Longing for Granada in Medieval Arabic and Hebrew Poetry

While a great many studies have dealt with medieval poetry, they have failed to discuss the poetry of longing (?anīn) as a separate genre, independent of other genres, especially elegies (in particular poems that lament the fate of cities) and poems of salvation and lament. Nor has any study so far undertaken a comparison between works of this genre by Muslim and by Jewish poets.

In this article, we shall discuss the growth of the poetry of longing in Muslim Spain and provide a number of examples of verses composed by Muslim and Jewish poets who were born in the cities of Andalusia and shared a common fate: many of them were persecuted for a variety of reasons and forced into a life of wandering and exile, and suffered banishment, imprisonment and torture. The ways they expressed their longing for their native cities possessed similarities but also differences, depending on the way each such poet perceived the land of the west and the scenes of his native city. The differences were particularly marked with respect to the way Jewish poets viewed the cities in which they had been born.     

Criminal activity among Jewish and Arab youth in Israel

This study examines data deriving from the self-reported criminal activities of Israeli Jewish and Arab street corner youth and junior and senior high-school students in Israel. Differences were found between the groups as regards type and levels of criminal activity. The findings indicate that (a) street corner youth committed more crimes than did students; (b) Arab juveniles committed more crimes than did Jewish juveniles; and (c) Arab street corner youth committed more crimes than did members of the other groups. The data are analyzed to determine if the differences revealed between the two ethnic groups reflect (a) possible discrimination against Arab juveniles by the criminal justice system in Israel, and (b) the influence of Arab-Jewish tensions in the region. Special attention is given to the types of juvenile crime typically committed during the current disorders in the occupied territories.     

Inter-religious feelings of Sunni and Alevi Muslim minorities: The role of religious commitment and host national identification

This paper examines inter-religious attitudes from the perspective of Muslim minorities living in Western Europe. We examine both Sunni and Alevi Muslims of Turkish origin living in Germany and the Netherlands, and focus on their global feelings towards multiple religious out-groups (Christians, Jews, Muslim out-group, and non-believers). We hypothesize that Sunnis would dislike religious out-groups more than Alevis, and that these group differences in religious out-group feelings can be explained by group differences in host national identification and the three B’s of religious commitment: belonging (religious identification), behaviour (religious practices), and belief (liberal values). Sunnis were found to be rather negative towards Alevis, and Alevis were even more negative towards Sunnis. Furthermore, as expected, Alevis had more positive feelings towards Christians, Jews and non-believers, and this was related to their stronger host national identification, lower religious group identification, lower involvement in religious practices, and stronger endorsement of liberal values. We conclude by pointing at the need to distinguish between subgroups of Muslims instead of treating them as a uniform collective.     

Let the Germans Win? Israeli Attitudes towards Die Mannschaft during The 2014 World Cup Tournament

To contribute to analyses of the sport-politics nexus, the study examines Jewish-Israeli attitudes toward the German soccer team and Germany. The analysis reveals that more Israelis root against the German soccer team than support it, despite the team’s impressive achievements. The analysis of attitudes toward Germany surprisingly reveals that the 18–20 age group expressed the strongest animosity towards Germany, which may indicate that Israeli government attempts to instill the Holocaust memory in the young generations perpetuates animosity between young Israelis and Germany. The study strengthens the notion that international sport games represent and extend rather than reduce international tensions.     

