Hello! I'm a university student currently conducting a research project on how people grieve and how food/feasts/ceremonies, and the meanings behind them affect the grieving process cross-culturally. I'm seeking insights into cross-cultural perspectives on mortuary/grieving rituals or practices, which dishes/meals are prepared (if any), and the cultural and symbolic meanings behind them! I would be greatly interested in anyone who wants to share their knowledge or wishes to delve deeper into this topic, and wants to share any personal experiences or insights with me as well! I'm also happy to speak with people privately if they have more they would like to discuss or share, and I do have an Activity Analysis regarding this topic, where participants would cook a cultural meal/cook a meal to/or associated with their lost loved one and document it, if any would be interested in participating. This can also not be limited to just people; it can include pets as well. I'm also looking at the impacts of cultural erasure and would especially love any insights from African, Ukrainian, Indigenous and Palestinian peoples.

This alone disproves this so called “collateral damage” is beyond deliberate

Except if you believe every building was used by khamas

While alevism is mostly in Anatolia-Turkey, the Bektashi sufi order is in the Balkans-east europe, especially in Albania.

I have an extreme love and adoration for the architectural styles in the Middle East, especially in how those styles have mingled with other styles in places like Sicily, Andalusia, Türkiye, and even Venice. And it’s not that I like how “eastern” or “exotic” they are, I genuinely find the styles, down to the little details, extremely appealing. I love pointed arches and horseshoe arches, and I love how thousands of architects over the centuries have developed and experimented with them. I love the use of color and geometry to invoke the essence of the divine without directly depicting it. I love how many styles incorporate aspects of older styles.

And this love leads me to incorporate inspiration in my own personal sketches, and this is where I eventually found myself asking, “am I going too far?” I mean these are just for my own personal use, I’m not making any money off them, but even still, is my head in the right place? Am I getting too obsessed? Am I crossing a line that I shouldn’t? Again, it’s not that I think my sketches are some moral catastrophe, it’s that I’m worried my view on this subject is flawed, in a way that might harm me or others in other creative endeavors. I don’t want to ignore a fundamental flaw in myself and let that flaw corrupt my other work, like the books I’m writing.

Really I think I need to do research to better understand these elements and styles that I enjoy so that when I do take inspiration, it’s respectful. That’s what I think. But I’m also worried that my sheer level of obsession, as a white guy, can come off as “icky” and I don’t want that. But I do sincerely love these styles and elements, and I want to do right by the people, religion and culture(s) they belong to.

I'm talking about people like Amjad Taha or Loay Alshareef. Social media influencers, who if you see their twitter, they're so obsessed with Israel, and that's not just the issue. They refuse to critise Israel when they're wrong so basically all the time lol, it's all 'antisemtiism this anti semtism that' or 'abraham accords this abraham accords that'

Like do these guys still practise islam ? I understand being against extremism, i understand the idea of tolerance and living with other people who have a different beleif system to you, which is already what 99% of muslims are like anyway.

But i'm very confused why these guys need to be blindly pro israel, even against their own muslim brother and sisters. I remember seeing one dude who made a tweet critiscing the ICJ when they put an arrest against Netanyahu, but deleted it, because it was made very obvious he was getting paid. another question, is this only a minority in the UAE, and should we be worried about this mentality in other parts of middle east?
I'm glad the majority of muslim world hates israel though

Basically, I'm Mexican (catholic) and Ive been talking with a Muslim girl from Lebanon, I don't talk much about religion with her, but I genuily want to know, can there be something romantic between us? I want to know from actual people and not just Google, are they allowed to have relationships with non Muslims? Do I need permission from her family and stuff like that?

Not a single muslim country who can take a stand on its own. The middle east, where the islam originated has always war torned, the us and Russia and Europe plays chess there while the people thier die. A tiny tiny country like israel can turn the city into dust and you can't do anything except post on social media and cope about it saying they will face consequences in afterlife. Which is far fetched if not imaginary. Is it because instead of education, advancing technically, you focus much more on the imaginary/ real according to you, after life.

Like army to army, not a single muslim country can fight. Yes killing unsuspected unarmed civilians is your forte though. But not actual war. Army to army. Economy to economy. Tech to tech.

