Middle eastern cuisine - Essay Example

DISCRIMINATION: INTERRACIAL MARRIAGES WITHIN THE ARAB CULTURE DISCRIMINATION: INTERRACIAL MARRIAGES WITHIN THE ARAB CULTURE Introduction In almost any type of relationship between at least two individuals, obstacles will be present. This is precisely because each individual has a different set of characteristics.1 Even the best of friends who have been together for several years may encounter occasional clashes due to individual differences. The more time these individuals spend with each other, the more opportunities there are for clashes.

2 This speaks a lot when talking about marriage. Marriage entails two individuals to be together, living under the same roof, hopefully for the rest of their lives. Now what can one expect if this marriage is composed of spouses whose cultures greatly differ from each other?3 In answer to this, the paper aims to explore the different causes of issues in interracial marriages in an effort to find answers to why some individuals and societies view such marriages with hostility. Arab Religion and Culture Islam dominates the Arab world, 4 with their laws and culture revolving mainly around the beliefs and practices deemed lawful or acceptable by the religion.

5 If one is aware of the Arab culture and beliefs, it is easy to see centuries-old practices and stereotypes that could be strikingly different from other cultures around the world. Even non-Muslim Arabs have a set of practices that are unique to this race. This region of the world is highly patriarchal, and even though the western idea of gender equality may have reached some societies, particularly non-Muslim societies, there is still a segregation of gender roles in every family unit. This cannot be avoided since the governing laws in these lands are based on the Shariah --- the Islamic Law --- and although the law grants exemptions to non-Muslim citizens, a predominant culture still prevails, or at least felt, even in minority groups.

6 Arabic Views on Marriage For the sake of this argument, since it has been initially established that culture is highly dependent on religion in this part of the world, the paper will focus on interracial marriage views of Muslim Arabs. Being personally affiliated with several Muslim Arabs, it is common to hear that in looking for a spouse, the main consideration is to look for someone who is suitable in terms of religion and culture. Although Muslim males enjoy more freedom in choosing their spouses from different religions or races,7 consideration on how these spouses will fit in their extended-family system is always given importance.

8 It is common to hear these people saying, “I do not like American women because they do not know how to cook,” or “I do not like western women because they like to pursue their careers more than taking care of the family.” It is not even surprising to hear a Muslim-Arab to say, “Western women will not be good wives because they are not chaste. None of them are virgins.” One friend even mentioned, “I will choose an Asian wife over a western woman because my mom will like Asians more.

They are nicer and more obedient.” Discourse The list of prejudices could be endless, and the reasons may sometimes be vague, shallow, or deeply rooted. In any case, the statements above heard from Muslim-Arabs can easily be identified with their culture. The thinking that American women do not know how to cook may be an awful generalization but can be easily understood if one looks at the great difference of the role of Arab women from American females. American women grew up promoting gender equality, while Arab women were raised with the concept that women should be good wives.

The Arab cultural translation of a good wife is one who is able to perform household chores and take care of the children, not only when they have time, but in their daily living. This is equal to women staying at home performing duties of a housewife and mother.9 This answers the other statement above generalizing western women as wanting to pursue careers more than taking care of the family. For Arabs, pursuing a career while taking care of the family may be possible, but very tough. It is their belief that for the best interest of all involved, it is better to have the wife stay at home while letting the man of the house bring home the bacon.

10 This again continues to the other statement mentioned by another Muslim-Arab that choosing an Asian wife is better than choosing a western woman. This stems from the idea that at least, even if the Asian woman comes from a different culture, she will tend to be more obedient, thus follow whatever practices the man has. This is viewed as hard to achieve for women coming from the west. Culturally speaking, Asians females are truly raised to be submissive to their male counterparts.11 The statement that western women are not chaste and are not virgins may sound very insulting and degrading, but one has to understand where this statement is coming from.

The world is bombarded with western ideas of liberalism, open-sexuality, gay marriages, open relationships, and other such matters that create an image of freedom in sexual expression and deeds. True that these things may be present in other culture or nations as well, but the western promotion of such ideas are vast, making it appear that such practices originated from them.12 Still, despite all these, interracial marriages may be made to work, but both parties have to be open in understanding the differences in the cultures.

It is a personal belief that the cultural differences themselves are not the reasons for failed interracial marriages. It is to be blinded by the exotic idea without further bracing the self from the reality of cultural clashes.