﻿ARAB 
  VILLAGE 
  COMMUNITY 
  — 
  TANNOUS 
  539 
  

  

  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  mild 
  and 
  temporary 
  ostracism, 
  or 
  it 
  may 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  

   murder 
  of 
  the 
  girl 
  by 
  an 
  infuriated 
  brother 
  or 
  father. 
  Choice 
  of 
  a 
  

   mate 
  within 
  the 
  kinship 
  group 
  is 
  preferable 
  to 
  marriage 
  with 
  an 
  

   outsider. 
  In 
  this 
  respect, 
  Muslims 
  go 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  marriage 
  

   between 
  first 
  cousins, 
  whereas 
  Christians 
  make 
  second 
  or 
  third 
  cousins 
  

   the 
  limit, 
  depending 
  upon 
  the 
  sect. 
  Having 
  children, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  

   of 
  them 
  the 
  better, 
  is 
  the 
  primary 
  purpose 
  of 
  marriage, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   joint 
  family 
  is 
  concerned. 
  They 
  constitute 
  an 
  economic 
  asset 
  on 
  the 
  

   farm, 
  and 
  through 
  them 
  the 
  prestige 
  of 
  the 
  unit 
  is 
  enhanced 
  and 
  its 
  

   continuity 
  assured. 
  In 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  situation, 
  the 
  lot 
  of 
  a 
  

   barren 
  woman 
  is 
  miserable 
  indeed. 
  Divorce 
  and 
  polygyny 
  do 
  not 
  

   occur 
  in 
  Christian 
  communities, 
  whereas 
  both 
  are 
  practiced 
  by 
  the 
  

   Muslims, 
  with 
  certain 
  restricting 
  conditions. 
  

  

  A 
  third 
  entity 
  that 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  blood 
  relationship 
  is 
  the 
  kinship 
  

   group. 
  This 
  is 
  more 
  comprehensive 
  than 
  both 
  the 
  biological 
  and 
  

   the 
  joint 
  family. 
  It 
  consists 
  of 
  all 
  those 
  who 
  claim 
  descent 
  from 
  the 
  

   same 
  paternal 
  ancestor. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  joint 
  families 
  that 
  make 
  up 
  

   a 
  kinship 
  group 
  varies 
  from 
  village 
  to 
  village, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  age 
  

   of 
  the 
  community 
  and 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  disruptive 
  factors 
  that 
  may 
  

   split 
  the 
  group 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  stage 
  in 
  its 
  development 
  or 
  retard 
  its 
  

   growth. 
  Its 
  influence 
  is 
  felt 
  by 
  the 
  individual 
  in 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  situa- 
  

   tions. 
  From 
  the 
  start, 
  the 
  child 
  learns 
  that 
  he 
  should 
  address 
  every 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  unit 
  as 
  "cousin" 
  or 
  "uncle" 
  or 
  "aunt" 
  or 
  "grandfather" 
  

   or 
  "grandmother." 
  As 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  it 
  is 
  expected 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  

   man 
  to 
  marry 
  within 
  rather 
  than 
  outside 
  the 
  kinship 
  group. 
  In 
  

   times 
  of 
  serious 
  conflicts 
  or 
  feuds 
  within 
  the 
  village, 
  kinship 
  loyalty 
  

   asserts 
  itself 
  and 
  is 
  binding 
  upon 
  every 
  member. 
  

  

  RELIGIOUS 
  ORGANIZATION 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  coincidence 
  that 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  leading 
  

   religions 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  originated 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  East. 
  

   A 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  factors 
  that 
  have 
  made 
  such 
  a 
  development 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  is 
  not 
  our 
  present 
  task. 
  What 
  concerns 
  us 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  is 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  man 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  highly 
  

   religion-conscious, 
  and 
  that 
  his 
  religious 
  traditions 
  are 
  well 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  and 
  reach 
  as 
  far 
  back 
  as 
  early 
  human 
  history. 
  A 
  continuous 
  

   and 
  direct 
  line 
  of 
  descent 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  religions 
  

   of 
  early 
  ancient 
  times 
  to 
  Judaism, 
  then 
  Christianity, 
  and 
  more 
  re- 
  

   cently 
  Islam. 
  The 
  earlier 
  forms 
  of 
  religion 
  have 
  ceased 
  to 
  exist, 
  

   excepting 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  their 
  practices 
  have 
  been 
  absorbed 
  by 
  the 
  three 
  

   that 
  followed 
  them, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  still 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  region. 
  Of 
  

   these, 
  Judaism 
  is 
  the 
  least 
  influential. 
  Its 
  followers, 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  

   recent 
  Zionist 
  settlements 
  in 
  Palestine, 
  are 
  limited 
  to 
  small 
  communi- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  thousands 
  each 
  in 
  the 
  cities 
  of 
  Beirut, 
  Damascus, 
  Bagh- 
  

  

  