tagged: Featured, Middle East, peace, Rastis

Peace in the Middle East

Posted by Rastis in Church & Missions, News & Culture

[Note to readers: it is not to hard to figure out where I am/was based on my discussion. My cryptic apophasis is not an attempt to be sly or spy-like. Many people's security depends on keeping locations and names a secret. The use of apophasis is to try to keep away from search engines which are searching buzz words. If you have figured it out, please keep it to yourself. Since this is a sensitive issue, I have set the comments to be moderated before they are posted. Moderated comments and a days worth of time lag may cause some frustration on your part, and I apologize in advance.]

It was just a few weeks ago that a previously unknown man (at least unknown to most of the world) lit himself on fire in Tunisia sparking internal strife and revolution in his own country and causing a domino effect–to varying degrees–across North Africa and the Middle East. I do not wish to simply duplicate what you have seen on the news, rather I will highlight certain contours of culture which are changing the shape of life in the Middle East and are going to potentially impact the advance of the gospel in the region.

1. Young median age.

The median age of the Middle East is far younger than its western counterparts. While it is the youth who are typically the ones most open to change, traditional cultures are built upon respecting elders and the traditions from the past. Couple this with strong group/family identity and there are many people who have stake in keeping everything the same. The lower the median age becomes, the more likely it will be that the younger generation will exert more social influence–even if they have to wait a generation. Change is in the works in many places if for no other reason than that many young people have a fascination with the outside world.

2. Social media.

Social media has played a vital role in organizing protests and rallies. As young people are more inclined to take part in these events and since they have access to social media through computer, and more typically through the ubiquitous cellphone, they are able to organize and network in ways that their social structure would not otherwise permit.

Related to social media is the ease of access to outside sources of information. No longer do people have to listen to the state-controlled media as their sole source of information. Outside news sources, not to mention western pop culture, have introduced new information into their conversations. If we are simply talking about change for the sake of change, then, if you read Ian Bremmer’s “J Curve,” this openness and access are good things.

3. Urbanization and Globalization.

Due to population growth and the percentage of arable land (or lack thereof), the Middle East is more urbanized than other places. There is a migration of people from agrarian communities into larger cities in search of work. This also happens on the global scale as many young men look for jobs outside of their country in order to support their family and save money for marriage. This migration of people is creating new problems for the local extended family unit as they try to live within a traditional family structure in a world that is mixing that structure.

4. Revolutionary sentiments and rapid social change.

This interjection of new ideas and the mix-up of people is creating rapid change. This change is creating a push-pull factor in daily social life here. There are many who look at this change negatively and long to stabilize their culture from falling into what they view to be immoral westernization (read the headlines any given week and one realizes their fears are justified in part). There is another group who are embracing these changes. There are many pundits in the media discussing the ramifications of these changes but we need to remember that many times democracy only leads to Islamic theocracy, and a secular open-minded Arab who is not interested in Jesus is no closer to the kingdom than a fully dedicated Muslim.

I am optimistic about the future of the Middle East for the Gospel. Without giving too much detail, here is why:

Typically, due to social status, most of the people in my building and on my street do not associate with each other. There are serious trust issues regarding protecting the women in their family and protecting their family status from each other. The concept of block-parties and open-houses are truly foreign concepts here. However, as law and order have broken down in my community, the government has ordered the citizens to protect their own streets. The rich and the poor, the Christian and the Muslim, the newly immigrated and the indigenous citizen are all down on the street every night drinking tea and hanging out–not to mention wielding Shawshank-esque weaponry. This kind of social unity across the barriers of class, economics, and religion is unheard of. If you want to pray for my country, pray that these friendships will remain and grow. These people have gone through quite the experience together and are no longer strangers, but friends with those who were only a short time ago outside of their network (read: family). Pray that these new connections will be vital conduits for the gospel.