There is a major transformation taking place in the Arab and Muslim worlds. People in these nations are
poised on the edge of a significant new social landscape. Called the Internet, this new frontier not only
includes the creation of new forms of private communication, like electronic mail and chat, but also webbased
forums, which for the first time enables public discussion between males and females in conservative
societies. This paper has been written as a result of an ethnographic study conducted in Saudi Arabia
during the period 2001-2002. The purpose of the study was to understand how online communities in
Saudi Arabia are affecting people. The results of the study indicate that while participants to a large
extent used online communities in accordance with their cultural values, norms and traditions, the communication
medium and the features associated with it, such as the anonymity and lack of social cues,
have affected them considerably. For example, many participants became more flexible in their thinking,
more aware of the diverse nature of people within their society, less inhibited about the opposite gender,
and more self-confident. On the other hand, participants neglected their family commitments, became less
shy and some became confused about some aspects of their culture and religion. These findings and their
implications for the Arab and Muslim worlds will be highlighted in this paper.
December 21st, 1998 - a brisk winter day in Saudi Arabia. I was stationed on my first combat deployment, flying missions enforcing the Iraqi southern no-fly zone.
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