Traditional habits leave an imprint on societies

The act of asking people questions is still perceived by many as a form of an “intense examination”. This “examination” becomes more complicated in certain settings, such as a lecture or seminar. It is further complicated if it is taking place live on television, where viewers — cameras and crew — can see the fear building up on the (guest’s) face and in the voice of the interviewer.

This fear and anxiety — as a result of being asked questions — can be perceived among certain people on some occasions. This anxiety is close to being categorised as a notable phenomenon in Arab societies, more so than in foreign ones.

So what is the root cause of this phenomenon and what is the solution?

It seems that the root cause of this phenomenon dates back to the times of tribes and their relationship with the Shaikhs, who were the leaders and had the final word in affairs concerning the tribe.

This relationship between a tribe and its Shaikh is similar to a father’s relationship with his children. Since the father has the final say on matters related to the family, this could also constitute as a root cause behind this social phenomenon.

Some may attribute this phenomenon to the sanctimonious spreading of religion. It is this “sacredness” that had a huge effect on the emergence and consolidation of this phenomenon.

Perhaps, misunderstanding the concept of “sacredness” is what helped consolidate this issue, which is to “not speak of matters that can be questioned”. Most religious scriptures directly address the minds and spirits of people and encouraged asking questions to discover the truths behind religions. People who are interested in these sensitive and important topics have their own persuasions, culture and schools of thought, which an individual can perhaps understand, but not necessarily agree with.

A question, since the times of ancient Greeks and until this very day, remains a way to seek more knowledge, and questions are only asked by a person who wants to learn more about a certain matter. Socrates, a Greek Athenian philosopher, noted that understanding a question is half the answer, meaning that a person poses a question only when he or she understands a certain aspect of the topic and wants to confirm other aspects he or she is not sure of. This person can thus have a firm understanding of the topic and is able to impart his or her knowledge about it to others.

In modern universities abroad, students are encouraged to debate. Professors tend to split the class into teams who are then tasked with defending a certain idea against an opposing team and proving to them that their idea lacks some key factors and is therefore invalid. This is a method of training students in the skills of confrontation and debate in their vocations, to present to the world their idea and back it with logic and reasons.

In the olden tribal days, the Shaikh had the final word and the tribe had to listen and obey, because their leader held his position for being more knowledgeable, generous and courageous than other members of the tribe. Thanks to these attributes he was made a Shaikh by the tribe. Consequently, they obeyed him without question. For hundreds of years, this was the way of life in the Arabian Peninsula.

The message behind this social system emanates in a vertical form, originating from the top (the head) to bottom (the people) and not in a horizontal manner that invites the participation of everyone like other societies in this day and age. Even if a discussion was to take place in this vertical hierarchy, it would occur in a horizontal form among the common people and would never emerge to the “head”.

In this system, questioning the final word of the head of the tribe was a form of mutiny. Such acts were treated as crimes and could result in banishment from the tribe.

When religions descended upon man thousands of years ago, and their sacred messages spread among people, they received it in the same way as they did the tribe hierarchy’s vertical and horizontal mindset. The only difference people perceived was that religion, and all its content and teachings such as scriptures, way of worship and moral values, came from God and not from a Shaikh. Moreover, it is hard for one to see with naked eye something that is high up in the sky, but the minds of the people were able to understand and familiarise themselves with God as their faith increased.

People were already familiar with this form of hierarchy in their daily lives, in which messages or orders were conveyed from higher ups, even if it was a religious message from which he sought forgiveness. People’s fear intensified, because if one could not question orders issued by the tribe’s head then how could they debate something sacred that was sent to them by God, who is the creator of all things, even the Shaikh?

That is how the norms of olden times were embedded in men’s psyche. They understood the importance of not discussing issues or asking questions because it would simply indicate scepticism and distrust from the questioner. This issue has worried men since long.

Fast forward to the present and we have fathers who refuse to discuss their orders or have their decisions questioned, especially those concerning the family. There are teachers who forbid students from asking questions, directors who do and chief executives who do not wish to discuss newly issued memos or systems. Therefore, it is not strange that even today, we find students who do not ask questions in schools or do not participate in debates in universities. There are people who have attended seminars without posing a single question or making a comment about matters that were discussed, leading to some of them not quite getting a full grasp on the seminar’s topic.

Asking a simple question or two would have ensured that some light was shed or some knowledge was imparted to people.

Mohammad Hassan Al Harbi is a writer and journalist.