A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE MIDDLE EAST:How social workers can help

Chris Carlozzo Christopher.Carlozzo@stonybrook.edu

A MESSAGE FROM THE PAST….

HOW MANY MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIESCAN YOU NAME?

COUNTRIES OF THE MIDDLE EAST

• Algeria

• Bahrain

• Israel

• Djibouti

• Egypt

• Jordan

• Iraq

• Oman

• Palestine

• Qatar

• Saudi Arabia

• Somalia

• Sudan

• Syria

• Tunisia

• Lebanon

• Libya

• Morocco

• Mauritania

• The United

Arab Emirates

• Yemen

• Kuwait

Agricultural land (% of land area)

Middle East & North Africa

Country 1961 2013

Algeria 19.1 17.4

Bahrain 10.1 11.2

Djibouti 56.1 73.4

Egypt, Arab Rep. 2.6 3.8

Iran, Islamic Rep. 36.4 28.3

Iraq 20.1 21.3

Israel 23.6 24.0

Jordan 12.3 11.9

Kuwait 7.6 8.6

Lebanon 54.9 64.3

Libya 6.3 8.7

Malta 56.3 32.0

Morocco 52.4 68.1

Oman 3.3 4.7

Qatar 4.4 5.8

Saudi Arabia 40.1 80.6

Syrian Arab Republic 81.3 75.8

Tunisia 55.7 64.0

United Arab Emirates 2.5 4.6

West Bank and Gaza 60.8 43.5

Yemen, Rep. 44.2 44.6

What is the Middle East?

• Countries from Egypt east to the Persian Gulf,

• Israel and Iran.

• Turkey is sometimes Middle East or Europe.

• North Africa -Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

• Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh are usually

described as South Asia.

WHO IS AN ARAB?

“Arab” is those who speak Arabic as their first language.

Most Arabs are Muslims but there are also

• Millions of Christian Arabs

• Thousands of Jewish Arabs

Just as there are Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Americans.

The Ten Countries with the Largest Muslim population:

Indonesia (202.9 million) Pakistan (174.1 million)

India (160.9 million) Bangladesh (145.3 million)

Egypt (78.5 million) Nigeria (78.1 million)

Iran (73.8 million) Turkey (73.6 million)

Algeria (34.2 million) Morocco (31.9 million)

There are an estimated 1.57 billion Muslims in the world.

It is estimated at least 600,000 Muslims live in New

York City, and more than 75,000 live on Long Island.

(Carnes, 2015)

“The news media are, for the most part, the

bringers of bad news... and it's not entirely

the media's fault, bad news gets higher

ratings and sells more papers than good

news.”

Peter McWilliams

Stereotypes are often perpetuated by the media.

From other parts of the world we only see a snapshot

or small piece of radical beliefs.

Myths and Facts

Myth

"Arab" and "Muslim" refer to the same people.

Islam is fundamentally different from Christianity and Judaism.

Islam is oppressive toward women.

Muslims hate all non-believers, and our cultural differences are insurmountable.

Muslims are fanatics.

Islam is violent.

Muslims are all foreigners who cannot adapt to Western societies.

Muslims live in medieval times, unable to adapt to the current world.

Fact

One is religion the other is a language

Islam is recognizes both religions as having historical ties and the same prophets and God.

In most sects of the religion women are considered sacred and are protected from harm

Many Muslims want to adopt (or adapt) other aspects of Western culture and technology

Most are happy people who love their family,

their community and culture.

The religion itself speaks of peace, social justice

and avoiding wrongdoing

Due to our advanced globalization there are

American stores and items everywhere. In many

places in the region you can find NIKEs or Coca

Cola. Many cities are becoming large

metropolitan areas.

What does Islam say about terrorism?

• Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness,

• The vast majority have nothing to do with the violent events some have associated with Muslims.

• If a Muslim were to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of violating the laws of

Islam.

“O people! Your God is one and your forefather (Adam) is one. An Arab is not better

than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab, and a red (i.e. white

tinged with red) person is not better than a black person and a black person is not

better than a red person.” -Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #22978.

KEY TERMS

ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, meaning the whole eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. This includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Jordan

Islamists - Ultraconservative Muslims who prefer a religion -based state which is conservatively based on the Quran and strict enforcement of Islam within the legal system. THIS TERM WAS COINED BY U.S.

MEDIA

Shari’a - Means “the correct path” within Islam and the Quran

What does Jihad Really mean?

…..It means “Inner Struggle” it is defined by Muslims

as the struggle in ones self to get closer to god and

self actualization.

What is the Taliban?

• Created in 1979

• Originally called the Mujahedeen.

• Funded by the U.S. in the amount of $3 billion

• Logistical and military planning, military hardware.

• “Talib” means student, Taliban means men and women students (of Islam)

originally seen as a unifying political movement to support religious laws,

and fight against oppression.

• The Unites States and Pakistan contributed to the formation of Taliban.

Al-Qaeda

• Meaning “The Base”

• Logistical network to support Muslims fighting against The Soviet Union

• Under the patronage of the Taliban militia.

• Al-Qaeda received U.S. funding, weapons, and training during and after

the Soviet-Afghan war (Britannica, 2016).

There is a lot we may not know about cultures of the Middle East

Some Things to be Aware of: Our culture is very different

Cultural Norms

• Thumbs up is like giving the middle finger.

• You are not supposed to show the soles of your feet it is considered disrespectful and dirty.

• People do not like hugging and touching as much in the Middle East. Personal space is recognized.

• Do not flirt, hit-on, touch, hug or talk in private with women. IT COULD ENDANGER THEIR SAFETY!

The relationships in the eastern cultures are family centric.

Allowed

Not Allowed

In the core of Islamic beliefs, they believe other religions share the same god.

