NantanCochise wrote:
I lived in the middle-east and Im sorry but I was disrespected almost daily. My girl friend was verbally insulted several times and I witnessed 2 shootings. Not to mention witnessing several beatings by the police. Yes, I did meet some nice people but there is a general scorn for westerners, Christians and especially Asians and Africans, many see them as sub-human. This was in 1996, before 9/11. We in the west are definately not perfect but it isnt all roses there either. If you think fox news is bad, I suggest you learn Arabic and listen to how most Arabic news agencys report their news. You would be shocked. Weekly programs denouncing the holocaust and 911 conspiracys. Not to mention an anti-American and European rhetoric on almost every report. No Im not talking about Iran nor Syria, but the UAE, Saudi, Oman, Egypt and even Kuwait.
It sounds like you went out their expecting western cultural norms. The culture is totally different from ours and the region is several hundred years behind the west in terms of political development. What the fuck did you expect? I'm quite sure the Arabs have their Fox News equivalents. Their faux pas is that they don't thinly veil the bigotry and hatred they might be spouting. It comes as no surprise to me that they would be peddling anti-Zionist propaganda - after all, they did get shafted royally in the hole with the burden of
German war crimes. I have sensed the anti-American feeling there, it's true, but then again all one has to do is read a short history of US involvement in the region since 1945 to see why. The only anti-European sentiment I got was towards the UK, they were quite delighted to shake the hand of an Irishman.
Regardless, the OP refers to a westernised Muslim, not to a middle easterner.
Last edited by CameronPoe (2007-12-18 13:40:08)