This is the seventh installment of our (not so) weekly column entitled Ask a Shiite. Our resident Shiite and United Arab Emirates citizen will be fielding questions of a philosophical, physical, and political nature in regards to Shiite Islamic belief and Middle East perception. Interested in asking a question? Send an email to alec.

Question: What is your opinion of Barack Obama and John McCain? And what are the general perceptions of Middle Easterners to both candidates? What relations and future do you imagine between America and the Middle East under either candidate?

Answer: People, including myself, think that McCain seems to be reckless like Bush and a racist and extremist person, while Obama seems more moderate and promises a better future.

This is the sixth installment of our weekly column entitled Ask a Shiite. Our resident Shiite and United Arab Emirates citizen will be fielding questions of a philosophical, physical, and political nature in regards to Shiite Islamic belief and Middle East perception. Interested in asking a question? Send an email to alec.

Question: What are the thoughts in the UAE and in the Muslim world in general about American media and celebrity culture (form example Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, etc.)? How are Western entertainment and culture, specifically movies and music, regarded? Are there laws that restrict access to these forms of media? How do religious leaders view their influence?

Answer: The Muslim world in general has lots of different ideologies and different people. There are those who think that this entertainment culture is bringing corruption and immodesty in their people. There are also those who think that it is perfectly normal.

This is the fifth installment of our weekly column entitled Ask a Shiite. Our resident Shiite and United Arab Emirates citizen will be fielding questions of a philosophical, physical, and political nature in regards to Shiite Islamic belief and Middle East perception. Interested in asking a question? Send an email to alec.

Question: How is homosexuality regarded in the Koran and how is treated in current Muslim society? What countries have the toughest and most stringent views towards homosexuality and which countries are more passive and liberal towards the practice? Is there interference by the government into private sexual practices in the UAE and other Arab countries? And finally, what are the range of views of preachers
and imams on this subject?

This is the fourth installment of our weekly column entitled Ask a Shiite. Our resident Shiite and United Arab Emirates citizen will be fielding questions of a philosophical, physical, and political nature in regards to Shiite Islamic belief and Middle East perception. Interested in asking a question? Send an email to alec.

Question: What are the feelings in the UAE and the Middle East in general towards the current situation in Iraq? Do people regard it as a civil war, and what do they think will happen to Iraq after the United States leaves? What are the thoughts on the US presence in the Middle East? And finally, what are the thoughts on foreign militants also fighting in Iraq (ie. Iranian involvement in Iraq, Al-Qaeda, other Mujahdeen forces)?

Answer: The situation in Iraq is as we all know very bad indeed. The media doesn’t show most of the events but it is commonly known to be atrocious, and I won’t say that the US is in control or has ‘won’ the war. Only that it is physically present and getting beaten up all the time. The general opinion in the Middle East (UAE included) is that the suffering of the Iraqis is not acceptable. USA pursued this war for its long run regional interests, with the only good part being that Saddam Hussein is gone and there is democracy now.

This is the third installment of our weekly column entitled Ask a Shiite. Our resident Shiite and United Arab Emirates citizen will be fielding questions of a philosophical, physical, and political nature in regards to Shiite Islamic belief and Middle East perception. Interested in asking a question? Send an email to alec.

Question: Can you talk about sex and society in the United Arab Emirates and in Islamic culture in general? What is temporary marriage and how does it function in Islamic law and faith? Is there premarital sex and can you talk about the relationship between sex and religion for Muslims?

Answer: Temporary Marriage is a practice allowed for Muslims when they need to engage with someone from the opposite sex for multiple reasons but for a fixed amount of time and a less ‘connected’ relation.

This is the second installment of our weekly column entitled Ask a Shiite. Our resident Shiite will be fielding questions of a philosophical, physical, and political nature in regards to Shiite Islamic belief and Middle East perception. Interested in asking a question? Send an email to alec.

Question: What are the philosophical and moral differences of Sunni and Shiites? In your experience, how do the two groups regard and perceive each other? Is there really as much hostility between the two groups as we are led to believe in the American media?

Answer: The Shias and Sunnis are the two major sects in the religion of Islam. At the time of the Prophet’s (AS) death, there was a conflict upon who would succeed the Prophet. This conflict was not a typical one which comes to a person’s mind.