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OK compare like with like take one Arab country of your choice how many wars has it been involved in since the second world war, and then ask is that more or less than your own country which I think is Britain?
There are no tribes in Europe are there? Ever been to Glasgow, let alone Northern Ireland. Is Bosnia in the Middle East? Is Rome? Is North eastern Europe. I know Welsh people who are still outraged by the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain.
The middle east is a big area, bigger than Europe, If now you seem to want to add Africa to that area then of course, You will find what ever you want to find.
However take a given amount of one people and a same amount of different people you will find the 'Nutter ratio' very similar.
August 1, 2012 at 7:19 am (This post was last modified: August 1, 2012 at 7:25 am by jonb.)
(August 1, 2012 at 6:44 am)downbeatplumb Wrote: Our wars aren't about tribalism but trying desperately to cling to the last vestiges of power and influence.
And I repeat, you get tribalistic arseholes everywhere but it does not permeate the culture like it does in the Arab countries.
Our culture for better or worse is more inclusive and less divisive.
Find any period of history it can be as long or as short as you like, and find an Arab country that is fighting more wars that Britain at the same time.
What your spouting is prejudice pure and simple.
(August 1, 2012 at 6:44 am)downbeatplumb Wrote: And I repeat, you get tribalistic arseholes everywhere but it does not permeate the culture like it does in the Arab countries.
Our culture for better or worse is more inclusive and less divisive.
(August 1, 2012 at 5:01 am)5thHorseman Wrote: Yeah I remeber reading somewhere that if you want to learn Arabic, you should learn colloquial Egyptian Arabic as everyone watches their films and can understand it. Quite amazing is how different Arabic is throughout the Middle East and North Africa and some people from one part cannot understand a word each other is saying from another part.
Yup, if you want to learn Arabic for studies, you have to learn the formal Literary Arabic, its the only format that is understood by all Arab countries, although that format is only used in books & formal speeches, if you want to learn Arabic for communication or entertainment, Egyptian is definitely the way to go, since Egypt is kind of like Hollywood in the ME, & is usually the most understood non-formal accent.
tribalism probably exists in mostly the Gulf countries' royalty, since those Kings/Princes are mostly related, they defend each other like they were from the same tribe, they give key positions to members of their tribe, the entire country is their big playground, & the people are their sheep.
Anyway, there is a concept in the ME that you probably haven't heard of, its more so in the Gulf countries. Every country is a business, the president/King/Sultan is the owner, the religious radicals are the board of directors, & the population are the workers, almost every headline about the middle east (prior to the Arab Spring) is about a decision/event by the two former & never the latter, I am vehemently anti-Islam, but the common public's words are not only suppressed by their leaders, but the media as well, that's why you saw people orgasmically happy when their voices were heard in the recent events.
However, religious leaders still have power over plenty of them, the reason is because people were raised to believe that those leaders could do no wrong, & even some barely practicing Muslims believe that, they were never taught critical thinking, even though their numbers is decreasing, the Arab Spring still scares me sometimes, I'm not sure if they will follow their religious leaders or not. I tend to think the latter in Bahrain, I still have some fears.
August 1, 2012 at 9:38 am (This post was last modified: August 1, 2012 at 9:39 am by KichigaiNeko.)
(August 1, 2012 at 7:19 am)jonb Wrote:
(August 1, 2012 at 6:44 am)downbeatplumb Wrote: Our wars aren't about tribalism but trying desperately to cling to the last vestiges of power and influence.
And I repeat, you get tribalistic arseholes everywhere but it does not permeate the culture like it does in the Arab countries.
Our culture for better or worse is more inclusive and less divisive.
Find any period of history it can be as long or as short as you like, and find an Arab country that is fighting more wars that Britain at the same time.
What your spouting is prejudice pure and simple.
(August 1, 2012 at 6:44 am)downbeatplumb Wrote: And I repeat, you get tribalistic arseholes everywhere but it does not permeate the culture like it does in the Arab countries.
Our culture for better or worse is more inclusive and less divisive.
Yeh, right! looks it doesn't it.
Would stop alot of bitching and plotting and...well many countries will have water frontage!!
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Although certainly not Arabic by any stretch of the imagination, I consider the activities of the Ansar Dine in Mali as an extension of the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Arab Spring.
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