Do you consider Israelis Middle Easterns?

[Firdousi]

Do you consider Afghans "middle eastern"?

No. Iran is a strong barrier between "ME" and us. Actually Afghanistan is a quite weird country. I mean we are just in the middle of Central Asia, Indian subcontinent and the ME. But for some reason Afghans get along with Iranians, Turks or Arabs than with other Central Asians such as Uzbeks or Pakistanis (we have more in common with the latter than with the formers).

BTW honestly speaking all this "Middle East", "Central Asia" or "Far East" are terms created in a Eurocentrist context. Westerners do believe that the world revolves around them. Ironically their homeland, Europe, is not even a continent but an Eurasian peninsula lol

[jamakzai1221]

No. Iran is a strong barrier between "ME" and us. Actually Afghanistan is a quite weird country. I mean we are just in the middle of Central Asia, Indian subcontinent and the ME. But for some reason Afghans get along with Iranians, Turks or Arabs than with other Central Asians such as Uzbeks or Pakistanis (we have more in common with the latter than with the formers).

BTW honestly speaking all this "Middle East", "Central Asia" or "Far East" are terms created in a Eurocentrist context. Westerners do believe that the world revolves around them. Ironically their homeland, Europe, is not even a continent but an Eurasian peninsula lol

Well I get alone with Iranians pefectly, I mean I have a few nationalist Iranians who are friends with afghans and other Iranians more than Whites , indics and arabs As for arabs, even though I understand we're closer to them than the latter, I still feel quite distant from Arabs as they feel distant from me I just can't relate with them enough. But what do we as afghans consider ourselves?
Geographically were in central west asia and south but we're culturally more related with central Asians but linguistically and phenotypically related with West Asians such as Iranians. People see afghans as middle eastern from what I have observed. I mean Everytime I tell my friend I am from Afghanistan they always tell me I am middle eastern. People in Britain can't tell the difference between Turks Iranians Lebanese afghans just like they can't tell the difference between Pakis and indians. I feel like saying im middle eastern is the easiest way out.

[Sarbani]

BTW honestly speaking all this "Middle East", "Central Asia" or "Far East" are terms created in a Eurocentrist context. Westerners do believe that the world revolves around them. Ironically their homeland, Europe, is not even a continent but an Eurasian peninsula lol

No its not. The word "Middle East" may be Eurocentrist (I prefer "West Asia"), but it itself is not a Eurocentrist concept. Talking about cultural regions is suddenly Eurocentrist, wtf?

[Sarbani]

Yes I consider Israelis "Middle Eastern".

[Firdousi]

No its not. The word "Middle East" may be Eurocentrist (I prefer "West Asia"), but it itself is not a Eurocentrist concept. Talking about cultural regions is suddenly Eurocentrist, wtf?

Please, use your brain: "Far East".. "FAR" FROM F*CKING WHERE? From Europe. Eurocentrism. I bet Far East is not that far from the east lol

[UnknownUser]

Dont Israelis consider themselves some sort of Western people. Most of them look pretty White European to me. Their culture is Western European. They are not even Jewish by religion as most of them are atheist and Jew is basically a bloodline thing for them. Like white Americans with 1/32 Indian blood.


But anyway who cares what they consider themselves. Lol. Beat all the Arabs in war and cleansed the lands of Arabs and could take most of Arab lands if they want to in future.

[maneatinglizard]

No its not. The word "Middle East" may be Eurocentrist (I prefer "West Asia"), but it itself is not a Eurocentrist concept. Talking about cultural regions is suddenly Eurocentrist, wtf?

He's referring to the terms, which are definitely Eurocentrist (except for Central Asia). "Middle East" and "Far East" are both clearly defined by their proximity to Europe.

Also, even their regions and classifications are born out of European misconceptions and history rather than reality. Afghanistan is literally in the middle of Asia, and yet it's "South Asia" because the British's primary concern was its relationship to India. Iran and Arabia are both "Middle East" despite their very different cultures. Vietnam is "Southeast Asia" despite it being culturally closer related to China than other "East Asian" countries like Japan. And so on.

[UnknownUser]

Israel is nothing more than a European colony in the region. Very little different from other colonies such as Canada, USa, etc.

Its like Australia. Noone considers Australia an "Asian" country. Its considered Western country even though its closer to Philipines, China, etc.

Israel is a Western country. It was created by West and filled with Europeans. If you want to call them "Middle Eastern" go ahead, but it would not make them similar to the other cultures in the region.

[Sarbani]

Please, use your brain: "Far East".. "FAR" FROM F*CKING WHERE? From Europe. Eurocentrism. I bet Far East is not that far from the east lol

I have always understood "Far East" to refer to the far eastern region of Asia (or the far eastern part of the Eastern Hemisphere). So its not necessarily Eurocentric. But even if it is, that doesn't mean terms like Central Asia or South Asia are Eurocentric.

He's referring to the terms, which are definitely Eurocentrist (except for Central Asia). "Middle East" and "Far East" are both clearly defined by their proximity to Europe.

