This cartoon reminded me of a conversation I had with a Muslim when I was in grad school. I started asking him questions about the way women were treated in his and many other similar countries. I was very surprised when he let me know that what I considered oppression, paternalism, and sexism, he called "respect." He went on to tell me how dismayed he was over the way women were not respected in the United States. He said that in his country no man would allow his wife, sister, or daughter to go out to the streets alone by herself, especially wearing revealing clothing.
Of course I was not swayed by his arguments, but it always amazes me how some of the things that are abhorred by one culture are considered rock solid values in another. Idealistically I always like to think that "What divides us pales in comparison to what unites us." But with such strong cultural differences that we feel so passionately about separating us, is there any chance we will ever work together to deal with the challenges facing our world?