shiva

Now that I could live with and as rk said when done well it's a pleasure to hear and reminds you where you are. There is a muezzin in midrif who is superb I'll actually stop the car and listen if I'm driving past when he starts up, we can just make him out in the mornings sometimes in between our guys coughing bouts which is doubly annoying.

Norm_uk

Is it really absurd? Given Saudi Arabia only ended slavery in the 1960s and the common name for black africans is "slave" in Arabic I wonder if your examples are simply exceptions to the rule.

I have lived and worked in the GCC for a decade and am sorry to say that I have never encountered a more racist society. Yes absolutely there are many non-racist people in the region - there are some very nice and gentle people indeed...far better than my own in behaviour and manners but on the ground level racism is alive and well.

I do agree that many people from the sub-continent are very racist - more so than most Arabs...racism is everywhere but when you live in a country which allows employers to advertise jobs for certain nationalities only you know that discrimination is a way of life for most people.

N.

Norm_uk

Oh come countries like Saudi Arabia are very civillised...after all they ended slavery in 1967, don't allow non-muslims into mecca for any reason (even though Muslims are allowed in the Vatican and other religions holy places), happily abuse their south east asian housemaids, don't let women drive cars and are ruled by an unchanable theocratic legal code.

What's uncivillised about that?

Norm_uk

I picked up on that too...for someone arguing against the fact of racism in middle eastern culture and society accusing someone he disagrees with as having the attitude of "an angry black woman" really won't get many rallying to support his cause!

I suppose skin colour affects just how angry you can get - there must be a link between melanin and emotion!Someone give him a Nobel prize for ignorance!

N.

Norm_uk

I really cannot stand this head in the sand attitude some people have - a sort of blind devotion to ensuring nothing bad is every said about their culture or religion or whatever they happen to hold dear weather it is true or not...learn to be a bit more thick skinned, don't take it so personally and accept every society has problems.

Of course there is racism in the Middle East - ethnic diversity does not prove there is no racism...otherwise the USA in 1900 would have been the least racist place on the planet.

N.

Norm_uk

He won't use that word...you'll probably get called a Jew instead - that has about the same meaning to them.

N.

Norm_uk

I really like this thread!

Grace O Malley

Norm has been a busy bee.... ho ho ho

littlejimmy

He can't do multi-quotes, bless him.

Norm_uk

Been a while since I posted anything so I thought I'd catch up

glynster

I wish another 1.5 billion would put the same effort in..........

seven seas

Many people are under the chavvy impression that patriotism means "my country, right or wrong"

Patriotism means manning up (or womaning up, as the case may be) , and taking an active role in doing your bit by actively finding things that are wrong, and then taking steps to fix whatever it is.

Just as I reserve the right to get indignant and stand up for any 'little guy' anywhere on this planet, if something's wrong, I'll say it's wrong.

I don't care what colour that patch of land is on the map.

Romulan- are you half as upset about problems that you find as you are about foreigners pointing out problems?

Bahtatboy

Don't be daft, there ARE no problems in Romulan's world, except those caused by us infidels. I doubt he could find his own arse--he probably needed directions in order to get his head up it.

Norm_uk

Talk about hitting the nail on the head...karma given.

seven seas

Holy ****- people read my posts?! I know this a poipular, interestign discussion, but this is quite a shock