Only the Middle East is definitely Eurocentric. Far East is most likely used to refer to the Far Eastern region of Asia (or the far eastern part of the Eastern Hemisphere). Even if it isn't, then that would be only two terms max that are Eurocentric.

Also, even their regions and classifications are born out of European misconceptions and history rather than reality. Afghanistan is literally in the middle of Asia, and yet it's "South Asia" because the British's primary concern was its relationship to India.

Afghanistan is called South Asia sometimes because the term Central Asia was used specifically to refer to ex-Soviet Central Asian states since being part of the SU helped them develop some common ex-SU heritage and a somewhat distinct identity based on their recent shared past. And Afghanistan is also more geopolitically inclined towards South Asia (Pakistan association with the Taliban War, being part of SAARC, etc).

Also, Afghanistan may refer to itself as the "heart of Asia" but its not geographically in the immediate center of Asia. The geographic midpoint of Asia is either somewhere in the Altai Region or Dzungaria depending on one's definition, which are way more north than Afghanistan. If Kashmir was an independent country, then it could also refer to itself as the "heart of Asia" due it having a somewhat ambiguous geography even though it is South Asian Indic land. I definitely consider Afghanistan to be a Central Asian country FYI. I was just trying to explain why it calling itself "heart of Asia" is meaningless here.

But again, Afghanistan being called South Asian is not because of Eurocentrism but because of politics. That's why non-independent territories are never grouped separately. Northeast India is clearly Southeast Asian but never grouped with SEA Asia since it is politically part of India. Maybe over time, Afghanistan can shed its association with South Asia and start being grouped with Central Asia more often (something that actually happens sometimes).

Iran and Arabia are both "Middle East" despite their very different cultures. Vietnam is "Southeast Asia" despite it being culturally closer related to China than other "East Asian" countries like Japan. And so on.

Because you can't just entirely ignore geography like that. Iran and Arabia are both geographically part of the Middle East.

Vietnam is geographically part of Southeast Asia and in all SE Asian associations.

Nobody says that Australia is part of Western Europe, but instead say that is part of Oceania even though it is culturally way closer to England than it is to Tahiti. Australia is called a Western country in the sense that it is part of Western civilization and not because of anything else. It is still referred to as part of Oceania.

[Sarbani]

Israel is nothing more than a European colony in the region. Very little different from other colonies such as Canada, USa, etc.

Its like Australia. Noone considers Australia an "Asian" country. Its considered Western country even though its closer to Philipines, China, etc.

Israel is a Western country. It was created by West and filled with Europeans. If you want to call them "Middle Eastern" go ahead, but it would not make them similar to the other cultures in the region.

Ashkenazis are genetically about half-Levantine and half-North Italian with most of their Y-DNA being Asian and most of their mtDNA being European. They genetically cluster with Greeks and South Italians and are closer to Levantines than the vast majority of Europeans. Then you have Sephardic Jews who are even closer to Levantines than Ashkenazi Jews are. Sephardic Jews are from Iberia but genetically much closer to Levantines than they are to Iberians.

Calling them genetically Middle Eastern isn't really a huge stretch. Israeli culture is also largely Levantine with a minor European contribution that is lacking in the rest of West Asia. Most Israeli Jews are Mizrahi Jews who are of MENA origin and this is reflected in the culture over there. Also, Isreal being a first world country surrounded by countries with a much lower living and developmental standard makes it look more western than it actually is.

[jamakzai1221]

Dont Israelis consider themselves some sort of Western people. Most of them look pretty White European to me. Their culture is Western European. They are not even Jewish by religion as most of them are atheist and Jew is basically a bloodline thing for them. Like white Americans with 1/32 Indian blood.


But anyway who cares what they consider themselves. Lol. Beat all the Arabs in war and cleansed the lands of Arabs and could take most of Arab lands if they want to in future.

Ur kidding they look white?



They look similiar to other levants but probably a bit lighter but def not white. Levants are very white washed online, in fact i always thought syrians where white people and when i actually have seen them in real life, I have mistaken them from pakistani to iranian to saudi arab. I remember a few indian looking ones as well.
The ones that can be considered white are the ashkenazis while the sephardic ones can be pseudo - black at times. As for culture, well their culture seems to derive off religion more than anything, so if u consider the jewish religion white, they are white.

[jamakzai1221]

I have always understood "Far East" to refer to the far eastern region of Asia (or the far eastern part of the Eastern Hemisphere). So its not necessarily Eurocentric. But even if it is, that doesn't mean terms like Central Asia or South Asia are Eurocentric.



Only the Middle East is definitely Eurocentric. Far East is most likely used to refer to the Far Eastern region of Asia (or the far eastern part of the Eastern Hemisphere). Even if it isn't, then that would be only two terms max that are Eurocentric.



Afghanistan is called South Asia sometimes because the term Central Asia was used specifically to refer to ex-Soviet Central Asian states since being part of the SU helped them develop some common ex-SU heritage and a somewhat distinct identity based on their recent shared past. And Afghanistan is also more geopolitically inclined towards South Asia (Pakistan association with the Taliban War, being part of SAARC, etc).

