bebe2dc8cce5d3290368…

Before the First World War, “Near East” was used in English to refer to the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire, while “Middle East” referred to Persia, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, present-day Pakistan and Central Asia, Turkestan, and the Caucasus…With the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, “Near East” largely fell out of common use in English, while “Middle East” came to be applied to the re-emerging countries of the Islamic world…The Eisenhower Doctrine, a 1957 foreign policy of the United States government, was the first to officially use the term Middle East.[9] Secretary of State John Foster Dulles defined the Middle East as “the area lying between and including Libya on the west and Pakistan on the east and Turkey on the North and the Arabian peninsula to the south, plus the Sudan and Ethiopia.” In 1958, the State Department explained that the terms “Near East” and “Middle East” were interchangeable, and defined the region as including only Egypt, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

Just because Farsi influenced South Asia doesn’t mean it’s Middle Eastern.

once upon a time, a set of countries were called mideast which had highly correlated characteristics (remeber the very definition of correlation: if A and B are correlated, A’s behavior might predict that of B and vice versa) or thier activities could infulence each other to much extent.

whatever the original set of Mideast countries was, some other ones happened to develop a kind of association with the members of the original set throughout past decades.

then, some other countries, or maybe some parts of other countries, are mideastern to an extent, i.e. their characteristics are associated with those of mideast countries.

that is why I refer to Salafi movement in Pakistan as a feature which makes a bond between that country and mideast; it influences the mideast and is influenced by mideast. but, Muhammadiyah is to much extent contained within Indonesia.

Surely I’m not saying that, Indonesia for example, has nothing to do with Mideast; but there is ‘less’ or ‘more’ connection with original mideast, and that is the determinant of being mideastern or not.

Shiite-Sunni conflicts in India, or even Muslim-NonMuslim conflicts in subcontinent, are to much extent contained within India as well. yeah, Muslims in mideast might help Indian Muslims and vice versa, but there is not much of a ‘correlation’ or ‘statistically significant relation’ between India and Mideast; while the Pakistan enjoys (or suffers?) such a strong association.

Finally, with regards to Omid and his post here, political issues in Pakistan have enough things in common with mideast countries to be assumed part of mideast, or consider Pakistan a Mideastern Country to an extent.

Yet you may argue that this level of connection between Pakistan and Mideast is not enough to assume it a mideast country. choice is yours.

Maybe they are referring to “the other Pakistan.” You know. Dubai.

lol

(1) Political Islam
Indonesia is a muslim country as you noted, but lets understand that Islam hardly resembles a kind of political movement in that country.

The Muhammadiyah movement would beg to differ with your claim.

(2) Social bonds with other mideast countries
Pakistan’s social movements are somehow associated (if not correlated) with those of other mideast countries. Interactions between Pakistanis with radical arab movements such as salafi ones, enanle Pakistan to be a mirror as well as a part of Political Movements within the rgion.

The conservative movements among Muslims in South Asia were historically rooted in British India, which is Deobandism.

The Salafis are a recent phenomenon in Pakistan that are part of Zia’s legacy in the 80′s.

As for the rest of the social movements being related to the Middle East, can you tell me how Sindh grievances and Muhajir resentment correlate to the Middle East?

(3) Shiite-Sunni relations
this is a very important factor which infcluences many relations within this region, and Pakistan is much of a leader with regards to some specific aspects of this unfortunate conflict.

Shia-Sunni conflict is also common in India (Lucknow in 05). In fact, India has half the Shi’as that Iran does, yet does that make India a Middle Eastern country now?

Yeah, countries get lumped into the Middle East for the dumbest reasons. I don’t think Iran was counted untill Iran/Iraq war. Why is Afghanistan even there? I’ve been called a racist for pointing this out, too, which is awesome.

Actually I’ve seen some broad definitions of the middle east that include, like, Greece and former Yugoslavia. Whatever.