Modes of victim blaming in a case of stabbing: Victim and offender ethnicity and observer ethnicity and religious affiliation

This study examined the effects of ethnicity on victim-blaming in a case of stabbing by addressing victim and offender ethnicity as well as observer ethnicity and religion. Jewish (n = 285), Muslim Arab (n = 249), and Christian Arab (n = 51) students from Israeli universities and colleges read a single stabbing scenario, in which we manipulated victim (Arab/Jewish) and offender ethnicity (African/Arab/Jewish). The results showed that participants blamed a Jewish victim more than an Arab victim. Also, our findings indicated that Christian Arabs expressed significantly higher victim-blaming than Jews. However, victim-blaming among Christian Arabs did not significantly differ from victim-blaming among Muslim Arabs, and victim-blaming among Muslim Arabs did not significantly differ from victim-blaming among Jews. Furthermore, the interactions between observer and victim ethnicity and between observer and offender ethnicity were significant. The discussion addresses the findings in the context of prejudice against members of African and Arab communities, the black sheep effect, and defensive attribution. In addition, the discussion suggests that observer ethnic and religious background may be related to blame-attribution mode: fixed (not affected by victim and offender ethnicity) or modular (affected by victim and offender ethnicity). From the practical standpoint, our findings suggest a need for further education on prejudice against minorities and promoting ethnic diversity among practitioners assisting and treating victims.     

We or they? A summit,accents and South Korean stereotypes toward North Koreans

The effects of verbal accents on intergroup attitudes are well documented. This study aims to enrich our understanding by exploring how those effects vary according to the speaker's gender and the political context. We conducted two online survey experiments in which South Korean citizens were randomly exposed to speakers exhibiting one of four accent conditions – South Korean male and female accents and North Korean male and female accents – a week before and two days after the 2018 Singapore summit between North Korea and the United States, in order to test hypotheses based on literatures from political science, social psychology and evolutionary biology. The results indicate that only exposure to a North Korean male accent, not a North Korean female accent, strengthened stereotypes about North Koreans among South Koreans prior to the summit. Further, this negative effect disappeared immediately after the summit.     

Exploring religiosity and attitudes towards Christians and non-believers among recent Muslim refugees to Finland

This study is among the first to investigate the religiosity patterns, identity motives and attitudes towards Christians and non-believers among recent Muslim refugees in Finland (N = 128). There are two novelties in this study. First, it applies the religious orientation framework to study religious identities among Muslim refugees in Europe. Second, it combines a variable- and person-centred approach to study religiosity in the context of intergroup relations. Using the variable-centred approach with a multiple mediation analysis, we found that refugees’ extrinsic religiosity was associated with more positive attitudes towards Christians. Neither intrinsic religiosity nor participants’ religious identity motives were associated with out-group attitudes. Using the person-centred approach with a Two-Step cluster analysis, we showed that individuals with higher levels of intrinsic as compared to extrinsic religiosity and those with pronounced religious identity motives were more biased towards non-believers than towards Christians. Attitudes towards Christians and non-believers were similarly positive in a group characterised by equal levels of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity. We discuss these findings in light of the role of religiosity in understanding Muslim refugees’ attitudes towards receiving societies.     

Correlates of men's attitudes toward women's roles in Libya

This study examines factors influencing men's attitudes toward women's roles in Libya. Interviews were conducted during the summer of 1979 with 200 males in the city of Tripoli. Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined respondents' attitudes toward women's roles in the division of labor in the home, family decision making, labor force participation, and political participation. Men's age, education, and type of family of orientation (nuclear or extended) were important in both types of analysis. Social status, while unimportant in bivariate relationships, became significant in the multivariate framework. Whether the respondent's mother worked outside the home was important in the bivariate matrix but contributed nothing significant in the multivariate analysis. The results indicate that nontraditional attitudes are being displayed among the young and the educated. Attitudes toward the status of women in Libya appear to be changing from those characterized as traditional to those viewed as more modern or egalitarian. Attitude-behavior inconsistencies are noted and discussed.     

Explaining negative outgroup attitudes between native Dutch and Muslim youth in The Netherlands using the Integrated Threat Theory

Like in many other western countries the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in The Netherlands is characterized by segregation and negative intergroup attitudes. This study focusses on negative outgroup attitudes among adolescents. We tested whether the Integrated Threat Theory can explain prejudice in native as well as Muslim immigrant youth in The Netherlands. Using a sample of 671 native Dutch and 303 Muslim adolescents we found that Dutch natives scored higher on Negative Outgroup Attitudes, Intergroup Anxiety, Negative Stereotypes, and Negative Experiences, and lower on Contact and Multiculturalism than Muslims. Partial support for the Integrated Threat Theory was found in both samples, and explained variance was higher in the native Dutch sample. Implications include suggestions for interventions aimed at improving relationships.     

