Ugh. Double Ugh. More depressing news on media censorship and such. (I never knew I had such a knack for finding stories on this)
(sidenote: Do we consider Pakistan as part of the Middle East…or Asia? I mean, I’m part Pakistini, I should probably know this. Plus I studied the Middle East…but I never considered it part of the Middle East. I considered it part of Asia…am I wrong?)
Delurking to answer your sidenote: the Middle East and Pakistan are both considered part of Asia. The Middle East is southwest Asia and Pakistan is part of south Asia, along with India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and I think I’m forgetting one, but you get the idea. Oh, Sri Lanka.
Back to lurking. Really enjoying your posts.
Definitely South Asia and not the Middle East
It should be Asia, as is Afghanistan. Iran is probably the easternmost country of the “MIddle East.”
Of course, here in the US, we love to conflate “Muslim” and “Middle East” and “Arab,” so there are probably some people who are convinced that Indonesia is somewhere in the Middle East because, hey, it’s majority Muslim, so it must be a Middle Eastern country, right?
Colloquially, a lot of people will include it when they talk about the Middle East. Properly speaking, it’s part of Asia–full-on East, no Middle necessary–and the term “Middle East” really isn’t considered appropriate.
“Middle East” is a relative term, technically speaking, the countries that make up what’s understood as the “Middle East” in the West are part of Asia. I’ve seen that region referred to by geographers as southwest Asia.
Pakistan tends to get affliated with Middle East issues for precisely the reason Mnemosyne says, but preying mantis is right: Pakistan is in Asia with no “Middle East” modifier necessary.
I was on a search committee in my department for a new professor of South Asian history; in the course of learning about the job candidates, it appeared that “South Asia” included what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and sometimes Afghanistan.
South Asian, but it has added importance as the home of the Islamic bomb.
I consider Pakistan part of “South Asia,” which is a subset of Asia.
When mentioned in the news, the association is (generally) with the Middle East. Which really doesn’t make any sense unless the subject is Islam, and even then it’s specious – like saying Poland is part of the Mediterranean because it’s significantly Roman Catholic.
Pakistanis are not Middle Eastern at all. they are SOUTH ASIAN and have much more in common with Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists than they do with Arabs or Middle Easterns (when it comes to culture and identity).
South Asians=Asian
Pakistanis=South Asians
I am so sick of ignorant people slumping South Asians in with Middle Easterns. Being an Indian female, I have nothing in common with Egyptians or Lebanese people, I don’t speak Arabic, and I don’t know any shit about Arab/Middle Eastern culture.
Yep, a Pakistani fellow student was a self-proclaimed “Asian Supremacist”. He liked to argue with other Asians over his view that he, as a Pakistani, was “more Asian” than anyone of another nationality. He was only kind of kidding.
Well. It seems I assumed correctly then. My mother is half Persian, half Pakistani, though she seems to identify much more with Pakistan. And I have learned, growing up with Pakistani family that Pakistan is SURE AS HELL not India and they aren’t Arab as well. I understand the Middle East is a pretty vague term at this point. Many define the Middle East as one thing, while others define it as something else. Some countries are added, others are left out. Some people only include ARAB states in the Middle East (so, Iran would not be considered “Middle East”). Thanks for all the feedback. I figured it was Asia.
i would like to say that the military considers it asia. south asia specifically. everything i have learned about geography while in it says so, no matter what the media says. the media is really a bunch of idiots. you are right, fauzia.
I understand your confusion. I’m half Turkish and I have no idea if Turkey is considered the Middle East, Asia, or Europe. I joke with my friends that my ethnicity changes every time I see a different map that states where Turkey is on political maps.