Culture Blocks: The Middle East

​Matt Wells

As we continue our study of world cultures, let’s move across the world from Latin America to the Middle East.

If there’s one area of the world that Americans think they’re “experts” on, it’s the Middle East. As soon as some controversial event happens in this region, every American on Twitter and Facebook suddenly becomes a Middle Eastern scholar, waxing eloquent on what should have happened. Unfortunately, we have little knowledge of what it is actually like in this region or the sorrows its people face. None of us are experts.

Including myself. And so it is with some hesitation that I take up the task of describing Middle Eastern culture. But as someone who has visited the region and consider some of its residents my good friends, I want to explain a little bit about the culture in hopes of providing better understanding.

When we better understand a culture, we can better reach the people.

Now, I want you to put aside everything you’ve heard on the evening talk shows, on Twitter, and from your favorite news site. Most of these organizations mean well in their pursuit of what they consider truth, but many of them end up oversimplifying the complicated geopolitics of the Middle East as they try to present the news from the region in an engaging way for Americans.

Instead of viewing the Middle East from a political or economic mindset, let’s take a moment to consider its complications from the perspective of a believer – people who have been called to love the Middle East. I don’t mean necessarily to love the Middle East as a geographical area – though it certainly is a beautiful part of the world. Nor do I mean we must love every aspect of the culture, particularly the religion. However, we have been called to love its people – though in many ways, the region is full of enemies, both as a nation and as Christians.

Why would we love such people? Because Christ loved us (1 John 4:19) – and He called us to a radical path of loving even our enemies (Matt. 5:44). How much must we love these people? Enough to make disciples of them (Matthew 28:19-20).

But now we need another clarification – though the region does contain many dangerous forces, the people of the Middle East in general are not dangerous. The ones you see on the news waving black flags are radicals that must be stopped. But the average citizen of this region wants to live in peace. And many would love to be your friend.

Now that we have those clarifications out of the way – and for this culture, many are required – let’s consider a few character traits of Middle Eastern culture:

1. Middle Easterners are extremely hospitable. Anyone who has visited for dinner has experienced this. I remember being invited over by a Syrian family and being fed a traditional meal – what a meal it was! More food than anyone could even fathom, much less eat! But they were insistent – “Keep eating!” The hospitality of this family is forever ingrained on my mind. These people love guests and want to make them feel part of their family, especially foreigners. This is a wonderful attribute – and one that Christians would do well to emulate when engaging with this culture. We of all people should enjoy fellowship around a meal, as any Baptist potluck-goer can attest!
2. Middle Easterners are very passionate people. If you sit and observe some men in a conversation, you may think they are extremely mad at each other. They talk loudly with animated hand motions, furrowed brows, and rising pitch. But by and large, they probably aren’t mad, as one Middle Easterner explained to me – they’re just having a great conversation! They love to talk loudly, express their opinions forcefully, and yet at the same time hear the other person’s side. When it comes to sharing our faith, they will likely enjoy the conversation and not be surprised. It’s said that unlike Americans, many Middle Easterners actually love discussing religion and politics. Of course, when they discuss religion with a Christian, they often approach it out of curiosity or from an educational perspective – “That’s interesting, but the Quran says…” Our goal is to try to move the conversation from education to the heart. That is uncomfortable for any person of any culture, but the Middle East is a place where opinions flow freely. We must feel bold enough to add our own to the discussion. Though they may seem very passionate about their own beliefs, they are open to hearing others.
3. Middle Easterners are also very family oriented. Unlike most Western cultures, they are more focused on the group than the individual. Family – particularly the parents – are very dear to their hearts. As an honor/shame culture, they must uphold the family’s reputation at all costs. This leads to difficulty for Christian converts in this culture, since it often means being disowned by family and bringing great shame. Though love for family is important and honorable, it can also lead to hindrances for Gospel ministry.

I hope these characteristics are helpful for considering how we can reach this culture, whether by traveling there or by walking across the street to our neighbor from this culture.

Invite them over. Prepare lots and lots of food (no pork though). Laugh with them and engage with them in passionate discussion about what you hold dear. Become their friend and watch how God works.