Prologue
3. Three identities in
the Middle East
There are three identities prevailing in
the Middle East. They are "blood(ethnicity)" identity, "religious"
identity and "ideology” identity. Three identities are defined as follows;
Firstly, "blood" identity is a
biological identity, contemporary, called as DNA. This is given naturally when
we were born as a human being. The blood identity is same as race. The largest race
group in the Middle East is "Arab", but in the Middle East some other
ethnic groups coexist. They are the Turks or Persians. (Although there is
"Jewish", but Jewish is not race in biological meaning).
Blood identity means blood relationship. Blood
relationship starts from birth. The first and closest blood relationship is shown
between parents and children, and between brothers and sisters. It is called
"family". When expanding relationships to uncle, aunt and cousin, it is
called "relatives". “Clan” is wider concept than “relatives”. "Tribe"
overwhelms "clans". "Ethnicity" is the largest concept of
“blood”.
