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Differing Cultures
Nicole Graf
University of Kentucky
CIS 110-053

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Abstract:
This informative essay will discuss the differences in American and Middle Eastern
cultures. Three major differences in these two cultures are in the ideas of individualism, religion,
and the role of women. It is important to understand and learn about these different cultures
because many countries pride themselves in their distinct cultural aspects. Although many
countries may disagree on certain cultural positions, it is important to respect their beliefs.

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Nicole Graf
CIS110-053
Dr. Bowman
13 October 2015
Differing Cultures
Every culture across the globe has distinct norms and common beliefs the citizens of that
particular culture share. It is important to understand and learn about these different cultures
because many countries pride themselves in their distinct cultural aspects. Although many
countries may disagree on certain cultural positions, it is important to respect their beliefs.
Middle Eastern and American culture have varying ideas on religion, individualism, and then
role of women.
The first aspect of culture that varies between American and Middle Eastern culture is
religion. These two cultures seem to take very different stances on the role and presence of
religion. The First Amendment in the United States Constitution declares freedom of religion to
all U.S. citizens. This Amendment also prohibits any laws that interfere with a citizens right to
practice their religion. This includes the separation of church and state. On the other hand, there
are some Middle Eastern countries who enforce strict rules and regulations regarding religion. In
some counties, such as Pakistan, political, economic, and personal aspects are controlled or
influenced by religion. These two cultures differ in the sense that the United States government
tries to interfere as little as possible in their citizens religious life, and some Middle Eastern
countries use their governmental power to control yet another aspect of their lives.
The United States is a secular nation, meaning the government follows certain rules that
do not allow it to interfere in citizens decisions about their personal religious beliefs. Secular

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governments believe it is not the federal or state governments place to regulate religion. In
contrast, Pakistan has been known for an extreme blasphemy law, which carries a death penalty
for those who insult Islam (Zafar, 2013, p. 166). It is questioned whether or not, one day the
Pakistan government will give up state control and become a secular nation, allowing its citizens
to make personal decisions for themselves.
Individualism is a principle some countries, including the United States, have adapted in
which citizens are self-reliant and whose actions are not controlled by the national government.
Some Middle Eastern countries do not believe in and practice individualism. In these countries,
the government has a great amount of control over its citizens lives. According to Dr. David Lea
(2005), Muslims are seen as a group that cannot escape the social forces that militate against
individual expression and the individual freedoms exercised in liberal democratic states (p. 40).
Citizens in various Middle Eastern countries find it extremely difficult to show personal
expression in many environments. This contrasts with the Westerner, who is capable of thinking
and associating freely (Lea, 2005, p. 40). In the United States, being an individual is encouraged
and embraced. Americans are prided in their innovativeness and their accomplishments to come
up with new and original achievements. In the Middle Eastern cultures however, artists and
inventors are often confined and restricted. They often see importance in success of the whole
instead of the individual, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as positive nationwide
development should be a priority. But some may see this restrained lifestyle as an overstepping
of the national government into the citizens private lives. As stated earlier, American culture is
used to a less tyrannical government than Middle Eastern Culture.
Some Middle Eastern countries are so controlling that they even have power over the
employment of their citizens. Based on gender and age, people may be assigned to occupations