Christianity and Judaism, and Islam are all together under one god.

“Say (O Muslims), we believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and

that which has been sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus,

we make no distinction between them, and Him we have submitted (in Islam).”

(Surah 2, Al-Baqarah, V. 136)

Respecting people who might have less power, class, or resources

is heavily emphasized in the religious texts of the region.

The idea of social justice is mentioned in the Quran more

than 28 times.

It is a main feature of the religion. Within the texts, Muslims

are instructed to practice justice as part of their daily lives

(Sage 2012).

Social Work and the Quran

What is Aleppo?

In the Middle East social work as a profession has an advantage.

Contribute to social welfareGive donations

Support the poorHelp one’s neighbor

• Baseline for a welfare state

• Every human being takes part in helping each other

• More encompassing and well utilized tools, and techniques

for those in the region.

• Levels of responsibility

Social intervention in the Middle East focuses on a few objectives:

• Helping clients to enhance their relationship with Allah, or other spirituality

which will enhance self-actualization.

• Helping clients to satisfy their own needs

• Helping clients to enhance their social roles, especially roles that relate to the

problem at hand.

• Supporting clients to resolve conflicts and misunderstandings that influence

social interactions.

How social work can help

There is a need to include Middle Eastern and Islamic instructions into the social work curriculum.

Many countries have education programs some are: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Sudan, Oman.

There is political conflict in many areas of the Middle East. To delve into that is an entire dissertation all together. But I would like to

briefly focus on this situation:

Because of its Geographic location Palestine has been in the crossfire of

many wars and occupations (Abu-Ras 2013).

Relief, refugee, and social organizations include: The Red Cross, American Friends

Service Committee, The United Nations, Palestinian center for Human Rights, The

Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)

“The best way to defeat a population is to demonize them. That’s why Trump can say ‘Ban all Muslims’. We have been demonized already.”

-Sr. Sanaa Nadim

“People of the Middle East built great things. They invented Algebra, and mapped the stars which led Christopher Columbus here. They created the advancement of the world we live in… However we do not see the other side of our globalization” -Sr. Sanaa Nadim

Core values of Islam:

Equality

Social Justice

Human Rights

The poor and dependents

Fair treatment of women

Social welfare (Social

Responsibility)

Charity

NASW Code of Ethics

Service

Social Justice

Dignity and Worth of the Person

Importance of Human Relationships

Integrity

Competence

Core Competencies CSWE:

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice

Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

As social work professionals what can we do?

• Follow ALL Core Competencies• Utilize the entire Code of Ethics, especially Competence, Dignity and worth of a person,

and importance of Human relationships• Understand difference in culture, and respect that• Educate ourselves and others• Ask questions, and reflect on our own cultural bias• Visit or volunteer at a Mosque, and ask how one can help• Understand the media and its potential negative influence• Practice compassion• Advocate for human rights and policy change• Bring up the issue to others• Visit with more Middle Eastern clients and populations

• TALK ABOUT IT!!!!

• Domestic Harmony Foundation (DHF), community based not-for-profit organization located in Long Island,

NY providing services in response to the social, emotional, and psychological needs of a growing population

of South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Muslim women and children, due to domestic violence and other

violations of basic human rights.

• Islamic centers Most are privately funded, and are a resource to communities. Not only do they

provide financial, emotional, academic, legal, and religious services, they help advance social

policies and services within the community.

• The Waqf Endowment Wealthy family created this organization under their family name centuries

ago. This organization supports orphans, travelers, and the disabled.

• Suffolk / Nassau Migrant Education Outreach Program –Eastern Suffolk BOCES

promotes the success of migrant-eligible youth in partnership with migrant parents and youth,

schools and community members. The long-term goal is for families and youth to independently

pursue their academic goals and graduate from high school.

Stony Brook Interfaith Services Middle East & Middle Eastern American Center

Muslim Chaplaincy City University of New York (CUNY)

Sr. Sanaa Nadim

Middle East Studies Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

New York University Fordham University

LIMS ICLI

Long Island Muslim Society Islamic Center of Long Island. Westbury, NY

East Meadow, NY

Voices of NY. The site curates the best journalistic work being produced by scores of community and ethnic publications and where

necessary translates the work into English. The audience for “Voices” includes mainstream and immigrant journalists, advocacy

groups, city and government agencies, students, and individuals seeking a broader perspective on the news. As a testament to its

global reach, “Voices” content is viewed through browsers from 134 countries.

• ICNA –Islamic Circle of North America –New Hyde Park, Nassau County Community Center and Mosque

• CAIR- Council on American-Islamic Relations

• Helping Hand for Relief and Development – New Hyde Park.Help with toy drives, fundraisers, School drives, natural disaster relief.

References

Khan, S. (2016). Domestic Harmony Foundation About Us. Retrieved from Domestic Harmony Foundation: http://dhfny.org/?page_id=5

Lefevre, R. (2013). Ashes of Hama: The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. New York: Oxford University Press.

Lipka, M. (2015, December 07). Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world. Retrieved from Pew Research Center:

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/07/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/

Mian, R. (2013, April 27). Muslim Americans: Behind the Veil of a Religion Under Attack. Retrieved from Long Island Press:

https://www.longislandpress.com/2013/04/27/muslim-americans-behind-the-veil-of-a-religion-under-attack/

Muhammad. (n.d.). surah 36-67. Retrieved from Quran : https://quran.com/36

NASW. (2016). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from National Association of Social Workers: https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp

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new-york-city-unite-on-push-to-add-holidays-to-school-calendar.html?_r=1

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/types/index.html?pagewanted=all

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Carnes, T. (2015, July 13). How Many Muslims in NYC? Retrieved from NYC Religions: http://www.nycreligion.info/muslims-nyc-area/

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