Comments on: Muslim = Arab + Iran?

By: Zack

Zack — Thu, 04 Mar 2004 19:32:09 +0000

wadood: The CIA figures are based on official censuses and estimates on the most part.

There does seem to be a discrepancy about UAE which is mentioned in a note on the CIA website as well, but the Bahrain estimate is 650,604 for 2002 which includes citizens and non-citizens.

By: wadood ali ahmed al Sijistani

wadood ali ahmed al Sijistani — Thu, 04 Mar 2004 18:11:02 +0000

as salam ‘alaikum

I would caution my Muslims, from believing in those CIA figures of Muslim populations.

Having known Bahrain for so many years, the population of that country is not 667, 238 but now above 800,000. This inculdes all non nationals who number more than 275,000.

The populations of UAE and Oman have passed the 3 million mark long ago

and Allah knows Best

By: Zack

Zack — Wed, 04 Jun 2003 03:47:50 +0000

Lameen: You are right.

By: Lameen

Lameen — Tue, 03 Jun 2003 15:05:27 +0000

Notice something else about the list? All but two of these countries border the Persian Gulf. It’s not even like they’d be a representative sample of the Arab world! Most Arabs are not from the Gulf, do not have vast oil reserves subsidizing their states, do not wear designer robe-and-headdress outfits / all-black full-body hijabs, are not ruled by kings/emirs, and do not import most of their labor force. (/rant) Yet somehow, whenever anyone mentions Arab, or even Muslim, people think the Gulf…

By: Zack

Zack — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 20:30:07 +0000

Razib: Does that mean that if I call a Southerner here a Yank, he won’t mind?

By: razib

razib — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 19:58:37 +0000

only so many classifications for the american public-how could they juggle “middle east,” “central asia,” and “south asia,” not to mention transitional nations like iran/afghanistan and pakistan, and india, if you include the vale of kashmir as having central asian connections.

PS-i’m from bangladesh, originally, and sometimes they put it under “southeast asia,” which geographically is plausible, thougn culturally nonsensical.

By: Al-Muhajabah

Al-Muhajabah — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 17:44:17 +0000

I recently saw Uzbekistan described as a Middle Eastern country, which I thought was rather odd. I usually think of it as Central Asian.

By: Zack

Zack — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 08:33:30 +0000

Owl: C’mon, don’t talk to me like I have never been to Pakistan I lived there for most of my life and last visited in December.

The last time there were plans of making photos required for NICs (national ID cards), there was a huge hue and cry and the plan was abandoned.

Things might have changed in the last 6 years. But during my last visit, I saw more scarves and niqabs in Islamabad and Karachi than I had ever seen before.

By: Owl

Owl — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 07:33:04 +0000

Zack, I don’t know whether they have non-photo IDs, or allow women to be photographed with their faces covered here in Pakistan. Generally, the Islamic sects that are prominent here are not opposed to photography and removal of the veil for necessary purposes. But I really don’t have enough info on this so perhaps I should shut up.

By: Zack

Zack — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 07:04:02 +0000

Ikram: Regarding the definition of Middle East, Encyclopedia Britannica has this to say:

the Middle East consisted of the states or territories of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Palestine (now Israel), Jordan, Egypt, The Sudan, Libya, and the various states of Arabia proper (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial States, or Trucial Oman [now United Arab Emirates]. Subsequent events have tended, in loose usage, to enlarge the number of lands included in the definition. The three North African countries of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco are closely connected in sentiment and foreign policy with the Arab states. In addition, geographic factors often require statesmen and others to take account of Afghanistan and Pakistan in connection with the affairs of the Middle East.

It seems sometimes Pakistan and Afghanistan are included in the definition basically because of some of the cultural and religious affinity. It doesn’t seem right though. If you include these two, then why exclude India or the central Asian states?