Also, Afghanistan may refer to itself as the "heart of Asia" but its not geographically in the immediate center of Asia. The geographic midpoint of Asia is either somewhere in the Altai Region or Dzungaria depending on one's definition, which are way more north than Afghanistan. If Kashmir was an independent country, then it could also refer to itself as the "heart of Asia" due it having a somewhat ambiguous geography even though it is South Asian Indic land. I definitely consider Afghanistan to be a Central Asian country FYI. I was just trying to explain why it calling itself "heart of Asia" is meaningless here.

But again, Afghanistan being called South Asian is not because of Eurocentrism but because of politics. That's why non-independent territories are never grouped separately. Northeast India is clearly Southeast Asian but never grouped with SEA Asia since it is politically part of India. Maybe over time, Afghanistan can shed its association with South Asia and start being grouped with Central Asia more often (something that actually happens sometimes).



Because you can't just entirely ignore geography like that. Iran and Arabia are both geographically part of the Middle East.

Vietnam is geographically part of Southeast Asia and in all SE Asian associations.

Nobody says that Australia is part of Western Europe, but instead say that is part of Oceania even though it is culturally way closer to England than it is to Tahiti. Australia is called a Western country in the sense that it is part of Western civilization and not because of anything else. It is still referred to as part of Oceania.

Funny thing is many many people dont know what afghanistan, religion and what they look like. In fact they think its similiar to india because its associated with south asia. Knowledgable people tend to associate it with syria or iraq or even better iranians/tajik, because they are knowledgeable of their culture and phenotype but people who dont know how they look or even what they are, tend to associate it with pakistan or india. Anyways the school i am in right now has a lot of afghans and people are more knowledgeable of what we look like. I remember this hazara friend of mine who looks like a turkmen, no one believed he was afghan, but i had to explain to people that he was, thats how complex the situation is. I hope it does gets classified with central asia one day because these scenarios wouldnt happen, but right now there is no choice.

[Sarbani]

Funny thing is many many people dont know what afghanistan, religion and what they look like. In fact they think its similiar to india because its associated with south asia. Knowledgable people tend to associate it with syria or iraq or even better iranians/tajik, because they are knowledgeable of their culture and phenotype but people who dont know how they look or even what they are, tend to associate it with pakistan or india. Anyways the school i am in right now has a lot of afghans and people are more knowledgeable of what we look like. I remember this hazara friend of mine who looks like a turkmen, no one believed he was afghan, but i had to explain to people that he was, thats how complex the situation is. I hope it does gets classified with central asia one day because these scenarios wouldnt happen, but right now there is no choice.

Same. It sucks even more for us Pashtuns from the stolen/occupied lands. Since we are from non-independent territories (KPK-FATA-North Balochistan), we are always going to be classified as whatever Desis get classified as since Desis are the majority in Pakistan.

[UnknownUser]

Funny thing is many many people dont know what afghanistan, religion and what they look like. In fact they think its similiar to india because its associated with south asia. Knowledgable people tend to associate it with syria or iraq or even better iranians/tajik, because they are knowledgeable of their culture and phenotype but people who dont know how they look or even what they are, tend to associate it with pakistan or india. Anyways the school i am in right now has a lot of afghans and people are more knowledgeable of what we look like. I remember this hazara friend of mine who looks like a turkmen, no one believed he was afghan, but i had to explain to people that he was, thats how complex the situation is. I hope it does gets classified with central asia one day because these scenarios wouldnt happen, but right now there is no choice.

I am pretty bad distinguishing Afghans myself. Unless they have features I see in my relatives, its next to impossible to know for sure.

I have never seen Afghans being confused for Indian though. India has a pretty distinct race, culture, etc. Most people know what an Indian looks like. Afghans being Muslim we are often lumped in with Arabs and Middle Easternerns.

Generally I would say Afghans are too West Euroasian next to South Asians, while being too non-Semitic for Middle Eastern.

[jamakzai1221]

I am pretty bad distinguishing Afghans myself. Unless they have features I see in my relatives, its next to impossible to know for sure.

I have never seen Afghans being confused for Indian though. India has a pretty distinct race, culture, etc. Most people know what an Indian looks like. Afghans being Muslim we are often lumped in with Arabs and Middle Easternerns.

Generally I would say Afghans are too West Euroasian next to South Asians, while being too non-Semitic for Middle Eastern.

I have never confused afghans for indian at all that wasnt my point actually. I was saying that because the country is associated with india, and pakistan (south asia) there are many preconcieved notions about how an afghan looks like, what their culture is, for example they look like pakis and **** and they eat curry lol. The only people who dont have this awareness are people who KNOW who afghans are, being central asians, having a central asian culture andt when they see them in real life they are usually placed with levant people and iranians and tajiks (the less seimetic influenced middle east) because we look much closer to them. I think it would be great if we could be "Central asian" again because thats what we truly are, culture wise, genetically, ethnically and we look like them.