Election in Oman and the US

   The election concept is reinforced by our religion Islam. Because, it is the people right to choose who rules them.  But in my country it has a monarchy government where the president inherit the presidency form his father. But this system was not always the dominant system. But for the last forty years we have the same president.

   But we have only one election for the Shura Council. This council has representatives from every city according to the population. And they are elected by the people for 4 years but the possibility to renew the term. The representative job is to present the citizens problems and concerns.  But in America there are many elections like the presidential election and the congress elections. And it is considered as a important part of this country.   

   The way they are elected is almost the same as here where people go to polling stations with some sort of identity. Then they need to fill in some forms. Although there is always campaign before the Election Day, It is not as big as here. Beside, the election age is different. In America people can vote when there are 18 years old. But in my country you need to be 21 to vote.

The families in the US and Oman are they different?!

    Family is the core of the societies.  It is the family values that shape the entire society. The difference between the American society and the Omani society reflects the difference in the family system. The American society is based on the ideals of independence and individualism. And that is very prominent in the American family. The kids are raised will little or no punishment over their mistakes because punishment is illegal. Besides, kids relay on their parents till certain age  where they should start depending upon themselves. And some families end up asking their daughters and sons to leave the house. They start working at eerily age to bay their own tuitions and life expenses. And old parents almost always end up in a nursery house.

   This family picture is completely different from our family picture. We are raised to value collectivism and group work. There is a different way of how we view independence. The families are big of an average five kids in each family.  There is no time limit to which they stop spending and supporting us. Especially girls, they can live with their parents forever if they want. And even boys, their parents continue supporting them even after they start work. They sometimes build their families in their parents’ house.  And eventually, it is the kids who should care about their parents when they are old. It is the kids’ duty to pay them back some of their hard work in raising them. But in this term, it is the Islamic religion that played a big role in creating this value, of parents caring and respect. Parents are highly respected in our societies.

   Marriage is a sacred relation that should be taken seriously by the couples. They should consider and understand the responsibility of such a decision. In our religion and culture there is no place for relations before marriage. In my country the divorce rate is very low. And divorce wouldn’t happen unless in a very complicated and serious cases. And it is still the responsibility of both parents to raise the kids if they happen to have any. And it is the father who should pay the kids expenses every month. On the other hand, Divorce is very high in the US. The families are less stable than in my country. There is a huge number of single parents. And divorce became a normal part of living in this society.

African-American " equality fighters"

    The African-American are those who had been brought from Africa as slaves against their will. Being slaves for a long time and having a dark skin made it difficult for them to assimilate into the American society. They fought for a long time to get their freedom and equability. It started with the civil war on 1861, which put an end to the black slavery in the United States.  But segregations continued against the black people. The African-American suffering remained until the civil right movement which lasted from 1950 until 1960. During this movement two significant laws were passed, that opened the freedom gate from the African-Americans. The civil right movement ended the segregation against the black people in public facilities, and gave them the right to vote in elections. These two laws provided a big push toward assimilating the African-American in the American society.

   Unfortunately, segregation and discrimination against the black people is still present in the 21 century.   More black people still trapped in poverty and they gain lower income than the white. Besides, the majority of the black people become the victims of violent crimes.

   In brief, the fight for equality of life for the black people continues in the equality and freedom nation.