Common Misconceptions
- Everyone's a Terrorist: Media has often portrayed people of the Middle East as villainous, and perpetuates the stereotype that they are all terrorists. They are seen as kidnappers, money launderers, hijackers, and much more, despite the fact that this is blatantly untrue. Uninformed people often connect Islam with terrorism, which is inaccurate. Islam is a peaceful religion, which strongly oppose violence. Self defense is really the only reason violence would even be an option. Overall, equating the Middle East to terrorism is just an accusation without substantial foundation.
- They live in a historic society: Again, in media, the Middle East is shows as run down buildings and rickety cars, with uncleanliness abound, so many people think if this when they think of Syria. In reality, they are just as advanced as any other country. There is free primary and secondary education, and have made strides in the modernization of global society, such as how "Ibn Khaldoun was the founder of the social sciences, and Ibn Haytham made major contributions in the field of optics" (Ardisson).
- There's nothing but desert: Sand. Sand. And more sand. Deserts envelop the Middle East according to most portrayals of countries throughout the region. Though they may be deserts - the Syrian Desert for one - but there are rivers, green valleys, seas of crops, and lakes all over. Mount Hermon is a snow capped mountain that is in Syria, and there is definitely more than just deserts.
info found on
http://www.ardisson.org/smokey/mal/intro.pdf
posted by Josh Owl @ 10:55 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
It seems that all Middle Eastern people are perceived as terrorists. Obviously the vast majority of these people are not but it is rare that they are seen as a peaceful people who only resort to violence when it comes to self-defense. I recently watched the movie "Lone Survivor" and the ending is something that has stuck with me since. The injured soldier was protected by a small village until he was rescued. It is the complete opposite of the traditional stereotype of a Middle Eastern village and I am sure there are many other Middle Eastern people who would rather help a foreigner rather than hurt them. This is a small example of the kindness that can happen in the Middle East and it occurs in a small village. I can only imagine that in major cities where there is much more civilization that this is also the case.
Building off of that it also seems that the majority of people think that the Middle East is just a bunch of scattered villages but there are major cities as well and, as you pointed out, they are a modern civilization who have contributed many advancements in technology. They also have a great agricultural structure because of the green valleys and multiple lakes that you pointed out. I am curious as to what the main agricultural production is in Syria and to whom they do most of their trading with?
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