Is it so different?

Working as a DoD Contractor, I have had the opportunity to experience first-hand middle eastern culture, specifically Saudi Arabia. One thing is for sure, their way of life is vastly different from ours here in the states. It is a conservative society guided by strict Muslim traditions and is ruled by an absolute monarchy under the rule of Al Saudi Royal Family. While it was an extreme culture change, I enjoyed my experience there and it allowed me to involve myself with an open mind to a new and very interesting occurrence.

Saudi culture is very Arabic and Islamic, which makes the average Saudi very conservative, deeply religious and traditional, and very family oriented. As a result, there is rarely any mixing of the sexes in public spaces and many women are accompanied by men when going out in public. Alcohol and pork are forbidden, but Saudi authorities will often turn a blind eye to outsiders when they drink discretely. As an avid coffee drinker, I enjoyed coffee being the main drink of choice, as kebabs of lamb, chicken, and beef are eaten with a flat bread to the side for most meals. Saudis are a usually warm, polite, and caring people, so it’s perfectly okay for one to ask about how family members are doing. However, it is seen as disrespectful to as about another man’s wife. Hospitality is a big priority of the Saudis as you are offered a seat and a drink whenever you enter a Saudi establishment.

Similarly, to the United States, I noticed that Saudi had an influx of immigrants. Immigrants make up 30% of the total population of Saudi Arabia with India and Pakistan being the two main countries of origins. Most immigrants to Saudi Arabia come as migrant workers with Yemenis, Egyptians, and other Arab groups coming in to work in oil exporting. Southeast Asians, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines, come to Saudi Arabia to become domestic workers. South Asians in Saudi Arabia do most of the manual labor jobs as well as service jobs in restaurant kitchens. According to Saudi Arabia Statistics, there are about 118,111 Western immigrants in Saudi Arabia living in compounds and gated communities (“Saudi Arabia’s Population Statistics Of 2020”). Remarkably enough, those living in compounds and gated communities are often free to practice whatever faith they belong to within their confines even with the strict Muslim way of life.

While we may look at the Middle East as an extremist nation especially after 9/11, my personal experience provides a different perception. Both cultures know the importance of social duties, however the priorities are different. Evidence also suggests that associations between religion and prejudice in the US may be changing, alongside changes in broader social norms (Burch, brown & Baker, 2016). While we still have a long way to go, I would like to venture off and think that we are becoming more understanding of one another’s cultures and beliefs.

 

Reference

Blogger, G. M. I. (n.d.). SAUDI ARABIA’S POPULATION STATISTICS OF 2020. Retrieved from https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/saudi-arabia-population-statistics/

Burch-Brown, J., & Baker, W. (2016). Religion and reducing prejudice. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 19(6), 784-807. doi:10.1177/1368430216629566