Cultural security definitionThreats to cultural securityCultural security and GlobalizationCultural adaptationCultural security issues in the Middle East

People in the Middle Eastern countries are worried that the

process of Globalization is gradually robbing them of their culture, language and tradition.

The youth are the most vulnerable to this kind of

culture-assault. They associate themselves with anything American, be it fast food,

clothes, music, books, movies, software, TV etc. They like this

products and want them because of what they are perceived to symbolize;

FREEDOM CREATIVITY

MODERNITY

FREE ENTERPRISE

Armed conflicts

Terrorism Climate change

Natural disasters

Development(urban

pressure)

Tourism (garbage,

deterioration of values)

localizers

globalizers

Bahrain

Morocco

Egypt

Talk-Diva Oprah Winfrey Show is just as popular in Kuwait as it is in the suburbs of California.

Dramas like “Desperate Housewives" and Grey’s Anatomy” have Gulf dwellers glued to their television screens, just like their American counterparts, on sofas in the UAE, Oman and Bahrain. 

And even syndicated shows like “Friends” and “Seinfeld” still resonate with the Gulf audience.

This Jim Carrey "Yes Man" movie poster on display outside a movie house in Aleppo represents a

contrary trend: Air-brushing in more risqué images than the original

as a bait to draw in male audiences.

The MBC Group has evolved over the years to include 5 separate channels including MBC3 which airs American cartoons dubbed in Arabic, MBC4 which airs American sitcoms and dramas, as well as the newest channel named MBCMax which airs the latest Hollywood blockbusters to grace the silver screen.

The second biggest media giant in the Middle East is known as OneTV, which is owned and operated by the UAE. It combines the best of both worlds, to include western sitcoms and movies in its monthly repertoire.

The Middle East has one of the fastest growing communities of online gamers in the world, and demographics mean this is likely to remain true for many years.

About 60 per cent of the 350 million people in the Arab world are younger than 25, with internet penetration in the region at about 70 million users — over 300 per cent growth in the last five years, according to numbers from UAE-based entrepreneurship research portal Sindibad Business. Internet penetration is expected to reach 150 million users by 2015.

Saudis make inroads in Arab gaming industry

Fares is an important figure in the Arab world's burgeoning online industry because he is a character in Unearthed, the first major Arabic-language video game developed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox by an Arab company: Saudi e-publisher Semanoor.

In a region where governments have

long tried to curb Western

influences, the women of the Middle

East increasingly use fashion to make

a political statement—blending

Western concepts with distinctively

Islamic elements.

By fusing both their sense of fashion

with their faith, this growing group,

some of whom have dubbed

themselves hipster hijabs, is

reinterpreting traditional notions of

what it means to dress

conservatively. They’re spawning a

new market for fashion brands and

finding unexpected supporters

among some mainstream brands.

 SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, has introduced a new initiative which celebrates the elegance and glamour of modern Arabian women. “Jawaher” highlights the fashion the Middle East with pieces that have been created by world-renowned designers using crystal as a creative material to show a light fuelled allure. The designers, include Allessanra Rich, Sohad Acouri, Zaid Anton and more, who have all created items to reflect the glamorous lifestyle and trendsetting Middle Eastern tradition.

“Fulla” is the Arab “Barbie,” a dark-haired, dark eyed doll, found in a myriad of products ranging from coloring books to backpacks to scooters to shampoo.

Popular culture items ranging from toys to movies are re-imagined for Muslim audiences such as these examples found recently in Syria.

It is a public art project in Egypt aimed at empowering women through the use of street art, by encouraging the portrayal of strong Egyptian female figures in street art

and empowering female street artists themselves to participate in the political space of graffiti. Building on the

popularity of street art as a form of political expression during the January 25 revolution, the aim of this project is to increase awareness of women's issues by introducing

women into public space

Why is research so important.?

Recent destruction of cultural heritage, including looting and

trafficking in antiquities, across nations of Arab spring, Syria,

Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan emphasizes the need for

research. What strategic and tactial value do terrorist groups

and militants derive from targeting libraries, museums,

mosques, shrines, and archaeological sites? Calls to classify

targeting of cultural property as a war crime, and the

suggestion by UNESCO to qualify the terrorism and political

violence as "cultural cleansing" and "cultural genocide",

compel analysis of the significance of cultural heritage in

internatational affairs and the relevance of Cultural Security

to foreign policy and global security.

The threats to cultural heritage in Syria certainly amplify the grounds

to consider the role, as opposed to purely the liability, of cultural

property in political and armed conflict. The progression from the

Bamiyan Buddhas (2001), to Iraq (2003), to the Arab Spring (2010), to

Mali (2012), to the ongoing destruction and looting in Syria indicates

that consideration of cultural heritage has a practical place in

security strategies…

UNESCO has trained experts to prevent the destruction and looting of Syria's

cultural heritage. On August 29, 2011 UNESCO chief Irina Bokova and UN

representative Lakhdar Brahimi introduced protective measures. The experts

are attempting to keep track of Syria's stolen cultural heritage, alerting

customs officials and art dealers to prevent illegal international trade. UNESCO

Director-General Irina Bokova has repeatedly called on both sides of the Syrian

conflict to do all they can to prevent the destruction of the country’s cultural

heritage amid the violence.

Drawing attention to the risks the ongoing conflict poses to Syria’s cultural

heritage, a United Nations committee has placed six world heritage sites in

the country on its endangered list, including the historic centre of Aleppo.

Aleppo has a long history: as a cultural hub on the Mediterranean Sea, it is

mentioned in documents dating back to the 19th century B.C.

The Ancient City of Damascus

Site of Palmyra

Ancient City of Basra

Ancient City of Aleppo

Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din

Ancient Villages of northern Syria 

The destruction of cultural heritage has been conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) since 2014 in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. The premeditated destruction targets various places of worship, particularly those in Mosul, and ancient historical artifacts. In Iraq, between the fall of Mosul in June 2014 and February 2015, ISIL has plundered and destroyed at least 28 historical religious buildings. The Islamic State has also reportedly destroyed the Mosul public library, which housed more than 8,000 rare books and manuscripts

Destruction of the mosques by the ISIL is among the series of their crimes that attempt to harm the cultural texture of the Iraqi communities. Secretary of State John Kerry called for united action to safeguard cultural heritage under threat by extremists groups. He noted that culture is “the foundation of life” for many and charged ISIL with not only “stealing lives” but “stealing the soul of millions.” He stressed that these acts of “cultural barbarism” aren’t “just a tragedy for the Syrians and the Iraqi people” but “a tragedy for all civilized people.”  

The Mosque of the Prophet Jirjis before and after being destroyed by ISIL (Iraqi Cultural Center, AP Images)

How can middle eastern countries save their cultural security?

Preserving cultural traditions and representations of

culture, such as artworks and monuments, or

 enabling integration of cultures to foster cooperation

between nations. So, one protects existing culture, while

the other uses culture as a medium for foreign relations

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