Syriana Indiana

Growing up you meet people from different natures, cultures and ethnicities, people who make you wonder, “What if I grew up with a different background?” Shannon Farhoud is someone I met who definitely strikes many questions. When you first meet Shannon and ask her where she’s from, she can’t provide a one word answer. After it takes her some time to formulate her sentence she usually says, “My dad is Syrian, my mom is Indian Portuguese, and I was born in Canada and grew up in Kuwait.”

Shannon’s parents grew up in very mixed cultures. Her father, who left Syria at the age of 18, to Germany and Austria, eventually moved to Kuwait for work and spoke three different languages, English, Arabic and German. Her mother grew up in India and studied in a British school and later studied in a college in London and finally moved to Kuwait. She spoke English, Hindi and Konkani. Shannon was brought up in a diverse household. This is an obvious form of socialization, which is the process by which people learn the ways of the society in which they live in. As a result of her education, which was mostly in an American school, Shannon can only speak English and Arabic.

Typically, one would identify a Syrian as very pale in complexion, colored eyes with a thick Syrian accent. Shannon has nothing of those attributes. However, Shannon’s natural features indicate that she is more likely to be Indian than Syrian.




Sociologists would definitely look at the religion aspect and see how it affected Shannon’s socialization as she grew up and matured into who she is today. As a baby, Shannon was baptized and lived with a Muslim father and a Christian mother. Growing up, she took Islamic classes in school, but also attended both religious houses. She was taught about both religions and celebrated both. As a child, Shannon was given the choice as to which religion she wanted to affiliate with when she got older. Now, Shannon sees so many similarities between both religions that she doesn’t identify herself as either Muslim or Christian, but practices both religions.

Ten years after Shannon was born her father passed away, which left her living and growing up with the primary agent in Shannon’s nurturing, her mother. Some other primary groups and most important agents that definitely influenced Shannon’s emotions, attitude and behaviors are friends and her school.

Born in 1989, Shannon will be 22 tomorrow and is now a journalism student in Northwestern University in Qatar, who travels the world and is constantly learning about new cultures, religions and backgrounds. Shannon, who could be considered a melting pot of ideas, has a constant shift in culture. We’re living in an increasingly global society; affecting agents are different than the past. Another important agent that plays a big part in Shannon’s life is media. Growing up she watched TV shows in Arabic and English and now, Shannon and her mom share quality time watching Turkish TV shows that are dubbed in Arabic. One of the main reasons why Turkish shows are aired on Arabic TV is because the Turkish and Arabic cultures are very similar and related. From that, one can see how Shannon and her mom not only take in the language, which plays a huge role, but have constant exposure to the Middle Eastern culture.

Religious Diversity and Coexistence

A person who is not familiar with the Middle East and its culture would probably assume that the only religion practiced in the region is Islam. However this is not entirely true. Although Islam is the most widely practiced religion in the Middle East, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism also have a significant amount of followers.

When I moved to Qatar 4 years ago, I was surprised to learn that there was religious tolerance here. Being Catholics, my family and I were pleased to know that there was a Church available. Although, at the time, mass was celebrated in a small establishment, the fact that us Catholics were given the premises to practice our faith was a great privilege. The official and much larger Church (Our Lady of the Holy Rosary) was completed and officially open in 2008. The Church itself is a symbol of our religion, and so being provided with the large area of land and the opportunity to practice in a proper location is considered an immense blessing.





As with all religions, Catholicism incorporates both material and nonmaterial culture. The Church, both physically and spiritually, is an example of material and nonmaterial culture. The fact that the Church is tangible, symbolizes Christianity, and is an essential component of our religion – the place where we celebrate mass and pray – establishes the material aspect of culture. The non-material aspect of the Church is what happens during a mass. When we all pray and sing together, we are united on a spiritual level, incorporating our values and beliefs in a common language.

In the Catholic Church, singing is of great importance and significance. It is believed that singing praises is more powerful than reciting prayers. I am proud to say that I am a member of one of many choirs in our Church. The choir that I am a part of loves to compose music that reaches out to the spirituality within people and which also makes the mass more inspiring.



The fact that two religions, Islam and Christianity, can coexist quite peacefully in a region where the dominantly practiced faith is Islam, contributes to the process of diversification. Coexistence is the essential element that will help, not only avoid conflict but in understanding people’s attitudes and beliefs.

The Karen: Torn Between Two Lands

This summer I had the opportunity to go to Thailand for a community service trip. We went to a small village in northern Thailand situated near the Burmese-Thai border. This village is inhabited mostly by the Karen people, an indigenous Burmese tribe that belonged to the Golden Triangle. The aim of our trip was to help build a small library for the village school. When I first arrived, I didn't know what to expect because I've never really been to a village before. To reach our destination, we had to take a 7 hour flight from Doha to Bangkok and then an hour flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and then a 10 hour drive to the lodge next to the village. The lodge itself was an hour away from the village.





Unlike many of the Mexicans living in the United States as illegal immigrants, although ethnically Burmese, the Karen people of northern Thailand are legal citizens and are issued Thai identities. Similar to the Mexicans who fled their homeland due to economic and personal hardships, the Karen fled Burma to escape conflict occurring between them and the Burmese government, creating a serious internal conflict. Many of these issues are a cause of differences in religious affiliation and political opinion. However, because of these social, economical and political setbacks many of them have formed their own subculture within an already existing Thai culture, yet maintaining their Karen identity.





In the same way the majority of Mexicans in the U.S. belong to the proletariat class, performing all the unwanted jobs that provide no benefits and very little pay, the Karen find themselves in the same situation, working for the bourgeoisie that live mostly in the cities. They also depend heavily on tourism and rely on tourists and visitors purchasing their hand made products. It is undeniable that the presence of Mexicans adds a richness to American culture, history and society. Likewise, this latent function is also visible with the Karen, being a minority in Thailand, they have contributed to enhancing Thai culture and creating social interactions between each other.





From a sociological point of view we see how cultural diffusion exists within the Karen society. I was surprised to find out that they do many of the things that we do despite the difference in environments. For example, there was a proper children's playground in the village that had swings, slides and other games and there was even a football field with a goal post and everything. It may seem that they're so far from civilization but we see how ideas can spread from one society and diffuse quickly into another.




Furthermore, despite their efforts to maintain their own identity it is evident that the Karen have undergone socialization and internalization. They are socialized in the sense that they learn skills and attain norms that allow them to function and adapt to their environment. For instance, I was not used to being exposed to so many different insects all at once, however the children there would chase them play with them and even touch them! The boys there learn how to hunt and fish, while the girls learn how to sew. Although ethnically they are not Thai, I found that they speak Thai but with a different dialect and adhere to Buddhism like the majority of Thais. I noticed that even in their homes and schools they have pictures of the Thai King. They have internalized themselves into Thai society.