Jordan has many issues stemming from cultural change and integration related to globalization. Many of these issues relate to its population being almost entirely Muslim. As with other Islamic countries in the Middle East, Jordan has faced significant resistance when dealing with Western countries. Thanks primarily to its rulers, Kings Hussein and Abdullah II, Jordan has dealt with these problems far better than many of its neighbors.
Jordan has, in particular, faced the problem of modernity better than other Middle East nations. This can be partly attributed to its lack of heavy industry, which is notoriously hard and expensive to modernize and upgrade. But more importantly, Jordan has kept pace with economic and technological changes as they happen in the West. Jordan’s policy of peace and neutrality with other countries, both nearby and far away, has helped it to focus its economy on advancement, instead of being plagued by war. Although it still faces many of the threats of war and terrorism that other nearby countries face, its position as a stable and settled region has helped it to avoid significant bloodshed for many years.
Homogenization has also been an issue for Jordan. It has dealt with this issue in a rather unique way that has helped it to work well within the global economy, while still maintaining and sense of individuality. Jordan’s Muslims are typically very dedicated and resolute about their religion. However, after their experiences with war and fighting throughout the 60’s and 70’s, the Jordanians have become both tolerant and acceptant of other cultures. Their beliefs are closely held, but they do not aggress onto those who do not share their beliefs. Once again, thanks to the guidance of their ...
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Firstly, gender discrimination is not an exclusive feature of Saudi Arabia, but it is a more outwardly visible problem there. Gender discrimination and male superiority are most visible in Saudi Arabian culture because “inhabitants of the region where the Arabic language predominates are, despite their diversity, bound into a singular cultural unit with a particular gender system” (Tucker VII). If one group of Arabic individuals hold misogynistic views, or thinks that males are the superior gender, it is very likely that other Arabic individuals will as well. Individuals of the Arabic culture, regardless of their location share a particularly conservative and traditional set of moral beliefs the same way Christians from America may share similar beliefs with Christians from Europe. One belief most Saudi’s have in common is their “conservative view toward women” (Al-Mannai 82). Middle Eastern individuals know what behaviors to expect from each gender, and what each gender should and should not do. An effect of holding such a belief is that a man’s role in Saudi Arabia tends to be one of dominance and power; the male is the ruler ...
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Iraq’s history is one of both prosperity and violence, and dates back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. While dominated by a variety of civilizations, the region enjoyed a relatively stable society. Since the birth of Islam, the religion has been the dominant cultural belief of the region, and has made its way into the laws and ruling of the region. (InDepth Info, 2010)
The Arab world has been one of the most confusing areas known to the western world. Because of this confusion, the people of the Middle East have been made to suffer, not only at the hands of the west, but also by their own. Even though Arab and western world relations have been stabalizing, they are still long way off from achieving a lasting peace.
Currently, Jordan’s middle class which is defined as making two to four times the annual income of the poverty line, makes up about 50% of its population. However, over the last few decades, the middle class has slowly been shrinking due to multiple factors, and even more troublesome is the fact that social mobility has essentially reach a stand still. As outlined by a 2010 study led by the University of Jordan, the main reasons for Jordan’s middle class drop off has to do with the increase in cost of living as well as the introduction of heftier taxes, which have not been counteracted by increasing wages. Additionally, the study points out that due to the increase in investment of upper class citizens in private education, the middle and
Kuwait was a small country that had once been part of the Ottoman Empire like Iraq. Then Kuwait had become a British Protectorate from which it had been granted its independence. Its borders had been set in a subjective manner causing it to be difficult to de...
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