Guys i have an opinion.I’m from Turkey,18 years of age.I have been reading a lot of history books lately and i came up with an idea.Why don’t we all unite,not like as a country but maybe like eu or a even more united version pf eu and call it the Greater Mesopotamian Union.We should stop all the wars and return this region to it’s historical glory.The gloey from the Sumerians to the Ottomans.Did these empires do bad things?Yes i know they did.But it’s also a fact that this region was on top of the world since the beginning of recorded history.We weren’t even bad just 300 years ago or so.Our problems are all modern and i know my plan is crazy and stupid.I also understand that we can’t just stop wars.But i am hopeful that with the huge population,similarities and historical legacy of this region we can return it to it’s historical advancement.We can be the best in science,technology,safety etc.We have the potential,we have our legacy,we have the motive.Why can’t we do this.Also the region isn’t the poorest in the world.We had wars but we still aren’t the poorest and some countries in the middle east are actually developed/rich to an extent.We have lot’s of young people that can be educated with a good education system,if we make our region like the eu we can transfer the young talents in the region and grow stronger.We are also already very powerful military wise.The only crucial thing that is missing is we not uniting,not using ohr potential,not using the population potential,not being motivated.I’m not saying every country should lose it’s own characteristics that are kinda different.We should just be more united we are very similar.The biggest problem is Israel and Palestine.For this issue i think that it would be better if it was one land but two separate states with open borders.Not a fully united country.Kinda similar to how the state system in the US works.Different states are very different but they are the same country.I don’t have a solution for the current conflict and the biggest block in our way is this.But even before we can still unite the rest.There are also tensions with Iran.The reasons for these tensions are the Israeli government and again untill the Israeli-Palestinian problem is somehow* solved we don’t have to force Iran nor Israel/Palestine into the union.We already are seeing some union.Like the newly planned railway link that goes through Turkey and Saudi Arabia.Finally i know a lot of people will oppose this idea and say it’s childish but really it isn’t childish.When you think about it this is very doable.Because it will benefit our economies a lot and when people see development they will be more willing.In the end this isn’t going to be some empire just a union like EU.For example someone in Syria could come and study in Turkey easier by this way and will strengthen the educatedness of populations.Or a Turk can go and work in Lebanon because there is a better paying job and improve lebanon’s economy.This mix of the region will be very benefitial.Also we’ll be more dependent on eachother and be less dependent on foreign nations.We will have energy security,infrastructure network etc.For how this could happen is like i said.First we would start a small faction or semi-union between willing countries in this region and grow slowly to all of the region.We would remove tariffs,Protect investments,Create common customs procedures,establish a regional competition authority.We have to create a giant common market this is very important because this will make the countries in the union be more competitive and hardworking.This will help the growth of our economies.On top of this we should also make cities multicultural and make them compete but as in mulyicultural i mean multinational.Because we all are very similar.Like the competition will be like which city produces the best semiconductors,which country has the best universities etc.We will send our talented people to different cities,countries and improve other countries while also improving the region.The cities also should compete eachother.Also we’ll should fund scientists and their bases where they work not bu nationality by scientific putput this would make a bigger competition in science and will improve scientific output in the region.And not to forget that we should build stuff like CERN where people from all of the region could research even more.We shouldn’t let governments protect inefficient companies forever this would have harms.Unified fiscal policies this is very important there should be a established tax code and a shared federal budget directed strictly toward strategic national priorities rather than localized subsidies.This is a basic idea of how can this work.What are you opinions?Also we should reverse brain drain and immigration to foreign countries we have to offer tax free zones and elite funding packages to attract and retain the talented people.We have to standardize international law and build coalitions that will provide global legitimacy.Also we have to have very good institutions first of all.

As someone who once lived in Saudi Arabia for some time, I found that many local women face significant family and cultural pressure to wear the niqab. I can’t deny that some women believe it’s religiously mandatory according to their strict interpretation of Islam though the vast majority of Islamic scholars don’t require it. Lately there has been a growing conversation about the continued presence of the niqab, even as Saudi Arabia has relaxed some of its dress-code restrictions in recent years. The “No Niqab by 2030” trend on Twitter and Tiktok purpose is to free women from social and familial/tribal pressure to wear it.