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in which the government believes they would be best suited and where they would ultimately be
the most help to the country. In the United States, if the government attempted to do something
like this, there would be many people upset and furious. This is another contrasting characteristic
found in Middle Eastern culture and not in American Culture.
Finally, the last aspect of culture that can be compared is the role of women. The
American culture and the Middle Eastern culture are on two different pages when considering
this topic. American culture, along with other cultures, have been fighting for womens rights for
decades. Recently, these advocates for womens rights have been celebrating in their effort, as
there seems to be a lot of attention given to gender equality. There has been controversy when
considering the contrasting wages given to men and women. Some claim, over the years, women
have received less pay for doing the same work as men. There has been celebration over the
shifting of the roles of women. Hannah Rosin pointed out that women today are attending
college in record numbers, surging into graduate programs, and sailing into the workplace,
proving that women in American culture are stepping out of their century old stereotypes (Spar,
2012, p.38-48). Women in the Middle East are fighting these same stereotypes. Women in this
culture have played the stereotypical role of the subordinate woman for centuries. According to
Ali et al. (2011), women in Pakistan are confined to their homes to do housework, care for the
children, and are excluded from the main decision making (Ali et al., 2011, p. 2). This lifestyle
is found in many other cultures across the Middle East. Ali et al. (2011) characterizes a model
good woman in these cultures as unselfish, calm, tolerant, and reliable (Ali et al., 2011, p. 2).
All over the news, there have been horror stories of women being denied basic rights in
the Middle East. The most common and well known story is probably the heroic story of Malala
Yousafzai. Malala is from Pakistan, and her story of fighting the standard of women in school

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took the world by storm after she was shot on her way home from school. Malala stated she
doesnt want to be thought of as the girl who was shot by the Taliban, but the girl who fought
for education. This is the cause to which [she] wants to devote [her] life. She is an inspiration to
promote the oppressed, such as the women in the Middle East, to stand up for their beliefs
because most of the world will stand with you.
These two cultures do share the particular drive for change. In both America and the
Middle East, people do see the gender inequality issues and are choosing to do something about
it. Most advocates for gender equality also make strives to raise the amount of women who are
educated. Both cultures now are hoping to continue to encourage young women to stay in school
and get an education so they can contribute more to their society. According to Roudi-Fahimi and
Moghadam (2009), as female education rises, fertility, population growth, and infant mortality
fall and family health improves (Roudi-Fahimi & Moghadam, 2009). This proves that society
can benefit from the betterment of women, and cultures around the world should continue their
efforts to achieve this.
American culture has taken a different stance on religion, individualism, and the role of
women than some Middle Eastern cultures. American culture values individual and communal
achievement, whereas Middle Eastern cultures often value the priority of the whole, and
individual goals must be second to that. Religion in Middle Eastern countries is a major part of
everyday life for the majority of the population. In America, citizens are free to practice their
religious preferences as much or as little as they choose. Americans also expect the government
to not interfere with their religious practices. Lastly, the role of women is perceived differently in
these two cultures. Both cultures are aiming to give women more power and rights, but the

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American women have had fair rights for a longer time, but now women in the Middle East are
stepping up to gain the respect of the male figures of the western world.

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References

Ali, T. S., Krantz, G., Gul, R., Asad, N., Johansson, E., & Mogren, I. (2011). Gender roles and
their influence on life prospects for women in urban Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative
study. Global Health Action, 41-9. doi:10.3402/gha.v4i0.7448 Retrieved from
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=13cc3d8eefb0-46d7-bb94-9a75a5ca7d43%40sessionmgr4002&vid=16&hid=4103
Lea, D. (2005). Communitarianismvs. IndividualRightsIn theWest and theIslamicWorld. Middle
East Policy, 12(2), 36-48. doi:10.1111/j.1061-1924.2005.00199.x Retrieved from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0ec4cb1aa36f-4c45-a12b-3c08fa1cf0ff%40sessionmgr111&vid=18&hid=104
The Malala Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from https://www.malala.org/malalas-story
Spar, D. (2012). American Women Have It Wrong. Newsweek, 160(14/15), 38-48. Retrieved
from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/ehost/detail/detail?
vid=10&sid=13cc3d8e-efb0-46d7-bb94
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Roudi-Fahimi, Farzaneh, and Valentine M. Moghadam. "Empowering Women, Developing
Society: Female Education in the Middle East and North Africa." Empowering Women,
Developing Society: Female Education in the Middle East and North Africa. 2009. Web.
22 Oct. 2015. Retrieved from
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Reports/2003/EmpoweringWomenDevelopingSocietyFe
maleEducationintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica.aspx

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Zafar, M. I. (2013). Can Pakistan be a Secular State? South Asian Studies (1026-678X), 28(1),
165-185. Retrieved from
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