# Ask the Arab Guy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807 "2004-05-12T16:01:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/21 "2004-05-12T18:28:36Z")
> [@Bibliovore](#): > > Not a problem. As far as ethnicity is concerned, we tend to lump ourselves into one broad ethnic group and think of ourselves as “Arabs”. However, Persians do not consider themselves to be Arabic, and neither do Copts. No one is really likely to take offense if you get it wrong, though, because you can’t really tell just by looking. Calling some from the Middle East an “Arab” is really your safest bet Well, all goes well there … Except when you say to - for example - a Berber in North Africa that he is Arab. Or God forbid… even much worse: to an Arab that he is a Berber… Or to a Kurd that he is whatever else then a Kurd… and…Turk = Arab = little bit problematic and Arab = Turk a bit more problematic… and… and… mmmm… mmmmmm… Oh well…Further no problems… 🙂 (Because anyways, those who seem to have something against such things most of the time seem to be living outside their own nations…) Wish you best of luck on this thread Bibliovore. You must really have a lot of free time to spend on the SDMB 🙂 Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/22 "2004-05-12T18:30:15Z")
Thanks so much for starting this thread, **Bibliovore**. (Love the username, BTW) ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/23 "2004-05-12T18:30:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > OK…this needs to be addressed, because my mouth just started watering. 😃 > > Recipes, if you please. Ask and ye shall receive! 😃 [A variety of Libyan recipies](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dr_ibrahim_ighneiwa/food.htm) “Ruzz” means “Rice”, “Makli-yaat” can be loosely translated as “Fried Things”, and “Sharba” means “Soup”. I highly recommend the “Asharbal-leebya”, by the way. Spicy and warming, and a great favouite at our house during Ramadhan. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/24 "2004-05-12T18:34:33Z")
> [@Bibliovore](#): > > Ask and ye shall receive! 😃 > > [A variety of Libyan recipies](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dr_ibrahim_ighneiwa/food.htm) > > “Ruzz” means “Rice”, “Makli-yaat” can be loosely translated as “Fried Things”, and “Sharba” means “Soup”. I highly recommend the “Asharbal-leebya”, by the way. Spicy and warming, and a great favouite at our house during Ramadhan. Bib. You’re a star. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/25 "2004-05-12T18:39:19Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > I’m going to try to ask a question without going into a rant here… > > I wasn’t aware until recently that there’s a lot of enthic groups in the Middle East. Kurds, Farsi, the list goes on. How many do you know of off the top of your head, and what distinguishes them from other Arabs? My understanding is that Kurds and Farsis (Persians) are not Arabs, but rather seperate ethnic groups in and of themselves. The only other groups I can think of are Berbers, Turks, Tuareg, and…um…that’s about it. The ethnic difference is that Arabs are decended from the Nomadic tribes that originated in the Arabian Penninsula, while groups like the Berbers were indiginous to their respective regions (in this case, North Africa). Similarly, you have people like the Sudanese who speak Arabic, but who are predominantly black. I’m not sure whether they consider themselves Arabic or African. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/26 "2004-05-12T18:42:29Z")
**Biblio** - When do you think the tension in the mideast will subside to a point where extremist group recruitment is down? And what would be the largest contributing factor to this? ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/27 "2004-05-12T19:03:47Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > Motion seconded! > > And hey, you said you were bored, so I’m just trying to do my part…you’ve grown up biculturally, which is always a doozy. To what extent do you think your views on gender roles have been influenced by the culture you’ve grown up in, vs. the one your family is from? What challenges have you faced in that regard? I’d have to say that my views on gender roles are far more influenced by my Arabic and Muslim upbringing than by my life here in England. I was always raised to treat women with the utmost respect, and never to leer or ogle or treat them as sexual objects. All my life, I’ve been surrounded by strong successful, intelligent and capable women who wear the Hijab. These women were doctors, teachers, businesswomen and teachers, and they not only ran our homes, but ran our community as well. My mother wears the Hijab, but didn’t do so until she was in her forties. Similarly, my sisters don’t wear it, but still dress casually and as modestly as you might. Jeans and tees are normal, crop-tops and short skirts are not. The image I’ve come away with is that women are to be valued for their strength and self-respect far more than their looks. Contrast that with the lad’s magazines and Page 3 girls you find all over the place here, and i think I’m doing all right. I don’t think it has posed any real challenges for me. I’m not the stereotypical swarthy mysoginist that the papers would have you believe. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/28 "2004-05-12T19:21:32Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Excellent idea for a thread, **Bib**. I hope this clears up some ignorance and stereotyping. > > My questions: have you ever been the subject of racial abuse? If so, has it got worse recently? Thanks **jjimm** , I really hope so too. To answer your question, I can’t remember ever having been the subject of any racism, not personally. I suppose I’m lucky in that I’m quite fair for an Arab, tending more towards the olive-skinned Mediterranean look rather than yer typical swarthy “son of the desert”. So I guess I’ve just never been an obvious target. Having said that, I always hear stupid remarks like “Cheating Arab”, or jokes about Palestinians and bombs. Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim bigotry is definitely on the rise, and it seems like every day there’s another hysterical headline in the tabloids about “the enemy in our midst”, or another snarling racist on the radio station saying “it’s about time the government did something about those Muslims”. Every week you hear stories of Muslim women who have been assaulted by a mob of leering yobs on the high-street who tear off their Hijabs or pour alcohol on them. It’s definitely on the increase, and sometimes I fear for my mother and my sisters, and I feel really frustrated because it seems as if there’s nothing I can do to stop this growing tide of hatred. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/29 "2004-05-12T19:27:00Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > Argh, where was this thread two weeks ago?? I had a page of questions for you then! 😛 > > For my comparative religions class, I had to attend a religious service at either a synagogue or a mosque. Since I’m Jewish, I had to go to the mosque. I was **very, very** nervous about this. I was going alone, and for all I knew, they were getting ready to stone the Jew-lady. > > The women (I had no contact with the men) were incredibly nice. The lady that I had spoken with briefly on the phone beforehand showed me around, explained what was going on, and even let me keep the headscarf she loaned me. > > After speaking with her and the other women there, and my subsequent research for the paper I had to write, my view of women in Arab countries has completely changed. As one woman said so eloquently: “The veil! Why is everyone so caught up with the veil! We have no problem with the veil, we want to vote!” > > Anyway, my point here is that because of people like yourself, my view of the Muslim world has completely changed. I no longer see it as a hostile religion, perverted beyond recognition. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to folks like myself. You’re very welcome, and I’m glad your first experience of a Mosque was such a warm and welcoming one. I find that if you take the time to approach people and ask them about their beliefs in an open and genuine spirit of inquiry, you’re always going to get a positive response. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/30 "2004-05-12T19:32:09Z")
> [@Aldebaran](#): > > Wish you best of luck on this thread Bibliovore. You must really have a lot of free time to spend on the SDMB 🙂 > Salaam. A Wa Aleikum As-Salaam! This is actually a sneaky way of beefing up my post count, but I hope it helps people as well. To be honest, I’m going to try and stick this one out to the end, because otherwise I’d feel like I let down the team. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/31 "2004-05-12T19:34:52Z")
> [@Angua](#): > > Bib. You’re a star. 😃 Don’t thank me to0 much, these are just generic recipies, and I have no idea how they’ll turn out. My mother’s cooking is of course miles better, but I can’t give you her recipies or she’d kill me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/32 "2004-05-12T19:36:13Z")
Thank you for making yourself available for these questions, **Bibliovore**. There is a lot of ignorance to be fought in respect to the Arab peoples, no doubt. My question is a tough one to phrase correctly, and please forgive me if it sounds disrespectful - it is not meant to be. My husband (who has had many Persian friends in his life) says that Arabs generally do not respect Westerners (esp. Americans?) who make efforts to “help” Arabs via lending money, aid, and whatnot. He says we are viewed as fools and patsies, and that the general Arab attitude is one of triumph over the foolish American for tricking them into doing so, and that they will never pay the person back a loan or return a favor. I personally have been party to a few bad business transactions between Arab customers and my boss, where they received services and never paid for them. So my question is: are people like these the minority or the majority? How would you explain this behavior? Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/33 "2004-05-12T19:37:27Z")
> [@Bibliovore](#): > > Don’t thank me to0 much, these are just generic recipies, and I have no idea how they’ll turn out. My mother’s cooking is of course miles better, but I can’t give you her recipies or she’d kill me. 😃 Mothers’ cooking is always better. 🙂 I may have to try some of them once I stop jetting around the world and settle down in my new house. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/34 "2004-05-12T19:44:54Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Are you as embarrassed and disgusted by Islamic extremists as we are of Bible-thumping fundies? > [@Bibliovore](#): > > You bet I am. I’d describe myself as a moderate Muslim, and some of the hateful rubbish spouted by extremist groups really makes me cringe. They’re doing incalculable damage to the perception of Islam and Muslims, and are fuelling a huge backlash against even those Muslims who want nothing to do with them… Until we see the day that Baker, Robertson, Swaggart, et al. team up and take on the Kahana Hay in a game of _human head soccer_, my guess is the answer would be: ‘even more so.’ ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/35 "2004-05-12T20:03:17Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > **Biblio** - When do you think the tension in the mideast will subside to a point where extremist group recruitment is down? And what would be the largest contributing factor to this? I think a lot of the tension will ease when we have a few genuine democracies in the region, rather than the tyrants and despots we have now. A lot of the tension is caused by dissatisfaction with these regimes, coupled with poverty, and the perception that the West is helping keep these regimes in place to further their own regional and financial interests. Another thing that would go a long way to helping settle the region down is if we see a stable, growing Palestine with secure borders and genuine sovereignty. i have no idea how long it will take to getthere, though. Also, I’m obviously not a sociologist, but I think that most of the guys joining extremist groups are angry young men (band name! 😃 ). A lot of them are upset at what they see as the persecution of Muslims across the world, from Chechnya to Kashmir, to Palestine, to Iraq, and they feel powerless to stop it. Now take this anger and frustration, and couple it with the fact that many of these guys do not have a very in-depth understanding of their own religion, and you have a potent mix. When you get a self-proclaimed “sheikh” hollering and shouting and preaching death and destruction to America, the young guys prick up their ears. When the “sheikh” claims to have a deeper knowledge and understanding of Islam than they do, they believe in him and follow his teachings because they have nothing else to compare them against. Thus the “sheikh’s” twisted and violent interpretation of Islam becomes theirs, and a new batch of eager and credulous young men become the latest recruits for the battle against the West. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/36 "2004-05-12T20:40:47Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Until we see the day that Baker, Robertson, Swaggart, et al. team up and take on the Kahana Hay in a game of _human head soccer_, my guess is the answer would be: ‘even more so.’ Nah, football’s never really been my thing. Now if they could figure out a way of shrinking the heads to the size of a baseball and then played an “Extremist All-Stars” double header\* at Fenway, now _that_ would be worth seeing! - see what I did there? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/37 "2004-05-12T20:48:44Z")
Right after 9/11 there was another **Arab Guy** that did an “Ask the Arab Guy” thread. I don’t know what became of him, but it was a very informative thread (maybe two?) for a few weeks. It was also very healing in the wake of the destruction of that day. Sadily I can’t find a link to it; not sure if it’s too old or was just lost in the “Winter of our Missed Content”. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/38 "2004-05-12T20:57:44Z")
> [@Padmaraga](#): > > Thank you for making yourself available for these questions, **Bibliovore**. There is a lot of ignorance to be fought in respect to the Arab peoples, no doubt. > > My question is a tough one to phrase correctly, and please forgive me if it sounds disrespectful - it is not meant to be. > > My husband (who has had many Persian friends in his life) says that Arabs generally do not respect Westerners (esp. Americans?) who make efforts to “help” Arabs via lending money, aid, and whatnot. He says we are viewed as fools and patsies, and that the general Arab attitude is one of triumph over the foolish American for tricking them into doing so, and that they will never pay the person back a loan or return a favor. I personally have been party to a few bad business transactions between Arab customers and my boss, where they received services and never paid for them. > > So my question is: are people like these the minority or the majority? How would you explain this behavior? > > Thanks again. I know what you mean, and I’ve certainly seen the same thing. Arabs sometimes have the same relaxed approach to business and punctuality as Indians or Pakistanis, or indeed some Mediterranean countries like Spain or Italy. However, I’d have to suggest that your husband get some new business partners, because that’s not the norm. I’ve had the good fortune to know a number of shrewd Arab businessmen who were not only extremely professional in their dealings, but also scrupulously honest, and I’d have to say that your husband’s aquaintances are the expection rather than the rule. I should also point out that from an Islamic point of view rather than a strictly cultural one, there are many well-respected Hadeeth (sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him) relating to commerce and employment. One says that all contracts must be honoured, regardless of who the contract is with. Another says that if you employ somewone to work for you, you should pay him before the sweat dries on his brow. These and similar hadeeth make it clear that Muslims are supposed to be scrupulously fair and honest in all their financial dealings. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/39 "2004-05-12T21:01:19Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Right after 9/11 there was another **Arab Guy** that did an “Ask the Arab Guy” thread. I don’t know what became of him, but it was a very informative thread (maybe two?) for a few weeks. It was also very healing in the wake of the destruction of that day. Sadily I can’t find a link to it; not sure if it’s too old or was just lost in the “Winter of our Missed Content”. I know the one you mean, but it was called “Ask the Muslim Guy”, and the poster in question was actually called “Muslim Guy”. If I remember correctly, it turned into a huge thread and was extremely informative, and was extremely well received. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807/40 "2004-05-12T21:08:39Z")
1. What is belly dancing called in the arabic culture? 2. My troupe leader says that showing your palm to an arabic person is considered an insult. Have you heard of this? If you have, are there any nuances? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-arab-guy/244807.md?page=3)