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Location: Near Tours, France about 47°10'N 0°25'E
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davy-040
I think you mean "Near Eastern".
Near east (or levant) and middle east are very different. By history, geography, climate, foods, etc. The near east is often much closer to mediterranean Europe, southeastern Europe in particular, than with middle eastern countries like Saoudi Arabia, Emirates, Quatar or Yemen...
The Greeks consider themselve as the founders of Europe, it's the first time I hear that someone calls them "Middle Eastern", it is true that they were under Muslim rule but so was Spain for a part of time.
Greece is Orthodox and I think they have ties to other Orthodox countries like Russia and Serbia.
And also Bulgaria, a part of Hungary and Romania, as Georgia and Crimea were onced ruled by muslim emperors and I don't see no one calling them Middle Easterns.
Of course Greeks are totally European, European Mediterranean just like Portugal, Spain, Italy and the southern part of France. It is true that their cuisine is more related to Turkey than to Italy, for example.
All those countries on the map(to the East/South), all the way to Iran were under Greek rule along time before any Muslim/Ottoman rule. Are they European because they share some cultural traits(i.e. cuisine) with the Greeks?
There are some minor influence because they were ruled by Turks many years, but they are profoundly European. Turkey had a tremendous Greek influence, but they were expelled by Atartuk.
There are some minor influence because they were ruled by Turks many years, but they are profoundly European. Turkey had a tremendous Greek influence, but they were expelled by Atartuk.
True, historically the influence has been minor. Actually, Greeks influenced Turks more (given present day Turks are 75% Anatolian people, i.e. indigenous, they endured about a thousand plus years of Greek/Roman/Byzantine influence). Most ethnic groups in Turkey were citizens of that empire.
Near Eastern influence, particularly in food and music had a big impact on Greece in the late middle ages through latter centuries, the period of Ottoman Greece.
If you go to 'Greek Fests', events which revolve primarily around food and music, you are going to get a warped impression of Greek culture since you are being exposed to a selective sample of its totality.
Considering Greece's language and religion, Greece is certainly not more Middle Eastern than European.
Norwegians enjoy potatoes and Rock music. This does not make them a Peruvian-Gambian hybrid culture.
What do people think about promoting 'Pakistanis are Middle Eastern' in light of this?
I've been arguing quite strongly that Pakistanis need to be reclassified as Middle Eastern for the sake of the rest of the South Asian community. In countries like Canada and the UK, Muslims have far higher birth rates than Hindus, meaning that in the youth, Pakistanis dominate racial organizations that they're to fit to represent; it's incredibly racist against the various Indian ethnic groups.
Something needs to be done. I consider Pakistanis to be something similar to Turkey vis-a-vis India/Europe.
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