Collective identity factors and the attitude toward violence in defense of ethnicity or religion among Muslim youth of Turkish and Moroccan Descent

Collective deprivation, connectedness to mainstream society (friendship and psychological closeness to majority individuals) and in-group identity factors (i.e. strength of in-group identity, and perceived in-group superiority) were investigated among Muslim Dutch youth of Turkish and Moroccan descent, in relation to their attitudes toward violence in defense of religion or ethnicity, and the willingness to use such violence. Data come from a sample of students (N = 398, age 14–18 years). Results show that perceptions of in-group superiority were predicted by higher connectedness to the in-group and lower connectedness to Dutch society in both ethnic groups and by collective relative deprivation among Moroccan-Dutch participants only. In both groups, attitudes toward violent in-group defense and violence willingness were predicted by perceptions of in-group superiority. Collective relative deprivation directly predicted more positive attitudes to violent in-group defense among Turkish-Dutch youth, as well as indirectly (via in-group superiority) among Moroccan-Dutch. Connectedness to the in-group directly predicted the willingness to use a violent in-group defense among the Turkish-Dutch participants and again indirectly (via in-group superiority) among Moroccan-Dutch participants. The results underline the relevance of collective identification processes to the attitudes of violent in-group defense among young Muslims of the second generation in a rather tensed socio-political climate. The study outcomes emphasize the importance of examining the dynamics between different Muslim groups, as their unique acculturation patterns yield particular pathways to the attitudes toward violent in-group defense and the willingness hereof.     

The Cultural Attitudes Towards Cooperative Learning: What Proverbs Can Offer

ABSTRACT

Cooperative Learning (CL) is acclaimed for its effectiveness, but is not widely used, partly because the role of culture in its implementation is overlooked. To fill this gap and to introduce an alternative methodology for the study of culture, this interdisciplinary paper examines Iranian proverbs to see how Iranians' culture feels about group work and what psychosocial factors contribute to their attitudes. The findings suggest Iranians’ culture, notwithstanding its potentiality for cooperation, is relatively non-cooperative. This ambivalence was observed to originate culturally from distrust, egoism, antipathy towards reciprocal altruism, and diffusion of responsibility. These findings substantiate the functionality of this alternative methodology.     

Israeli Arabs’ acculturation patterns and attitudes toward honor killings

Many studies on honor killings have been conducted in Arab and Muslim countries, but few have addressed the issue in relation to Arab and Muslim populations living in Western countries, who are influenced by the values of two cultures: their traditional-patriarchal culture of origin and modern-liberal Western culture. The purpose of the present study was to examine the connection between acculturation patterns and attitudes of Israeli Arabs toward honor killings. A structured quantitative questionnaire was administered to a sample of 409 Arab Israeli, 179 men and 230 women, with a mean age of 34.1 (SD = 12.04). The findings show that 44% of study participants adopted a pattern of separation from Israeli society, 37.7% a pattern of integration, 9.5% a pattern of assimilation, and 8.8% a pattern of marginalization. A two-way ANOVA test found an interaction between acculturation patterns and gender in relation to attitudes toward honor killings. The attitudes of women who adopted the assimilation pattern toward honor killings were more negative, whereas men who adopted this pattern showed more positive attitudes toward honor killings. The importance of the study for research and its educational-preventive aspects are described.     

