when u THINK or HEAR middle-east, what first comes to ur mind?

Question

am curious to know what the media has turned our opinion of peoples round the world into.

Answer 1

Unless you really want to know a bit more about the truth behind the Middle East then please read no further.
I know my answer will be very long but I felt I was in proper position to try revealing a minor side of the real Middle East.
What do you think when you read/hear Middle East??.... Endless desert and camels, pyramids and the famous curse following all those who dared disturb the peaceful rest of the immortal Pharaohs …Cleopatra of Egypt and Caeser..OK..What else?? Women with nothing visible to strangers except exotic eyes, seductive yet unapproachable. The mansions,the oil and the wealth. Anything else? “No, I guess that’s about all I heard of”
Well,if your answer is part or all of the above,then it was such a short answer to an infinite question.
Imagine if the question was “What do you think when you hear North America?” Answer = Beautiful Landscape, immigrant issues and wait I almost forgot…they have MacDonald’s!
OR Question :”What do you think when you hear Europe? Answer= “Cold weather,snobby people and the tower of Eiffel is in France”.
.Not just was it short but clearly superficial, shallow and false—For instance ,MacDonald’s all over the world and you can't generalize a continent as snobby-the term’s used to describe individuals only.(And snobby individuals are,sadly, spread globally)
When the term ‘Middle East’ is used ,whether is it realized or not several countries are being involved.It is very hard to talk collectively about these countries who are united by religion or language yet have many major differences in traditions ,cuisines,dialects ,clothes and many more.
If when you hear Middle East you think Arabs and Arabic Language only then you’re wrong.I quote this from Wikipedia-In the Western world, the Middle East is generally thought of as a predominantly Islamic Arabic community defined by frequent war. However the area encompasses many distinct cultural and ethnic groups, including the Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azeris, Berbers, Chaldeans, Druze, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Maronites, Persians and Turks.
Iran’s a middle eastern country but they speak Persian.I’m writing this because I was once asked “So..is your arabic different from that used in Iran?” I absolutely welcome questions about our language/customs etc and I love learning more about other countries and cultures.A question like that showed that there’s absolute lack of knowledge regarding the Middle East.It was as ignorant as asking a Chinese person if their Language differs from that spoken in Japan..haha.
You may think that all Middle Easterns are Muslim and again if you do then you’re wrong.Although Islam the major religion in the area there are lots of Christians and to a lesser extent Jews and other cults as well.This shouldn’t be a surprise to any one who knows that the Middle East is the birthplace of the three spiritual religions: Islam,Christiany and Judaism.
Arab women are always oppressed and forced to be submissive.Being a Middle Eastern Arab woman I can assure you this is a myth drilled into minds. First of all not all Arab /Muslim /Middle Eastern women are veiled.(try searching google on famous Arab ladies like Queen Rania and Princess Haya of Jordan and many others),and for many of those who choose to wear a veil ,to them it symbolizes dignity ,honour and chastity.If the veil was ever a symbol of oppression ,then all nuns are oppressed which is definitely false because nuns are respected as women of religion.There is no higher level of freedom,respect and liberty to a woman than being judged based on what’s in her head rather than what’s on her head whether it be a delicate veil, chic hat ,sports cap or even a wig!
While western culture is laid out widely in books,movies,internet etc,spread out vividly and clearly not just to the Middle East but to the entire world,on the other hand,Arabia and the rest of the Middle East is shrouded in mysteries and fantasies. Ironically most negative books,movies and even remarks on this page have been made by people who have never set foot on Arabian soil.Why do millions have a fragile, plastic ,fraud image of Arabia, its land,people and religion…let alone the whole Middle East? The answer is complex and needs extensive discussion but they are mostly stereotypes and superficial myths created by one sided media.A tiny strong example is what have been aired on Oprah Winfrey (which by the way is really interesting and a show enjoyed by many in the Middle East) that Saudi Arabian women are instructed to walk 2 steps behind the men!!This is entirely a false rumour and such fraud allegations in a show as powerful and with a huge audience as Oprah should have been based on strong resources instead of adding yet another stereotype.( That’s just one example)
The most reliable way to learn the truth about a nation is to learn their language and experience their culture.Ofcourse this demands both physical and financial expenditure which may not be available to everybody ,then the realistic alternative is to read well trusted books and watch media which isn’t manipulated and biased because being bilingual and after comparing articles on same events, I know from experience that a lot of information supplied on TV/books/Internet about the Middle East needs extensive correction and reviewing.
SO…WHAT IS THE MIDDLE EAST? YES, It is the land of ever lasting history and civilization dating even years before the Pyramids and the Sphinx of Egypt that have witnessed thousands of years in the sands of time….YES, it is a land of the future where you can see the world’s tallest and most luxurious hotel ‘Burj al arab’ built exclusively on its own man-made island and where in a couple of years you can touch the clouds in the world’s tallest tower “Burj Dubai” and shop in the hugest mall ever “Dubai Mall”
And YES ,it is many more that I leave for you to explore the truth ! PEACE EVERYBODY!

Answer 2

It's been hell out there for as long as I can remember - and it's got to a point where I seriously believe you become immune to it - it's on the news, splashed across the papers but it may as well be a story about credit card fraud - you think for a millisecond "oh how dreadful" or whatever and turn the page or change channels...because it's not in your backyard in the UK, US or Europe you don't think twiice about it anymore - but I just wish someone somewhere would get their *** into gear, get out there - knock a few head together and maybe throw all the warring factions into one room and MAKE them at least begin negotiating - one small step and the whole vile era would be over -

Answer 3

War

Answer 4

WAR but not because of the media just because there is mostly always war down in Israel and Palastine. People are probably nice I wouldn't know was never there( with exeption of the fanatics of course but you get those everywhere).

Answer 5

Conflict,
Hate,
Religious Fanatics,
Desert,
Egypt,
Pyramids,
History,
Bible,
Religion,
Oil

Answer 6

Money/oil/land grabbing yiddish controlled American government backed Yids.

Hot Sun.

Deserts.

Gaza Strip.

Answer 7

To be honest for some reason the first thing that came to mind was Turkish Delight! Bloody advertising!

Answer 8

Arabs..coz primarily it is an arabic region. But definitely I would like to go back to Dubai again. ( went there last February 2004)Such a nice place..people are okay..I want to see Qatar also. :0

Answer 9

World War 3, sad that people can't just get along and live peacefully

Answer 10

Towelheads