How Well Do We Know the Arab Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Well Do We Know the Arab Culture - Essay Example All Arabs are Muslims because there are Arab Christians found in many places of the Arab world, and only between 15-18% of Arabs are Muslims. Certain beliefs in culture and tradition are found to be untrue in a document presented by the OFDCSI. For instance, for a long time, I held on to the idea that Arab males are wealthy oil magnates, terrorists, and mad dictators and any association with them are dangerous. These are types of perceptions that are most common with lack of understanding. Facts from research disprove this and showed that Arabs have diverse economic segments of the population and there are also poor people among them. Because of terrorism that relates to Arabs, I perceived them to be mad dictators and have nothing in mind but bring chaos to the western world. Readings from OFDCSI again proved me wrong as madness cannot thrive in different political system adhered to by Arabs; they could not be terrorists because a majority of the citizens are law-abiding, keep famili es and employed in the variety of occupations. Arabs are concerned about modesty, and that is the reason why Arab women are clothed in full-length cover, and most devoted women could be seen covering even their faces. Traditional garbs for men are robes, but headdresses indicate the tribe from which they belong. Today, according to OFDCSI, Arab men wear a mix of western clothing because now they wear t-shirts and jeans along with traditional garb. Arab women differ with western culture when it comes to subordination to men. OFDCSI refers to this culture as being subordinate to men in varying degrees; for instance, it is very restrictive in Arabian Peninsula and undisturbed in urban areas of Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. It is expected that foreigners respect the privacy of women role in the Arab world.