Connecting the dots: The Non-Western literary tradition - Essay Example

This paper compares how the Chinese Islamic and Native American cultures present sexuality. There are various definitions of human sexuality. It can describe the ability of an individual to have erotic responses and experiences. Furthermore, it can also describe how an individual is attracted, sexually, to another individual regardless of the sex. Attraction to a similar sex is homosexuality while to the opposites sex is homosexuality. Sometimes an individual can have both tendencies and he or she is regarded as bisexual.

Another rare phenomenon called asexuality denotes the inability of an individual to be attracted to anyone. According to Knight, genetics and the environment determine sexual behavior among different cultures (see Knight). The vast geographical distance between Asia and America means that there are some differences between the genes of the Chinese and Native American people. With minimal intermarriages between the two cultures, this gene diversity continues to broaden and the people adopt different traits that lead to diverse ways of life (Gill 28).

Research has shown that Native Americans see sexuality as just an attraction between two individuals regardless of the sex. As a result, homosexuality is not such a big issue unlike in the Chinese Islam society. Consequently, males and females are considered equal and it does not matter what gender an individual is attracted to. However, when referring to anatomy in terms of genetics, male and female anatomy is similar in all cultures. On the other hand, homosexuality is despised in the Chinese Islam society.

This view of sexuality comes from a religious perspective where the Koran prohibits marriage between similar sexes. As a result, homosexuals face stiff penalties that may even include death. Furthermore, males are more superior to their female counterparts and sexuality is in their favor regardless of religious or human rights activists’ views (see Knight). Chinese Islam women are also regarded as pure and spiritual beings and they have to cover their hair and bodies to avoid being seen by any male apart from their sole mates.

In addition, a man cannot marry a woman if she is not a virgin, unlike in the Native American culture where women have a right to sexual freedom. Moreover, it is not appropriate for a man to touch a Chinese Islamic woman of reproductive age, even her father (Lockard 35). Conversely, Native American women are wholly integrated into the society together with their male counterparts. However, Chinese Islamic women, despite their isolation and inferiority with the males, are equal when it comes to inheriting property.

A similarity is that, Native American and Chinese Islam women are regarded as housekeepers. Their role is to take care of their men with food and comfort. Thus, girls are brought up in the watch of their mothers while boys stay away from the kitchen with their fathers. Men are, thus, providers of their families and any man unable to cater for his family is seen as a disgrace to the society. However, the Chinese Islamic culture is more communal where the people believe that individual choices and opinions affect the community as a whole.

On the other hand, Native Americans take pride in individual rights and allow for freedom of speech and expression in all genders (Lockard 23). Furthermore, body language plays a key role in both cultures. Direct eye contact is interpreted