The Middle East Geopolitics and the Regional Powers
Iraq and Middle East Geopolitical Struggle
Freedom of Expression and Political Reform in the Middle East
In continuation of the series of articles I started previously, here comes the third part of “ The Middle East; Dangers and Delusions”.
I always wonder about some of the terms known and used frequently by the western media when talking about people in the Middle East. It always puzzles me that when talking about God in Islam, He is referred to as “Allah”. Now it is important to note that the word “Allah” is usually used when talking about Islam in a negative sense. Now, this makes me wonder; do these people realize that their God is our Allah? Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God, and the different names have to do with THE LANGUAGE PEOPLE, YES, THE LANGUAGE… so yes, “Allah” is the Arabic translation of the English “God”, and the Hebrew “Yah”. So when I am speaking or writing in English, I usually use the word “God”, and not “Allah”, because it is the correct word considering the fact that I am speaking/writing in English.
In the Middle East, as I mentioned earlier, not everyone is a Muslim. Now the thing I would like to add here is that, not every Muslim is a practicing Muslim. Some people follow traditions rather than Religion, some follow neither, the same goes for Christians around here.
Similarly, not all women in the Middle East wear veils. And those who do, do not all wear it do to religious beliefs; some wear it due to religious beliefs, some wear it due to traditions, while others wear it for personal protection… Yes, I personally know ladies who used to wear it in Jordan to make it a point for men that there’s a boundary that should not be crossed. I even know a Christian lady (a non-Arab, and a very close friend of mine) who used to wear it when she went to one of the far away villages in Jordan where she did not feel safe. She felt that the veil could protect her from men's inappropriate flirting.
Women in the Middle East are not all suppressed. Yes, some women are, but then again, is there a country where women are not suppressed? I really do not believe it is relative to some countries’ culture, rather to a sensed male dominance… A males’ culture.
To be continued
