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Attitudes and Practices of Middle Easterners Towards Islam
As of today, Islam is the region's predominant religion, as 90% of the population is
Muslim (Wormald, 2015). Currently, in the Middle East the main practice of Islam includes the
Five Pillars, which are the Profession of one's Faith (shahada), Prayer (salat), Alms (zakat),
Fasting (sawm), and Pilgrimage (hajj), these are the codes which Muslims live their lives by.
Different from other societies, their religion has bigger roles in their culture. For example, the
Call to Prayer will be broadcasted across entire cities and towns for everyone to hear, five times a
day (The call to prayer, n.d.). Unique to most other religions, is the emphasis on the importance
of pilgrimage, or Hajj. At least once during their life, one must take the journey Muhammad
took, as told in the Quran (Feiler, n.d.). Unique to the United States, where there is no religion
that almost includes the entire population of the country, the Middle East incorporates Islam
into politics, economy, society and cultures, unlike many other countries outside of the Middle
East.
Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values Held by Middle Easterners
The Middle East (including Iran to Egypt, and Anatolia to the Aegean Sea) is hard to
encapsulate since it is such a massive area with many types of people. However, it can be said
that overall there is a noticeable trend that Middle Easterners have a strong emphasis on
manners and behaving appropriately in public, and all settings. Building respect and trust
within relationships is highly valued, even in a business setting, so a lot of work between friends
and family is found (The Middle East, 2002). Hospitality and generosity are going to be found as
they are emphasized more heavily than it is in Western society (Wormald, 2015). There is also
high amounts of respect for any authority figure, older person, or guest. Overall there seems to
be a lot of focus on behavior and maintaining personal dignity and reputation. The overarching
trend is that culturally, having a family and children is very important, and making decisions in
regards to what is best for the family as a whole.
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Customs, Practice, and Behaviors of Middle Easterners
It is a common behavior that the speed of daily life is not as fast as it is in the United
States. Word and School days are interrupted multiple times a day for prayer, which is
prioritized. It is more typical that a work week is through Sunday to Thursday. Even though
timeliness may not be important for locals, it is still expected by Westerners (The Middle East,
2002). Muslim tradition frowns upon consuming pork, so most avoid it. Traditionally there is
also commonly communal eating with large, shared plates of dishes and is a reflection and
expression of friendship (Wormald, 2015). Common behaviors of Middle Easterners are that
they can be seen as stubborn, but they have a difficult time admitting to mistakes, as honor is
more important than facts to them. Contact with the opposite sex, physically, is considered
inappropriate and highly frowned upon, even handshakes. Long eye contact with women, and
asking a man about his wife or female family member is considered rude and taboo (Arabic
customs and traditions, n.d.).
Important Historical Events and Figures
Middle Easterners encapsulates an extremely large population spanning over many
countries. Their broad history is extremely complex but the Persian Gulf War, the Iranian
Hostage Crisis, the Yom Kippur War, and Zionism are a few of the major conflicting times in the
region (The Middle East, 2002). The Middle East is unfortunately still undergoing many
important events, as many complicated conflicts are still undergoing at the moment. The list of
impactful Middle Easterners who have an an impact on the culture and societal perceptions is
extremely long and dense, but a few key individuals are Al-Kindi (Father of Philosophy), Saad
Zaghoul (Egyptian Liberation), Qasim Amin (Male Women's Rights Activist), and Sheikh Zayed
bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Unified the UAE) (Npr, n.d.). It is hard to include Middle Eastern history
and figures without mentioning the horrific terrorist attack in New York City on September 11th,
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2001. Not only was this an important historic event for Americans, but also for Middle
Easterners as it changed their society and cultural perceptions.
Historical and Current Oppression of Middle Easterners
Middle Easterners have an extremely long history of facing oppression and hate-
whether it be the damage and destruction of old mosques, banning Islam under Christianity, or
placing limitations to property ownership in the Polish-Ottoman Wars. The first account of
hatred towards Muslim was in Mecca, in the very early days of Islam, Muslims faced endless
persecutions from Meccans (The Middle East, 2002). In modern times, there are still many
examples of oppression of Middle Easterners, often seen as Islamophobia. After the terrorist
attack of 9/11, Islamophobia and Xenophobia had a massive spike, because people were scared.
Every brown person, especially outwardly Muslim, received awful hate and treatment from the
media and people within the U. S. . Even though some of these are sensitive topics that have
differing opinions and sides, there is a lot of Islamophobia in the news all over the world,
depending what channel you are watching, in regards to the horrible conflict going on in Israel
and Palestine. Women who wear hijabs or men who wear traditional clothes often receive the
worst of the Islamophobia, so a lot of modern Muslims result in not wearing a hijab or their
traditional clothes just for their own safety (Wormald, 2015). The Middle East is always under
scrutiny and in the news, as it is an extremely complicated place with a very complex history of
lands and peoples. Radical Muslims make news lines, and sadly this is the only information a lot
of people receive about the Middle East, making it seem like every person who lives there will
cause trouble, which is the furthest from the truth.
Counseling Middle Easterners
In terms of treatment for Middle Easterners, the data is new and there is not very much.
However, a study by the National Library of Medicine identified common themes. These themes
were negative attitudes towards help, seeking help from alternative places (spiritual healers),
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economic barriers, and a common belief that them and their religion will be misunderstood. It
goes to show how as counselors how important it is to not just be accepting of others who are
different, but to already know about them. In order to help this population we have to take the
initiative to educate ourselves on their beliefs all that encompasses it. This study is so
informative because it shows the Counseling field exactly what needs to be worked on in order to
reach these Middle Eastern clients (Elshamy, 2023). Next, a study out of Utah focusing on
counseling Middle Easterners goes on to show data that informs us that this population has a
strong cultural influence towards mental health help. It has been discovered that there is a
strong stigma about poor mental health in this population, so a counselor must be able to
understand the unique aspects this culture brings to the counseling profession. It was also found
that there is an information gap in regards to mental health in general- one third of the
participants of the study reported having no talk of mental health ever in their family. Data is
limited on this topic, so results of positive counseling practices are hard to say, however there is
now more data that can allow us to better understand the patients to begin with (Boghosian,
2011).
