When I started to look for definitions of what exactly is the Middle East and what area it covers, I noticed that there is a lot of confusion on the subject and different information about it.
We can say that the Middle East is a geopolitical region that includes several countries, cultures, religions and traditions.
Most of the countries are Arab and the predominant religion is Islam.
Where do the borders of the Middle East begin and end? The definition I found most appropriate to answer this question was discovered while reading a book by Professor Raphael Patai, anthropologist, historian and biblical scholar. Patai describes the Middle East to the west with the Atlantic Ocean, to the north with the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, Turkmen, Kazakh and Tadshik, to the south with Sudan and to the east with the Indus River.
Some of the diverse religions practiced in the Middle East are: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Druzeism, Zoroastrianism, Bahaism, Samaritanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and others.
But when we talk about the Middle East, the religious conflict that stands out the most and raises tremendous discussions is between the Islamic countries and the Jews of Israel.
As a Jew and an Israeli I have written some articles about the conflict between the Islamic world and Israel and I have asked myself several questions, for example: how can we evaluate who is morally more correct in this conflict?
Is there any way for someone outside of this area who is not Muslim or Jewish to decide outside of the influence of the press and determine which side has superior moral values, compassion, love, development, education, freedom and respect for those who don’t think alike?
Then I came up with the idea of creating a multiple choice test with questions and 4 answer options. This test can be taken by anyone, but it is mainly indicated for non-Jews and non-Muslims, since between these two groups there may be a bias in the answers.
Remember that before you start the test for each question where there are four possible answers you can only choose one. Success and then begin the test.
Morality test in the Middle East:
1) You have just started your dream vacation and you board a plane with your whole family from the Caribbean to Europe, as soon as you sit down and wait for the flight attendant’s instructions you start to remember a movie about a plane hijacking that you saw the night before, suddenly you start to get into a state of tremendous panic, your anxiety increases. The plane is about to take off and with which group of these people would you feel more comfortable and calm if they boarded the same plane at the last minute?
A) A group of 10 religious Shiites from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
B) A group of 10 Palestinian Sunni clerics affiliated with Hamas.
C) A group of 10 religious men from Lebanon affiliated with Hezbollah.
D) A group of 10 Jewish rabbis from Brooklyn.
2) A feminist activist group decides to protest in front of the parliament in favor of women’s rights with a big banner and very critical of the local authority. In which of these countries do you think they could freely demonstrate without being arrested or physically assaulted?
A) Iraq
B) Yemen
C) Iran
D) Israel
3) A group of young homosexuals from Ireland, Spain and South Africa meet to organize an international trip to the Middle East. In which city would they feel more free, their lives would not be in danger and they would not be discriminated against?
A) Tehran (Iran).
B) Ramallah, (Palestinian National Authority).
C) Kabul (Afghanistan).
D) Tel Aviv (Israel).
4) You are outside your country traveling with your pregnant wife and you have to go to the hospital with her because she is going to give birth at any moment and you are very afraid for the life of your wife, the fetus (future child to be born), for the medical, professional and humanitarian care that she will receive in a foreign hospital. In which of these places would you prefer this situation to happen to you?
A) In a hospital in Damascus, Syria.
B) In a hospital in Jenin, located in the Palestinian National Authority.
C) In a hospital in Cairo, Egypt.
D) In a hospital in Jerusalem, Israel.
5) You have a daughter in her teens, she likes to wear miniskirts, go out with friends at night, wear make-up. You notice that she is in a difficult period. She is planning an exotic trip to the Middle East with her friends. In which of these places do you think men would respect her more and she would be safer?
A) Libya
B) Sudan
C) Jordan
D) Israel
6) You are a charismatic political activist, you are followed by thousands of people on social media and you are organizing a large march to protest against the government. In which city do you think you and your followers would run the least risk of being arrested, repressed and punished for demonstrating against the government?
A) Sana’a, Yemen.
B) Tehran, Iran.
C) Ramallah, Palestinian National Authority.
D) Jerusalem, Israel.
7) Unhappily you have a close friend or relative who has a terminal illness and their chances of living are very small. You have just read in a scientific journal that there is a possibility of a treatment that has just been discovered that can save the life of that loved one. The treatment is only performed at these four sites in the world and you have to choose one to try to save the life of your family member or friend. Which site would you choose?
A) Beirut, Lebanon.
B) Aman, Jordan.
C) Algiers, Algeria.
D) Tel Aviv, Israel.
8) You come from a Christian family and your daughter falls in love and plans a wedding with a Middle Eastern man who is not a Christian, which of these men would you prefer your daughter to marry?
A) With a man from Saudi Arabia.
B) With a man from Kuwait.
C) With a man from Pakistan.
D) With a man from Israel.
9) An orphan child from the West is going to be adopted by a foreign family and you have to recommend a family from only one country that will provide the best values and the best education for the future of that child, with which family would you feel more at ease and happy in such a circumstance having only these options:
A) With a Palestinian family.
B) With a Syrian family.
C) With an Iraqi family.
D) With an Israeli family.
10) A group of evangelical religious start their trip to the Middle East and have the habit of praying fervently in a very loud voice and in ecstasy in public places, in which of these countries do you think they would be less discriminated or repressed?
A) Iran
B) Morocco
C) Algeria
D) Israel
11) You are a millionaire philanthropist and you want to donate part of your fortune to a noble cause such as science in order to discover new treatments for the cure of cancer. In which country do you think such an investment would be fully justified and part of your fortune would not be misused?
A) Lebanon
B) Iran
C) Syria
D) Israel
12) You are the president of your country and your people are going through a tremendous water drought and you have to find an advanced technological system to make the most of the little water your land produces to save your people from a humanitarian catastrophe, which country do you think you would partner with to find an effective and intelligent solution to save your people from the drought as quickly as possible?
A) Jordan
B) Tunisia
C) Libya
D) Israel
13) A group of young foreign women get lost at night in a poor neighborhood far from the city center. In which country do you think they would be safer if this situation happened?
A) Turkey
B) Afghanistan
C) Egypt
D) Israel
14) A group of young Western teenage neighbors of yours travel to a Middle Eastern country and one of them starts conversing with a local young woman with no ill intent, the young man does not know the local culture and the woman reports him to the police and he is called to court, in which country would the young man’s family and you prefer this incident to occur so that he would be dealt with in court with all his rights?
A) Tunisia
B) Kuwait
C) Saudi Arabia
D) Israel
If most of your answers fell in the letter D you probably love free speech, you probably are more tolerant of diversity, you probably respect the freedom of worship of other religions, you probably respect any woman, you probably value your child’s education and life, you probably sympathize with Israel, you probably are accused of being a Zionist, you probably are accused of supporting Jews, and you probably sleep with a clear conscience.
Author
Adiel Wajsman
Licensed Tour Guide
March 30, 2024