Adolescent outgroup helping,collective action,and political activism in a setting of protracted conflict

This article examines the role of empathy for outgroup helping, collective action and political activism among youth in Northern Ireland, a setting of protracted conflict. Integrating the Empathy-Attitudes-Action model with the Developmental Peacebuilding Model, a two-wave study was conducted to assess youth’s behavioural intentions and actual behaviours toward refugees. Across two waves (N = 383, 52 % male, 48 % female; 14−16 years old), empathy at Time 1 predicted more positive attitudes toward ethnic minorities at Time 2, which in turn was positively related to four outcomes aiming to foster prosocial change for refugees: helping behaviour and realistic helping at the interpersonal level, collective action intentions at the structural level, and signing a petition aiming for cultural change. That is, outgroup attitudes mediated the link from empathy to three types of prosocial action toward refugees. The findings suggest that youth not only volunteer to help an individual outgroup member, but also support broader structural and cultural change that will benefit those they may never meet. Implications for recognising and supporting the constructive agency of youth toward disadvantaged groups in conflict settings are discussed.     

Social axioms and acculturation orientations of English Canadians toward British and Arab Muslim immigrants

The goal of this study was to examine the role of Social Axioms in the endorsement of acculturation orientations held by members of the receiving society toward immigrants. Acculturation orientations of English Canadian undergraduates toward immigrants from Britain and immigrants of Arab Muslim background were measured. Respondents also completed the Social Axioms Survey (SAS) measuring five basic dimensions of social beliefs. A total of 349 undergraduate students (278 female, 71 male) attending a Southern Ontario University in Canada participated in the study. Results showed that participants endorsed the welcoming acculturation orientations, Individualism, Integrationism, and Intergrationism-transformation, more toward culturally close (British) than culturally distant (Arab Muslim) immigrants. Participants also endorsed the unwelcoming acculturation orientations, Assimilationism, Segregationism, and Exclusionism, more toward Arab Muslim than British immigrants. Additionally, social beliefs were related to the acculturation orientations held by English Canadian undergraduates toward immigrants of both British and Arab Muslim origin. More specifically, Religiosity beliefs were associated with the endorsement of Assimilationist, Segregationist and Exclusionist acculturation orientations toward culturally distant and not toward culturally close immigrants.     

Public university students’ preferences for restrictionist or lenient immigration policies

Few attempts have been made to examine the effects of perceived threats that immigrants pose to host society on young people’s preferences for restrictionist or lenient immigration policies. Moreover, the existing literature is scarce on whether such perceived threats mediate the relationship between previously identified demographic antecedents such as gender, race or age and preferences for certain immigration policies. To address these gaps, this study examines direct and mediating effects of perceived economic, cultural and security threats on preferences for lenient or restrictionist immigration policies. Using a sample college students' survey data (N = 604) on their attitudes towards immigration, our findings of logistic regression analysis show that the three dimensions of perceived threat were all positively associated with preference for hardline immigration policies. In addition, regardless of inclusion of perceived threats in the logistic model, being Republican was a consistent positive predictor of the hardline immigration agenda, while female was a consistent negative one. Finally, the results of path analysis of Structural Equation Modeling indicate mediating effects of cultural threat on the relationships between political affiliation (Republican and Independent) and race (Latino) and support for hardline immigration policies.     

Religiosity and attitudes toward muslim immigrants in the context of a terrorist attack

Research on religiosity and attitudes toward immigrants is inconclusive, while it has repeatedly been reported that Islamist terrorist attacks lead to anti-immigrant attitudes. In this context, it remains unclear how these aspects interact, especially, since we can assume that religion plays an important role in light of an attack by an extremist religious group like ISIS: How does an Islamist terrorist attack moderate the relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward immigrants? The present study, therefore, analyses the relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward Muslim immigrants before and after the ‘Charlie Hebdo Attack’. It builds on the Uncertainty-Identity-Theory and the Religious Coping Literature. Analyses of European Social Survey (ESS) data reveal that the relationship varies over time: Religiosity does not predict the attitudes before the attack. Immediately after the attack, more religious individuals are less accepting. Lastly, with temporal distance, greater religiosity makes liberal attitudes more likely.     

