Middle Eastern Cultural Decline

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So I want to firstly start by saying that what I am proposing is controversial and is bound to attract negative attention, which I will be glad to hear if it is constructive and rationalistic. Secondly, I am curious to see if my worries and views are valid or if I indeed do need to change and view the world from a different lense, as I am stuck in the past and I am highly traditionalist in my views of the world.

So here we go. I disagree with Trumps ban on some Muslim countries. I happen to be fascinated with history and I have done much study on the Middle east, as I have with every other region. At the moment it is obviously a very heated region, with a multitude of conflicts that have been causing massive damage to the people of these governments, their historical and cultural achievements, and their foreign relations (such as the trouble it has caused the US, old USSR, other UN countries that have tried and failed to contain radicalized forces in the area for the benefit of the native people, their international interests and world safety).

But when I study history, I see a whole new world with a rich cultural legacy, spanning literal thousands of years, with one of the most continuous lineages and one of the most attractive cultures. Many people see this region as a disgusting or alien world, but I see it as a highly misunderstood and heavily stereotyped region.

It's various cultures (not just the large ones), musical styles, arts, poetry, architecture, scientific advancements, technological innovations, from all periods of history have been combined into one mass of darkness and fear which both we and the inhabitants themselves experience. No longer do we refer to the region as what we use to, whatever you want to call it (because it is really an artificial region, just look at the borders drawn through Egypt and Jordan, Iran and Afghanistan, Turkey and Greece, when these countries have more to do with each other than their other neighbors), but we see it as a collective Muslim danger.

So why do I care? Well, to answer that question, I care because of my fondness for history and for the preservation of all cultures. I could make a similar post on other cultures such as the mass replacement of Irish Gaelic with English, or the Ainu people of northern Japan, or the Kazakhs during USSR, or Poles during WWII, or Assyrian Christians during the Umayyad period (Which, if I'm not mistaken, is 10x better than the current mid east, especially during it's zenith in technological and artistic achievement which has been ignored).

I didn't even cover the pre-Islamic middle east. So again, going back to what I said before, I accept your criticisms if they are constructive and are not just attacking the region for being stupid and backwards. I've attempted to be as unbiased as possible, and though that has proven difficult, I've tried looking at it from both sides and I've simply picked what I believe is right.

The Islamic world is a deeply fascinating region. I am sure that in another world with no Mongol invasions the Islamic world may have been an advanced, progressive civilization whilst Europe would be in darkness.

I've been debating this myself as well.

It could well be the case. The Middle East is extremely unpredictable now.

Your post is a bit confusing.

In the title you announce that you're talking about one thing:"Middle Eastern Cultural Decline".

But in the body of the OP you talk about a completely different subject: American immigration policy.

Whether, or not the POTUS allows immigrants from the Middle East into the US, is a different issue from whether, or not folks who stay in the Middle East preserve their native culture.

So, which subject do you wanna talk about?

I'd like to talk about the cultural decline. I understand the mistake I made and I hope this response clears some of it up. I'm talking from an American view about cultures in the MENA region. Essentially I want to look at the historical legacy of the MENA and how it has been disregarded for the modern condition that the region is in. The immigration ban is separate but I guess it's not as important as the first topic. Being the most powerful and influential nation in history, the United States must be given a better view of the external world.

From an American Perspective: When one of my friends came to this country in 1980, they were called sand #######, camel jockeys, Bedouin #######, all kinds of demeaning names. Little did anyone know, they were Turkic from Uzbekistan. Another case of this was a friend I had from Greece who was accused of being a "Dark skinned Muslims" despite the fact that they had no hint of an accent, was eastern orthodox, and who's ancestors founded the entire western civilization. When they mention this they were told they were lying.

From a MENA Perspective: In modern middle eastern countries, notably Turkey, Iran, with small cultural revivals in Lebanon, Yemen, and Egypt, they desperately attempt to demonstrate to angry religious clergy the achievements and fruitful rewards of the prior civilizations that existed before they went adopted a more exclusionist Islamic doctrine (Which is less Islam and more of a power struggle between politicians). They use to tolerate all kinds of religions there. Now, if you're a Yazidi, or a Zoroastrian, or a Christian, or a Tengrii, or you are a member of a minority language or religious sect such as Assyrian Christians, Mehris, Ibadis, and others, you are threatened with punishment and even death. This isn't what Islam and the Middle Eastern people stood for and it certainly isn't what they want to stand for today either, considering how many people leave these countries to gain freedom from oppressive regimes. We fear destruction of the US, but Syria is experiencing one of the larger refugee movements in human history, only truly beaten by WWII refugees.

I've been labeled as a Terrorist sympathizer for trying to bring to people's (who ask me, literally) attention the original cultures that inhabit the mid east. They ask me for my opinion, and I say it is a region which has a huge cultural legacy that has been forgotten. I've been threatened for trying to share these opinions. There's this blatant denial of facts (And I will fully admit that I'm obviously not immune to this but I do my best) that is corrupting our view of foreign cultures.

I think I get what you're talking about.

The Middle East/North Africa region has become less diverse in the last few years.

Religious minorities have been fleeing the region as Islamic Extremist factions have gained power in the last few years: from Coptic Christians fleeing Muslim brotherhood influence on the govt. of Egypt- to Yazidies fleeing ethnic cleansing and slavery at the hands of ISIS in Syria. Yet a family of Egyptians Christian, or Syrian Yazede, refugees knocking on America's door causes Americans to s**t bricks because Americans tend to assume that they are "Arab Islamic terrorists" coming to attack.