• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Election
    • US politics
    • Joe Biden
    • Brexit
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab world
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate change
    • Smart cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
    • Human Rights
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice
  • About
  • FO Store
Sections
  • World
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Sign Up
  • Login
  • Publish

Make Sense of the world

Unique insight from 2,000+ contributors in 80+ Countries

Close

The Daily Devil’s Dictionary: Mike Pence is Not Welcome to “Sit”

By Peter Isackson • Dec 13, 2017
Mike Pence news, Mike Pence latest news, US news, USA news, USA today, American news, Trump news, Donald Trump news, Jerusalem news, Israel news

Mike Pence © Gino Santa Maria

US Vice President Mike Pence takes a pounding in the Middle East.

We learned from various sources that, following President Donald Trump’s decision to transfer the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Vice President Mike Pence is no longer welcome in the Middle East — not just by Muslims but also Christians. Significantly, Pope Tawadros II, leader of Egypt’s Coptic Church, stated that he was unwilling to meet with Pence because of Trump’s decision. The ancient Christian church politely “excused itself from hosting” the planned event.

According to Egyptian media, the grand imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque also said that he would not meet Pence. In a quote The Daily Devil’s Dictionary cherishes for its wit, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb declared, “How can I sit with those who granted what they do not own to those who do not deserve it?”

Here is today’s 3D definition:

Sit:

A verb signifying to show empathy, to engage in dialogue with, to build a rapport

Contextual Note

For some time, the trend in the US has been to assume that what people call the “Judeo-Christian” tradition implies an identity of point of view between Christians and Jews concerning Arabs and Muslims. To some extent that idea sums up Samuel Huntington’s notorious “clash of civilizations.”

Nothing sums up that naive view better than the supposition of the US government that Middle Eastern Christians, like the majority of Evangelicals in the US, would jump on any occasion to stick it to the Muslims.

Historical and Cultural Note

In most Western cultures, people stand and shake hands to confirm a negotiated agreement, which is then understood as a binding contract, often with the purpose of transferring the title to some form of property. In other cultures, including Native Americans and Middle Easterners, concluding an agreement is likely to feel both more real and final when sitting, seen as a sign of sharing rather than of simply transferring ownership or attributing rights. To “sit” with someone embodies an act of constructing a relationship and confirming the ongoing process of deepening the sense of mutual sympathy between the parties.

We can only admire the pithy irony in Tayeb’s remark. Westerners hold the notion of property to be both absolute (ownership is inalienable) and binary (either you own the property in question or someone else owns it). For other cultures, real estate and most objects belong to no one, but can be used by many or easily lent at different moments for different purposes. This is particularly true of nomadic cultures.

Sheikh Tayeb cannot understand how the British, abetted by other Western governments, “granted” (in the form of propriety, entailing political control) the land occupied by a variety of people to one group of people — a group defined by a religion — whose claim to merit was the suffering they had endured at the hands of other Westerners.

*[In the age of Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain, another American wit, the journalist Ambrose Bierce, produced a series of satirical definitions of commonly used terms, throwing light on their hidden meanings in real discourse. Bierce eventually collected and published them as a book, The Devil’s Dictionary, in 1911. We have shamelessly appropriated his title in the interest of continuing his wholesome pedagogical effort to enlighten generations of readers of the news.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

Photo Credit: Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.com

Share Story
CategoriesAmerican News, Arab News, Blog, Donald Trump News, Middle East & North Africa, Middle East News, North America, Politics, US politics news, World Leaders News, World News TagsIsraeli news, Latest news, latest world news, Mike Pence news, news headlines, news today, Palestine news, Palestinian news, today’s news, world news
Join our network of more than 2,000 contributors to publish your perspective, share your story and shape the global conversation. Become a Fair Observer and help us make sense of the world.

Fair Observer Recommends

Not All Arab States Will Normalize Ties With Israel Not All Arab States Will Normalize Ties With Israel
By Gulf State Analytics • Oct 22, 2020
Why Kuwait Rejects Normalization With Israel Why Kuwait Rejects Normalization With Israel
By Tyler B. Parker • Aug 18, 2020
The UAE’s Deal With Israel Is a Sham The UAE’s Deal With Israel Is a Sham
By Peter Isackson • Aug 17, 2020

Post navigation

Previous PostPrevious Europe Feels the Trump Effect
Next PostNext Europe: The Only Way Is Forward and Together
Subscribe
Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.
Publish
Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.
Donate
We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Authors
  • FO Store
  • FAQs
  • Republish
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Central & South Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • North America

Topics

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Environment
  • Global Change
  • International Security
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice

Daily Dispatch


© Fair Observer All rights reserved
We Need Your Consent
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Edit Cookie Preferences

The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

 
Necessary
Always Enabled

These cookies essential for the website to function.

Analytics

These cookies track our website’s performance and also help us to continuously improve the experience we provide to you.

Performance
Uncategorized

This cookie consists of the word “yes” to enable us to remember your acceptance of the site cookie notification, and prevents it from displaying to you in future.

Preferences
Save & Accept