Freedom has limits. It definitely should not disrespect other cultures. Is it that hard to respect other people's culture? I guess not.
Well, I have been following the news of arresting western tourists in the United Arab Emirates for breaking the law by disrespecting the Muslim country's traditions. Earlier this month a British businesswoman was caught having sex in public on Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, hurting the feelings of the Arab and Muslim visitors. When I read the news I felt disgusted. In our culture and tradition, having sex in public is disrespecting privacy, religion, and Arab manners. It is not close-mindedness. It is culture.
When I read the story of the British businesswoman, I thought to myself, C'mon now, Are there no other private places in the entire city where you could have had sex without hurting other people's feelings? Although the city is liberal, which is a good thing, there are still things to consider: culture is one of them. It is still a Muslim country after all, and public sex is condemned because it comes against our traditions and religion. Was it that hard to perceive?
Respecting cultures comes from people's education. Before I came to the U.S. I learned as much information as I could about the American culture and how to respect people's traditions. If I hadn't done that, I could have easily disrespected people here and be condemned and spelled out of the society. It would be like me using the "N" word against the African Americans or extend my arm like Hitler did to salute the Jews. Instead, I learned how to respect other people's cultures, not only the American, but also the Indian, the Chinese, the Korean, and even fellow Muslims who sometimes differ in their traditions.
A few weeks ago I watched stand-up show on Bravo by the ill-reputed Kathy Griffin. I kind of laughed at the beginning until I noticed she was going far beyond humor. She talked about her visit to Kabul where she was embedded with the American military. I have been a huge fan of the American humor. I still am. I kind of understand how it works, especially if it goes beyond humor.
In the show, Kathy portrayed Muslims in Kabul as dirty, filthy, unworthy to speak to Muslims. She proudly described a young American soldier, describing an Afghani man's hand dirty with his crap. As if "he crapped in his own hands and did not clean it up afterwards." O.K. now, it is known in Islam that when people go to the restrooms, they MUST clean themselves up with water, something some other cultures do not preach. So describing that man with crap in his hand makes no sense, unless he was retarded, which was not the case because she described him as a sane man who wanted to shake her hands and take a picture with her.
That was not funny. It was disrespectful.
The second thing is that she forced a religious Muslim man to look into her eyes, yelling at him that she is a woman and he has to look into her eyes. I do not support those men who do not look women in the eyes, but it's not something I can control or make fun of. It's this man's culture and adherence to his religion that made him do this. It would be disrespectful to force him do what he does not believe in. It would be like forcing a Buddhist worship Jesus or Mohammed or even God. You cannot disrespect people who adhere to their religions. You can disagree, but not make fun of.
So, a little advice here: make sure you know the cultures of the countries you are visiting and try to respect them. When you respect others, you are respected.
