Yezidis: A Micro-Cultural Analysis

By studying cultures and religions other than my own in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece it became clear to me that religion plays a huge part in shaping ones cultural identity. Bringing this "cultural identity" viewpoint to its

Through its ethnocentric tales and family based beliefs, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea’s Guests of the Sheik suggests that to find the true representation of Islamic culture, one must leave ethnocentrism behind. Not only will we discuss ethnocentrism and the cultural differences between Western and Middle Eastern societies, we will also take a look at the women of El Nahra and family within the differing societies.

The Middle East is a region centered on Western Asia and Egypt the region has generally been a major center of world affairs as the major religions of Islam and Christianity and Judaism were also established within the region. The region is made up of 18 countries and has vast reserves of crude oil. In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region.

To further this argument, research conducted by Dr Kevin Dunn (Christopher & Deresky 2008) exemplified how ‘marginalised’ the minority of Australian Muslims and people of Middle Eastern origin are in the Australian society. Australians are thought to be of the opinion that people with these cultural and religious backgrounds are the least likely to be able to fit into the culture of Australians (Christopher & Deresky, 2008).

You are Fatima, a middle-aged, middle-class woman in El Nahra, Iraq in 1954. You have met an American woman for the first time in your life, and have come to know her pretty well. But you just cannot understand how she can be happy living according to the American customs she has described to you. Construct Fatima’s argument for why the customs of Iraq, especially as they relate to gender roles and gender relationships, are vastly superior to those of the United States.

The novel The Chrysalids has many interesting parallels to our own time. The persecution of innocent people for a simple difference has happened many times throughout human history, and it still happens to this day. Such persecution is often due to racial differences or differences in religion, with one example being the executions of those who are of an ethnic or religious minority by fighters for an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (commonly known as ISIS). They are murdering thousands of Yazidis in particular, simply due to differences in ethnicity and religion. This is similar to the discrimination in Waknuk, with an unknown number of mutant children being murdered or left to die due to physical differences. Another parallel that exists is

Culture is an ever-changing, ever-evolving entity. Culture is something that for many is taken for granted as they have always had that connection to their past. It is not easily definable but it is an essential part of every nation’s composition. American culture itself is a conglomeration of several different cultures that make up a unique and separate identity from each of the cultures it draws from. Everyone knows about American Southern culture whether their perceptions of it is accurate or not. Fewer know about African American culture in the south. Many people including some African Americans themselves are not aware of the aspects of African culture that were preserved and its influence on American culture as a whole. One major way in which this type of influence can be seen is in the culture of the Gullah people. YOUR INTRODUCTION DEFIENTLY GRABBED MY ATTENTION

Microculture: “distinctive culture shared by a small group that is often based on location or within an organization” (Microculture. n.d). The eighteen microcultures discussed within the dissertation are as followed: Rich people, poor people, African American people, white people native American people, Asians, Muslims, people who participate in the new age movement, homosexual, women, homosexual men, people with disabilities, students who re labeled gifted or talented, illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, people residing within the United States, but don’t speak English, Jews, Catholics, and stay at home mothers. Each microculture will be appraised through my cultural lens of feelings and opinions, what sources of socialization contributed

Members of a micro-cultural group such as child soldiers possess some physical and cultural trait that distinguishes them from others such as being a child and being more violent than usual for example. At the beginning of the book, villagers even though they were child soldiers because they are kids and wandering.This shows that micro-cultural group such as rebels have specific cultural and physical trait. However in that case, since the power is detained by the army and the rebel groups, they are the ones that represent the macro-cultural

Religious identity can come in two forms, one from a nation of people all believing in the same values and another from the personal view of each individual or family within that nation. In a family or local community sense, it ties the smaller community together against its neighbouring ethnicities. It provides a feeling of togetherness and strength for the society. It is the basis for 'ethnic honour: the excellence of one's own customs and the inferiority of alien ones' (Weber, cited in Bruce 1996, p. 96). Religious identity brings great pride and hope to the citizens of any particular society and lends itself towards social cohesion (Browne 2005).

In contrast to the idea of race, Ethnicity refers to ethnic affiliation, or the “cultural practices and outlooks of a given community of people that set them apart from others” (Giddens, 1997:210). Members of a particular ethnic group see themselves as culturally distinct from other groups of people in a society or culture. There are different characteristics which serve as a way of

Islamic Law governs all forms of Legislation in Syria. The country’s religious demographic is also heavily comprised of followers of the religion of Islam. These religious followers divided into different sects with 74% Sunni. Ismailis, Alawis, and Shi’a make up 13% of the population. The Druze account for 3%, and there is a small population of Christians at 10% (Unknown, “2010 Report on International Religious Freedom—Syria”, 2010). The country has attempted to make a large push for religious freedom. Religion and state have “officially” always been separate, although Muslim code is the basis for several laws and decrees. The constitution allows religious freedom but restricts some religious matters. Some religious groups are even outlawed, Jehovah’s Witness (Unknown, “International Religious Freedom Report 2010”,

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

Three of the many cultural practices in Iraq include food, marriage, and education. In the Middle East the “the traditional meal includes rice with soup or sauce, and accompanied by lamb and vegetables” (Culture of Iraq 4). Traditionally in Iraq, having an arranged marriage at a young age was a standard procedure. As of roles in the family, girls were mostly taught to take after the roles of their mothers, which was to take care of the household. On the other hand boys were taught to be hard working and dominate. In Iraq, their schools teach children about religion and were very strict. A critical factor in everyday life for them is to hold values and claim responsibility for themselves and their families.

III. Identify at least one element of Fatimid culture for each of the following categories. One example is provided: for that category, identify at least one additional cultural element.