Different Cultures, One Body

Intercultural Communication

I’d like to speak about three cultures that affected my character and personality, I want to start with my Muslim Identity first because it has the biggest impact on my development and identity, the Islamic religion dictates laws, principles and action its adherents abide by, which in turn regulates one's actions and interactions with others. This has reflected on me in the way I treat myself and others, for example friends and co-workers have frequently told that I'm a overly smiling person, I interpret this trait a habit that is encouraged by the prophet Mohammed, in his Sunnah we are told to smile frequently and  has even told us that smiling is a form of charity. From the previous example, it's clear that as a Muslim my primary role model is the final prophet of Islam Muhammad and I try to copy his acts and follow his regulations as a sign of compliance to God. A value that I hold dearly that I’ve inherited is kindness to animals, we are told to feed and water animals, this is shown by how the prophet would share stories of how a sinful women entered paradise by watering a dog and another worshipping women entered hell by not feeding her cat. Another aspect would be being kind always to our mother, prophet Mohammad emphasized on this a lot, it is told that “paradise lies under mothers feet” and that worshipping God is by being good to our mothers, also the Prophet has told us that our mothers must always be obeyed so another companion of his asked him about fathers so the prophet said, “Obey your mother, then your mothers, then your mother and then your fathers” so obeying one's mother is a very important value I hold dearly thanks to the instructions of my Prophet. In conclusion my Islamic identity is the primary way I identify with myself, family and other.

Another Cultural aspect of my Identity would be my Bedouin Arab ethnicity, my family comes from a long ancestry of Bedouin wanderers and they have passed down to me also what I consider some of the most defining characteristics of my personality. Bedouins hold are very hardcore when it comes to values and principles, we are known for our Hospitality, Generosity and Genuine. People that I usually interact with the first time usually notice this the most, Im frequently named as “Kind”, and when confronted with this I usually say that I really can't help it, as I was growing up when people used to visit, my family would take the utmost care of guests and making them feel home. This has definitely defined the way I interact with strangers, this trait had been passed down by stories I was told growing up, one which discusses a person that had killed a man and asked protection by a bedouin arab so the man stayed for a 3 days and on the third day coincidentally he is found to have killed the hosts father so because he asked for protection and the bedouin gave him his word he was left unharmed. In conclusion my Arab identity mandates norms of communication with people as a secondary and more general outlook.

Another cultural aspect that's probably the most obvious would be the “Biker”,  as I was growing up I always wanted a motorcycle and surly as soon as I turned legal I went and bought a motorcycle and ever since people regard me as a biker, a biker is basically a motorcyclist in a club and rides with other members, and wears colors, patches and attend meetings. Arabs are by nature very social and I had to fulfill this need by finding a group that fits me, I got lucky and I got it right the first time didn't need to “browse” clubs. The club I'm in is loosely held group meaning, we all consider each other brothers but at the same time its not a strong bond compared to my Islamic and Arab bond, my club isn't an outlaw group but isnt an inlaw group at the same time, it doesn't involve unlawful activities all the time (just enough to keep things interesting), this aspect of my identity has given me a label in society, my loud motorcycle and chrome for some reason keep nice people away, which is what i don't understand, its especially painful to see people hold their kids hands when they see me in gear, besides that being a biker is very fun, its makes every moment more enjoyable and keeps life worth living. The biker identity enforces some norms that has changed my perspectives on cars, and trips in them, I remember after three years riding only my motorcycle I became some what what discriminative against cars, which are called ”cages” in biker terminology, it made me also a bit more aggressive when it come to drivers that are careless and aren't aware of my presence which in turn puts my life at risk. I believe my loud motorcycle has led to more police interaction than what I was used to previously, which in turn made me more experienced when handling police and the general public, being out there all the time. In conclusion the biker identity has helped me form and develop  bonds with people that enjoy the same hobby that I do and also led to the improvement of my understanding of the general public. (its really different seeing the world on two wheels).