Omorrisey - There is hatred everywhere. And always has been. Look at what the Catholics and the Protestants did to each other in Europe several hundred years ago.
I started the thread because I recently travelled in Iran, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Until I went there I had little idea of how divided Islam really is.
The Shiites and the Sunnis are open in their hatred of each other. There are regular massacres on both sides. Some posters on HC blame everything on the West but it is important to understand that these deep divisions go back over 1500 years.
The other aspect of life in this region is ingrained tribalism. And also the clash of Indo Aryans versus Arabs, Arabs versus Kurds, Turks versus Kurds, Turks versus Armenians, Moslems versus Israelis and so on. As well, people in Eastern Europe and Greece have never forgotten the four hundred year rule of the Ottomans.
Another situation arises regarding religions other than Islam. Apparently there used to be a sizeable Christian community in Baghdad but no more. And the Copts who comprise 10% of the Egyptian population are now very fearful.
As for women's place in the East, it varies from fairly free in secular Turkey to repressed in places like theocratic Saudi Arabia. As in Iran, its Sharia law does not treat women as equal to men. Regarding Egypt, I know a number of western women who were glad to leave because they found many males' leering attitudes most unpleasant.
