[lit-ideas] Re: Middle East
- From: "Judith Evans" <judithevans1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:05:53 -0000
Did you read the whole piece, Eric? "Arab" is there for a reason
(I'll say more
about that, perhaps, later).
> It's militant Islamic culture that wants the whole world to be
like it
> is.
the piece is about how best to deal with certain countries in the
Middle
East not all of whose citizens support "militant Islamic culture"
(nor do they think
the whole world should be like them -- whatever you think that
means)
as you instance Iran and Saudi, I'll note that Tehran women,
unlike those in Iraq these days, often wear fairly vibrant
clothing plus a head scarf, and Saudi women are gaining
more freedoms by the day. (Not nearly enough, and slowly.)
Do the
> universities in Riyadh or Tehran have departments of Western or
American
> studies?
The University of Tehran has an Institute for North American and
European
Studies (and a Centre for Women's Studies). Its members take
part in
international conferences. Here's the Institute's web page
http://inaes.ut.ac.ir/
(here's the Centre's
http://cws.ut.ac.ir/)
I don't read Arabic so can't tell tell what's at Riyadh -- it
does have some kind
of Centre for Women's Studies but it wasn't clear whether it's as
"Western"
as the Tehran one.
Judy Evans, Cardiff
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric" <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 5:48 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Middle East
> Judy: "Underlying US personal attitudes and national policy
> has been a conviction that Arabs should aspire to a future
based
> upon learning to be like us, as Israelis are."
>
>
> Let's accept the shorthand term "Arab" and table objections to
it.
> Though I'm sure people always want Others to be more like them,
the
> objections to Arab culture are a lot less narcissistic. In
fact, the
> argument could be turned on its head.
>
> It's militant Islamic culture that wants the whole world to be
like it
> is. They execute people for sharing Bibles, jail their migrant
workers
> for holding private Christian house church sessions, and seek
to extend
> the realm of the faithful over the entire world.
>
> >>"most students of the Middle East believe the West can
prosper in its
> relationships ..."
>
> Again, a big difference. Columbia University has a department
of Middle
> East studies as do many major universities in the West. Do the
> universities in Riyadh or Tehran have departments of Western or
American
> studies? They may offer extra credits in flag burning but I
doubt they
> even imagine such a thing.
>
> They are the bigots and exceptionalists, the culture of one
view. Yet
> when we call them on it, we also (in our characteristic
self-critical
> thoughtfulness) also consider that we are asking them to be
like us. If
> Islamic culture required wearing skateboards on one's head and
praying
> to the moon, that would be fine to most Americans, as long as
Islamics
> weren't trying to destroy those who reject the skateboard and
the moon
> worship.
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