I don’t get it. Call me culturally ignorant.
Why do I always see photographs of Arabs celebrating or protesting or mourning, always with guns present or being shot into the air?
Anti Saddam Iraqis celebrating his death. (NYTimes)
Pro Saddam Iraqis protesting his death. (NYTimes)If it’s a cultural thing, I don’t get it, and I’d love for someone to explain. I understand the criticisms available, that isn’t what I’d like to hear. I want to know why.
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A note on the answer; I blog for http://www.mideastyouth.org and I posted this there and got this answer from Esra’a:
“It’s a sign of victory and strength. It’s a culture thing too. Ever seen the traditional Saudi dance? It’s with swords. One of the symbols of Oman is a dagger, and it’s the same in Bahrain too. It’s mostly due to how our leaders promote these things. Saddam hardly appeared in public without a gun in hand, and daggers became a part of a King or Sheikh’s clothing.”
Whadya got: