The Cultural and Political Life of Saudi Arabia Essay

Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made.

I will talk about a topic in the social sciences and the theme that I have chosen from the curriculum goal is: “define the concept of culture and provide examples of how culture, gender roles and family relation varies from place to place and how it change over time". I will have Saudi Arabia and Canada as the focus.

What's more, Saudi Arabia political system is very conservative when compared to the United States. For Muslim countries our freedoms can be seen as threatening by those who value that structure. For that reason, not all countries share the same philosophy in regards to their citizens’ right. For example, Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its implementation of Islamic law and its poor human rights record. In the same way the United States has been criticized for being too liberal. Civil liberties safeguard individual liberty and therefore, are valuable to every human being. More importantly, prevent the government from misusing power. Without a doubt, the highest law in the United States is the U.S. Constitution and such is fabricated by some amendments that are known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees that the government can never deprive people in the U.S. of certain fundamental rights. As a result, American citizens are protected by the First Amendment which, reads the following “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peacefully assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (“First Amendment").

Being born and raised in America, I and many other Americans have been taught that we live in a country of freedom. Women and men are treated equally; every human being has rights, and you have the freedom to move at will and without restrictions. Women have come a long way in our country, gaining rights ever since the dawn of patriarchy and proving that they are just as good as men with the ability to think, speak, and act for themselves. However, discrimination of women still exists in America and many other countries, but women are taking a stand and trying to eliminate the inequality between genders, such as the difference in salaries, and the bad representation of and portrayal of women in the media.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the largest arid country (Al-Ibrahim, 1991). The country covers some 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula (Al-Hamzi, 1992). The area of Saudi Arabia is 2.25 million square kilometers, equivalent (1.4) million square miles (Batayneh, 2012). The total number population in Saudi Arabia is 25.7 million (Al-Shayaa et al., 2012). Saudi Arabia climate is broiling in the summer and chilly in the winter, and Saudi Arabia does not have well-defined season. In addition, Saudi Arabia is waterless country, and it does not have rivers or lakes (Al-Shayaa et al., 2012).

Saudi Arabia and Iran are two countries that sit on opposite sides of the Sunni/Shiite divide, which can be argued as being the most prominent issue the Middle East faces today. Saudi Arabia is predominantly known to be a Sunni state, while Iran is largely inhabited by Shia Muslims. Both countries aspire to be the hegemonic powers of the region. Ethnically, Iran is known to be a Persian land, unlike Saudi Arabia that is known to be in the heart of the Arab world. These two countries are separated by the Arabian Gulf and throughout the twentieth century and up until today, the relationship between the two countries has been notoriously contentious. Within the past few years especially relationships between the two states have been very fragile with Saudi Arabia ending diplomatic ties early in 2016. The two states are strained over many issues of which are, interpretations of Islam, oil export policy and hegemonic regional leadership.

The term globalization can be defined as a process by which societies, regional economies and cultures have been integrated via a global network of transportation, communication and trade. It has both positive and negative impacts in all the areas that it touches on be it economical, social, technology, cultural, political, environment, health or any other. Globalization started to have an impact on businesses world wide in the eighteenth century since that time marks the merging of modernity and globalization. However, in the modern sence, globalization kicked off after the end of Second World War since its during that time that leaders felt the urge to break down the borders

However, in Saudi Arabia killing people in the name of honor will not be considered as illegal and therefore it will not be counted as a crime, an evidence of this is that a women 45 years old originally from Sri Lanka was “being stoned to death after being convicted of adultery in Saudi Arabia - while the man she was caught with faces 100 lashes” (Wheatstone, 2017). Moreover, another evidence which supports this notion is that a Saudi Arabian woman from Riyadh was “woman was murdered by her father for chatting on the social network site Facebook” (Correspondent, 2017). These demonstrates that not all crimes are considered as deviant

Chapter 1-What really stood out to me in chapter one was the section about woman praying during the shabbat. Men would spit on them and curse them for praying. Most haredim men believe women should be at home on the Shabbat, cooking for their families. What also stood out to me was the fact that the haredi population doubles every seventeen years. Not only that but, the population of people between the sea and the Jordan has increased also.This causes stress on the environment! Lastly, I have learned that in places like Bnei Brak, pollution is increasing due to the number of automobiles. Lands are suffering from water pollution, air pollution, and animal extinction.

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

Historians, specifically American historians of the 21st century have demonstrated an interest in the Middle East in Islam, due to Americans frequent contact with the Middle East in the early 1960s. Islam and the Middle East have played a remarkable role in Americans discussion and reaction to the events that took place on September 11th, 2001. During this time Americans were beginning to regard the Middle East, Muslims, and Islam as one entity. Americans and the world regarded the Middle East as Islam and Islam as the Middle East. Thus, this correlation between the two made Muslims say Muslim Americans and Muslims in America as less western and more of another, but they were also seen as untrustworthy individuals. Additionally, prior to the September 11th, attacks and an after effect of September 11, was that Muslim men were violent and Muslim women as oppressed individuals. Thus, the perception of Islamophobia and the threat it brings to western society has impacted the discussion of Islamophobia in America.

Education remains to be the priority of all nations around the globe. Most countries devote vast resources to guarantee equal education opportunities to all their students. Most education systems are developed to meet the economic and social demands of the country, both locally and globally. As the world’s 8th highest education spender, Saudi Arabia initiates an overhaul on the education system. It is the largest country in the Middle East. The Saudi Arabian education has gone through an astounding transformation. Initially, education was only available to few people who were children of the wealthy families. However, the transformation of the Saudi Education is now offering education to all children regardless of their social status.

Arab is not a race, but is a group of individuals that are united by their culture and history (ADC, 2014). There are many different variations commonly based on a particular individual’s country of origin such as Arab Americans. Other variations are based on their social class, the level of their education, if they live urbanely or rurally, or the time they have spent in the United States (Lipson & Dubble, 2007). Most Arabs also practice Islamic religion and are Muslim. When working with an Arab or Muslim client, nurses should ask what the client wishes to be referred to so as not to offend them in any way (Lipson & Dubble, 2007).

For about fifteen hundred years, Saudi Arabia’s history has centered on one major theme: Islam. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born around 570 A.D. in the city of Mecca. Early in the 7th century A.D., according to Islamic belief, Muhammad, while meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, was visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel

We know that there is a diverse population in Singapore, consisting mainly of Chinese, Malay and Indians, all of which does not possess one single dominant national identity. Drawing on a variety of traditions, different ethnic groups all consider themselves important parts of the diverse society of Singapore. However, In the Saudi Arabia society, most people believe in Islam, and religious control of Islam and its influence on the country are political, economical and can be seen in people's daily life. Neglecting of religion may cause troubles in business activities. In Islam canon, the most important are: religious service, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage and other activities. Religious service is a ceremony that shows gratitude,