Arab Culture

Starting in the late nineteenth century and moving on to the twentieth century, the Middle East has been mostly an Arabic country. Research shows that

Between 1800 and 1914, the Muslim population had a yearly average increase in the order of magnitude of roughly 6-7 per thousand. This can be compared to the very crude estimate of about 4 per thousand for the "less developed countries" of the world (in Asia, Africa, and Latin America) between 1800 and 1910. It is possible that part of the growth of the Muslim population was due to immigration. (The Smoking Gun, 2003)

The dominant patterns of the immigration and migration into the Middle East was brought on by

the great economic development of the coastal plainsÐ'--largely due to Jewish immigrationÐ'--was accompanied both in 1922-1931 and in 1931-1944 by a much stronger increase of the Muslim and Christian populations in this region than that registered in other regions. This was probably due to two reasons: stronger decrease in mortality of the non-Jewish population in the neighborhood of Jewish areas and internal migration toward the more developed zones. (The Smoking Gun, 2003)

The resulting effects are very detailed. There have been many separate movements from surrounding areas. Iraq is in war with the U.S right now; Iran is suspected to be involved in building nuclear weapons. Israel has been considered one of the most powerful militaries and was just recently involved with Lebanon in a fierce war.

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The Middle East right now is in bad shape as far as conflicts go; however, they are making millions and millions of dollars with their oil industry. Oil in the Middle East is basically keeping them going economically and it doesn't look to be downgrading

any time soon. The U.S has been estimated of receiving almost seventy-five percent of their gross oil from the Middle East.

Education in the Middle East is definitely not as well off as it is in the U.S. Many have begun to immigrate to the U.S in hopes of their children receiving an education and furthering themselves in today's society. Research shows that

To claim that adult education is an under-studied area of education in the Middle East is no exaggeration. The available data and reports depict at best an incomplete picture. A 1994 survey of "research trends in adult education in Arab states" collected 7,545 studies on education, mostly in Arabic, English and French, of which only 130 items, that is, 1.7 percent, were about adult education. These studies were produced during the period 1900-1994 in twenty Arab countries. The dearth of research and teaching can be seen in the limited number of adult education departments in the universities. By the mid-1990s, there were only three departments within 45 faculties of education in 14 Arab states. (Adult Education in the Middle East 2000). For the most part adult education is non-

existent and really enables a working adult to better themselves in order to have a successful career. Franklin is a university that is basically geared towards the working adult and it is truly astonishing the difference in countries we live in. For instance, "In Jordan four-fifths of the population had "less than preparatory" (approximately junior

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high) education, and four-fifths of Jordanians abroad had higher education levels." (Education in the Middle East 2005)

For many education isn't even an option and others are so behind in their progression, it would be very difficult to start from the beginning. "In too many parts of the Middle East, education is a luxury, unavailable to many or only offered to a select few. Too often, girls are prevented from attending school by custom, lack of resources, and oppression." (Education in the Middle East 2005). In the Middle East girls or women are considered inferior to males and it was been that way for a very long time. "The result is that too many people in the region can neither read nor take advantage of the opportunities that come with education. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, across the broader Middle East and North Africa, more than seventy-five million women and more than forty-five million men are illiterate." (Education in the Middle East 2005). That statistic is so sad because if they would have just been able to go to school and learn, one can only imagine the amount of people who could have made a difference over in the Middle East.

Families in the Middle East are very centered around men.