Two Middle Eastern Immersion Events
I was invited to an Iftar dinner during Ramadan, at the home of a close friend's family,
in Denver, Colorado. Ramadan, consisting this year between March 10th and April 9th, is one of
the few holidays I knew Muslims celebrated, but knew absolutely nothing about. When I was
invited, I was not even sure I was allowed to attend, since I myself am not Muslim. My friend,
Taneen, assured me that everyone is more than welcome. I attended Iftar with Taneen’s family
and friends on April 5th, 2024, from the hours of 3 p.m. to around 9 p.m. Upon arriving at their
home, her mother told me how they will break their fast after the call to prayer that evening,
around sunset. She informed me that to break their fast they will eat a date first, and then can
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eat happily. It was a lot more informal than I was expecting, but this will change from family to
family.
The second event I attended was more intentional. I searched for organizations of
Muslim women in the Denver area. I quickly found a Facebook group called, “Denver
Muslimahs Outdoors!” who organize activities outside for Muslim women and children. I
requested to be a part of the group, explained my intentions, and they welcomed me quickly
with ease. On April 20th, I met a group of Muslim women at Washington Park, where we went
on a 5k walk. I was quite nervous as I am not Muslim, and did not want to unintentionally say
something I shouldn't, but the experience was amazing. They were all so curious as to what I was
doing and loved that I was intentionally seeking them out, as there is so much misinformation
on Middle Eastern and Muslim communities throughout the world. Most of the women were
under 30 years old, so it also allowed me to socialize with girls my age. It was a great experience
and I have no intentions of leaving the Facebook group at this time, as they were so kind and
welcoming.
Emotional Response to Immersion Events
I knew I was most likely going to enjoy my time intentionally seeking out immersion with
Middle Easterners, as I love meeting new people and learning about concepts I have never
thought of before. However, I was really surprised how friendly the people I interacted with,
especially in terms of their religion. I know Middle Easterners often face hatred due to ignorance
of their beliefs and religion, so to encounter people who were very proud to share their religion
with me was very heartwarming. At the Ramadan celebration, it reminded me of Thanksgiving,
and the joy of having everyone you love around a table, waiting all day for a fantastic,
home-cooked meal. Every encounter filled my heart with such warmth. It also made me sad that
I have spent the past 24 years of my life in such ignorance, missing out on beautiful pockets of
the world.
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I believe I responded this way because I am naturally a very positive, open minded, and
accepting person. I have very strong personal beliefs that nothing can waiver, so it allows me to
enjoy things that go against what I believe. I do not believe in the word of the Quran or the
Prophet Muhammad, but it did not stop me from appreciating and enjoying what Islam and its
followers had to share with me. I know not all Middle Easterners are Muslim, it just so
happened that both of my experiences had high numbers of Muslims.
Key Learned Findings Besides Initial Research
From my initial research and basic knowledge of Middle Easterners, specifically Muslim
Middle Easterners, was that practices of Islam are closed to outsiders. This idea must have come
from my understanding of the Kaaba, and how it is strictly only Muslims who make the
pilgrimage and view the Kaaba. I now know that a lot of Muslims are very open to including
non-Muslims in their celebrations and cultures. This was made clear by me specifically asking
Taneen and her mother about what is ok for me to join in on, while still being respectful.
In my research, I learned about hijabs, but something that was unclear to me was how
much it exists on a spectrum. My understanding was that if you are a strong practicing Muslim,
as a woman you wear a hijab, or you choose not to, if your faith is not that strong. The women in
the walking group talked about how it is different from person to person, and the hijab means
something different to every woman. It is something they are very proud of and seems to
symbolize a coming of age for Muslim women, beyond just physically.
There was also a noticeable difference to how much these communities include their
relatives. I often found that a lot of people lived with grandparents, with cousins right next door.
Compared to the United States as a whole, this was very unique and I believe it reflects the
norms of their culture and beliefs. All of these findings were just a reminder that even if you do
a lot of research on a topic, there is no better way to learn about something than to talk to people
who experience it.
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References
Arabic customs and traditions. (n.d.). Arab Academy. https://www.arabacademy.
com/arabic-customs-traditions/
Attum, B., Hafiz , S., Malik, A., & Shamoon, Z. (2023) Cultural Competence in the care of
Muslim patients and their families. National Library of Medicine. https://www.Ncbi
. nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499933/
Boghosian, S. (2011) Counseling and psychotherapy with clients of Middle Eastern descent.
Utah State University. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.
cgi?article=1894&context=etd
The call to prayer. (n.d.). https://pluralism.org/the-call-to-prayer
Elshamy, F. (2023) Mental illness and help-seeking behaviors among Middle Eastern culture: a
systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative data. National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10602270/
The five pillars of islam. (n.d.). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from
https://www3.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum
-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-one/the-five-pillars-of-islam
Npr: Biographies of key figures in middle east history. (n.d.). https://legacy.npr.org/news
/specials/mideast/the_west/bios.html
The Middle East. (2002) Global Connections. Rocky Mountain PBS. https://www.pbs.org/
wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/timeline/text/index.html
Feiler, B. (n.d.). Sacred journeys with bruce feiler. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/
sacredjourneys/content/the-hajj/
Wormald, B. (2015). Middle east-north africa. Pew Research Center. https://www
.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/middle-east-north-africa/
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