Compare and Contrast the Western and Middle Eastern Culture Essay

Compare and Contrast the Western and Middle Eastern Culture - Essay Example Eating with fork and knife is culture in the west but eating with hand is culture in the Arab world. Cultural differences can be found in all aspects when we compare the east and the west. Even when we commence a business activity in a foreign land we need to give importance to the culture followed so that the company is accepted globally. Situated between Africa, Asia and Europe, the Middle East has been the dream destination for travelers, empire builders and traders. The population includes Kurds, Iranians, Arabs, Jews, Turks, Armenians, and Nubians. The diversified population gives rise to the cultural richness in Middle East. Completely in contrast to the eastern culture, the western culture evolved in ancient Greece, slowly spreading over the European countries. The two traditions which contributed to this culture is the inheritance of the classical culture and Christianity. Today this culture has moved out of European countries and gradually spread across the entire globe. This culture mainly dominates in the central European nations and western countries like the US and Canada. We can also see the increasing influence of this culture in Asian nations like India, China, Thailand and Singapore with the liberalization of the economy. The people of the eastern world give great importanc... The people of the Arab world follow Islam. The Koran is the holy book which is considered as a spiritual guide, a system of law, code of ethics and a way of life. All Muslim members are expected to read the holy book everyday. The teachings of the Koran forms the foundation for Islamic culture and tradition. The teachings of Prophet Muhammad are considered paramount in the Koran. Friday is considered as the holy day and no business activity takes place on this day. Facing east (direction of Mecca), kneeling, forehead and palms touching the floor, Muslims pray five times a day and Friday noon prayer is led by a spiritual leader. All the male members of a Muslim family go to mosque compulsorily and the female members pray at home. All Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca once in their lifetime. The month of Ramzan is considered as the holy month for rejuvenating oneself by abstaining from food, drinks and personal pleasures in the daylight. (Religion in the cultur es of Middle East. 2006). However, the Christian religion dominates the western culture. The Bible is considered as the force which has created religious identity to the western culture. The religion encourages freedom of expression and speech to both genders equally. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are the important celebrations of this culture. Sunday is considered as the holy day and no business activities takes place on this day. The Vatican City is the place of pilgrimage for this religion, and decisions taken by Pope play an important role, in the progress of the world economy, as the Christian population remains the largest in the world. Family and