Rejection identification or disindentification? The association of discrimination on depressive symptoms via religious and national identity among British Muslims

Muslims comprise a small, yet important and growing percentage of the population in the United Kingdom. In addition to economic and social hardship, British Muslims are disadvantaged by hostile, Islamophobic attitudes and pervasive discriminatory practices. Previous research testing the Rejection-Identification (RIM) and Rejection-Disidentification (RDM) Models has suggested that the impacts of discrimination on the well-being of minorities may be mediated by processes of increased minority identification and decreased majority identification. The current research utilised these explanatory frameworks to investigate the relationships between personal discrimination and perceived Islamophobia, religious and national identities, and depressive symptoms in young British Muslims aged 16–27 years (N = 142). The results provide support for some, but not all, elements of the theoretical models tested. Specifically, perceived Islamophobia was directly associated with stronger Muslim identity, and personal discrimination was associated with weaker British identity. Furthermore, personal discrimination was associated with greater depressive symptoms; neither social identity was associated with more favourable mental health outcomes; and Muslim identity was weakly, but significantly, associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. This research points to the need to assess personal discrimination alongside indicators of group level discrimination, to include multiple social identities, and to be mindful of broader social and contextual factors when investigating RIM and RDM.     

Beyond cultural differences: The sociopolitical impact on supervision between Arab supervisees and Jewish supervisors in Israel

Little attention has been given to the cultural and political aspects of the supervisory relationship between Arab Palestinian supervisees and Jewish Israeli supervisors in medical psychology in Israel. This paper presents a focus group of five interns and certified medical psychologists of Arab Palestinian origin who describe their experiences and relationships with their Jewish supervisors. Constant comparison analysis revealed three main themes: fusion between professional and national identities, gaps that go beyond the cultural differences, and a sense of alienation and isolation in the supervision setting. The findings indicate the inevitable presence of the political conflict in the supervision relationship and correspond with findings for other professions such as social work. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed and practical recommendations for supervisors are offered.     

Cross-cultural differences in attitudes towards disabled persons: A study of Jewish and Arab youth in Israel

Cultural values may be seen as the primary determinants of altitudes towards deviant or exceptional persons. The present study deals with the attitudes of Jewish and Arab youth in Israel towards the disabled as a function of cultural identity, existence of contact with a disabled person, and type of disability (blindness, amputation, facial disfigurement, or confinement to a wheelchair).A sample of 510 Jews and 655 Arabs filled out the Yuker Altitudes Towards Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP). The results indicated that overall, Jews were more positive towards the disabled than Arabs. Furthermore, the existence of previous contact with a disabled person was a positive factor in the formation of the Jews' attitudes, and a negative factor for the Arabs. In their ranking of different types of disability, Jews and Arabs differed significantly.The results are interpreted in the context of modern versus traditional cultures, whereby the Jewish youths' more tolerant Western approach seems to engender a more positive attitude than the Arab youths' conservative values.     

Personal Grooming and Outward Appearance in Early Muslim Societies

Past Muslim Societies have placed much importance on the outward appearance and personal grooming of both men and women based on the assumption that both physical attributes and clothing and adornment are benevolence God showers upon the believers. This is reflected in Medieval Muslim legal texts which provide much information regarding clothing, adornment and grooming. Along with shaping legal norms, those sources also contain discussion and response to a changing reality. This is a demonstration of the desirable and the existing alike and a reflection of a relationship of dependency and influence between reality and the written legal texts. The discussion of these sources shows that past Muslim societies, like many others, used the importance of the outward appearance as a means to determining social relationship in general and hierarchical gender-based relations specifically. For themselves men have decided that fostering their outward appearance and keeping the rules of hygiene are fulfilment of God's wishes, but women are ordered to do so for two different reasons integrating belief in God and a patriarchal world view: becoming attractive to men and fulfilling their sexual destiny as this is the patriarch wish. At the same time it is important to mention that both men and women attend to their outward appearance for additional reasons, such as the wish to show their socio-economic status and power.