Here in Saudi Arabia, some men would not see their wives before marriage, a hilarious writer I came to know him through my published books, told me funny stories, he is an amazing writer describes the culture in focus. There are women who never showed their faces even to their husbands. We have a Saudi secretary, very efficient but I remembered that I never saw her face, so inside my closed office I asked her to uncover her face; she said she promised her late father not to show her face to any body!! What I like Tmana is diversity and I get bored if every thing is the same. In Saudi Arabia, people in western province are more like Egyptian, eastern there are more sheae, who are talented and well educated, in the south, people are more like Yemeni.
Tell me about Jewish people traditions and culture, I read a lot; it is more like Muslims in many ways. Politicians love to put barriers among people of different faiths.
In Egypt the Copts are very religious and I was brought up among families and friends who are Christians, went to churches with them, and celebrated each other feasts with the same pastries and vanilla cookies.
I left Egypt to England after graduation, and this fanatics and extremists on both sides tried to ruin the peaceful life of people of my country.
Halloween= Gergean:
We have something similar to halloween,a night when children go from door to door at night singing and asking for (The usual,God bless you).In the dark nights of Ramadan back in Egypt,we took our lanterns with lit candles and go in groups singing,I still remember the song…
That sounds a lot like Christmas caroling, at least the way I read it used to be. I’ve never lived in a neighborhood where groups of people go door to door singing Christmas songs, so I don’t know how much of that is fictional and how much is real.
I think what happens with body modesty and arranged marriages, there are similarities between (Ashkenazic) Orthodox Jews (sometimes also called “observant” or “frum”), Haredi (aka “Chassidic Jews”, sometimes called “observant” or “Ultra Orthodox”), and observant Muslims… While “liberated” women believe that they should be able to dress (or undress) to the same degree as men (which is, in the US, extreme), the traditional Orthodox view has been that to view too much of a woman’s body (and hair) could incite inappropriate lust in men, and also distract them from their prayers (one reason there are separate women’s sections in Orthodox synagogues, and that these sections are separated by walls or galleries). The “liberated” viewpoint is that this take on attire is similar to that of saying that a woman in shorter skirts, or lower-cut necklines, is “asking to be raped”, and that rape is an act of violence, not of sex. In many Orthodox communities, the men are as modestly-attired as the women. I see the same sort of approach among Muslims, observant Sikhs, and certain Christian communities (Mormons – Latter-Day Saints – are one denomination that comes to mind).
I grew up nominally Conservative (Ashkenazic), but with some exposure to the Sephardic community as well, as my mother’s father was Sephardic. I did not grow up terribly observant (my parents stopped us going to Sunday School when I was 7 – most people who go to public school also go to Sunday School and afterschool Hebrew School at least until they’re 13 – we never observed Sabbath, and we rarely attended synagogue). I did spend a summer at an Orthodox day camp, and my university’s Hillel program (Jewish fellowship for all Jewish students) had a significant Orthodox majority, so I got exposed to a lot more traditional beliefs and practices; however, because I ended up living with my non-observant mother and sister for many years after university and becasue my Other Half is nominally Christian, in practice I am much less observant.
Most “movements” in Judaism (in the US, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist are the main four movements) are national rather than international (I believe “Orthodox” or “Modern Orthodox” in the US is called something like “Traditional” or “Conservative” in UK?), although Chassidism – originating in something like 18th or 19th Century CE (Common Era – what Christians call “AD”) Europe – is global. Notwithstanding, there are a number of different Chassidic sects, not all of which always get along with each other. (The Lubavitch is probably the best-known Chassidic sect because of Chabad, their outreach program.)
When I lived in England,the children in the neibourhood came singing Christmas carols,and I felt happy as this like our nights in Ramadan,so my husband used to buy sweets and keep it to give these lovely children.When Naryman & Sheriff were in boarding school in the south of england,they sang these songs and enjoyed Halloween at their school.
Really I am very grateful to the administration and to my friends who let me explore the different cultures and faiths here,you western poeple are really intelectual and great.