Books like Honor and Shame: Unlocking the Door

I liked most of this little book, up until about chapter eight. Understanding honor and shame is important to working in the Muslim world. I appreciate his layout of how honor and shame work in contrast to fear and to guilt. I also appreciate his emphasis on the synergy between honor/shame and a communal mindset. This helps me understand a lot of the violence that breaks out in tribal contexts when the honor of the group is offended. I would probably argue that this book has a bit of the "If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail" problem though. Interestingly enough, the only one of the Muller's "three major worldviews" I don't see in the Genesis account is guilt. That was a nice piece of eisegesis.The book goes south later on as Muller tries to understand how honor and shame make a difference to the Arab Muslim. He ends up making lots of over-generalizations whose truthfulness I question based on my own experience with Arabic Muslims. I was also disappointed with Muller's lack of understanding/interaction with the Qur'an. For example, being called a dog in public is dishonorable according to Muller because dogs are scavengers who eat the scraps and not the prime meat. However, in Islam, dogs are considered ritually unclean and the word "dog" is often used as an epithet. This seems like a much stronger understanding of why it is dishonorable to be called a dog, because it is a curse word. (Just like in English, for that matter.)Muller takes small differences and makes them seem really large and relevant. For example, Christianity and Islam are very different because in Christianity things are "right and wrong" but in Islam they are only right and wrong based on the shame. "However, few things are considered right or wrong. Right and wrong in Islam are defined by the Qur'an." (p.81) How is that different from the Christian perception of the Bible? Christians know what is right and wrong from the Bible.Especially since the authority he cites is Sania Amandy, a "world-renowned scholar" who doesn't exist in Wikipedia and whose last work, "Temperament and Character of the Arabs" was published in 1960. Even the title should tell us that that book is way out-of-date, and using psychological and sociological methods that are no longer considered appropriate, and would probably be considered offensive. Sentences like "This is because in the Arab value system, great value and prestige are placed on the ability to dominate others" (p.80) In any case, take the idea of honor and shame and use it where it makes sense. It exists in all cultures, but becomes stronger when tied into a tribal or communal culture.