Minority groups

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class="content"> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h2>Make-believe harmony</h2> <p>The A to Z of ethnic and religious groups in the Middle East embraces Alawites, Armenians, Assyrians, Baha’is, Berbers, Chaldeans, Copts, Druzes, Ibadis, Ismailis, Jews, Kurds, Maronites, Sahrawis, Tuareq, Turkmen, Yazidis and Zaidis (by no means an exhaustive list), and yet serious discussion of ethnic/religious diversity and its place in society is almost a taboo subject.</p> <p>If the existence of non-Arab or non-Muslim groups is acknowledged at all, it is usually only to declare how harmoniously everyone gets along.</p> <p>The roots of this attitude lie partly in history. Most Arab states, in the form we know them today, were created during the last century and their boundaries were determined, sometimes quite arbitrarily, by imperial powers. Successive Arab governments have had to grapple with the resulting problems, attempting to weld various tribal, have sought to achieve this by sweeping diversity under the carpet.</p> <p>Another factor is the importance Arab societies attach to avoiding<em>fitna</em>, or social discord. This has its benefits but the abhorrence of<em>fitna</em>can also become an excuse for not acknowledging problems. The result is a sort of make-believe harmony in which differences are kept out of sight as much as possible.</p> <p>The Arab countries’ concern for national unity is understable, given their history, but it can easily turn into an obsession and it often confuses unity with uniformity. In any case, the Arab countries’ problems are not unique. The number of countries with no diversity issues at all is very small indeed, and some deal with them more successfully than others.</p> <p>Experience elsewhere has shown that pretending differences don't exist can only lead to trouble in the long run. Real national unity does not rely on make-believe uniformity; it is achieved by addressing minority issues openly and honestly, and dealing with any problems that are identified before they become serious. Real national unity is also achieved not just through avoidance of discrimination but through inclusivity – ensuring that all social elements have a proportionate role (neither subservient nor dominant) at all levels of national life ... politically, socially and economically.</p> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-3 sidebar"> <div class="block homepage-artwork"> <div class="views-element-container form-group"><div class="view view-homepage-artwork view-id-homepage_artwork view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-b79bfd05f70b20d259962e79b319c42de54d83dfea449a4ca9445e87909846a3"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-field-art-image"><div class="field-content"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-09/susan-hefuna-patience.jpg" width="380" height="307" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </div></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><div class="field-content"><p><strong>ARAB ART ONLINE:</strong> Susan Hefuna: <em>Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful)</em> 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. <a href="/node/3719#susan-hefuna">More information</a> | <a href="/sites/default/files/susan-hefuna-patience.jpg">Click to enlarge</a> </p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block blue-boxes"> <h2 class="block-title">News Background</h2> <div class="views-element-container form-group"><div class="view view-blue-boxes view-id-blue_boxes view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-4c92c088b4fcb3af0333e917c75c5c0a7728cfa43825fc98c6e6865cd1d4f093"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/gaza-other-war"> <div class="blue-box-container Blue"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Yellow"> <h2>Gaza the other war</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container White"> A collection of blog posts related to the Gaza war – not so much about the war itself but about the public discourse outside Israel/Palestine. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.al-bab.com/denying-the-obvious"> <div class="blue-box-container Yellow"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Black"> <h2>Denying the Obvious</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container Black"> Brian Whitaker's new e-book tells the story of the disinformation campaign surrounding chemical weapons attacks in Syria: how it began, the ideas that drove it, and how it was choreographed with assistance from Russia. Read it online or download a PDF. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/blog/2016/02/transgender-issues-middle-east-1"> <div class="blue-box-container Blue"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Yellow"> <h2>Transgender rights in the Middle East</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container White"> In a region where gender segregation is widespread and dress codes are sometimes enforced by law, the problems of transgender people are especially acute. Read al-bab's four-part special report. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/degrees-deception"> <div class="blue-box-container Yellow"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Black"> <h2>Degrees of deception</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container Black"> Fake qualifications – forged certificates or "degrees" issued by unrecognised universities – are proliferating in many parts of the world, and especially in the Middle East. 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