Regarding the level of culture and science and technology in the Middle East, we need to avoid generalizing, because this region has a rich historical heritage and diverse modern development. Here are some key points to help us understand more objectively： ### 1. **Cultural diversity and openness** -**Historical inheritance**: The Middle East is one of the birthplace of civilization (such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt), and has made great contributions to mathematics, medicine, astronomy and other fields (such as the intergenerational spread of Arabic numerals). -**Modern diversity**: Cities such as Dubai and Doha are highly internationalized. The UAE's religious tolerance policies (such as allowing the establishment of other religious sites) and the recent social reforms promoted by Saudi Arabia (such as allowing women to drive cars) reflect the dynamic changes in culture. -**Art and Education**: The Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar combines tradition and modernity. Beirut, Lebanon, is known for its active contemporary art scene. ### 2. **Multi-dimensional performance of scientific and technological development** -**Energy and Engineering**: Saudi Aramco's leading position in oil extraction technology, a new energy experiment in Masdal City, United Arab Emirates. -**Aerospace and AI**: The UAE's "Hope" Mars rover (which will reach Mars orbit in 2021), and Saudi Arabia's establishment of the AI plan in the NEOM Smart City Project. -**Medicine and Education**: Cutting-edge research at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, scientific and technological innovations (such as drip irrigation technology and cyber security) in Israel (often classified as the Middle East geographically). ### 3. **Regional differences and challenges** -**Uneven development**: The scientific and technological infrastructure of war-torn countries such as Yemen and Syria has been damaged, and the gap with the Gulf countries is large. -**Social factors**: Gender equality issues do exist in some conservative regions (such as women's low participation in STEM fields), but the proportion of female programmers in the UAE has exceeded the global average (56% in 2022 data). ### 4. **Source of misunderstanding** -**Selective media coverage**: More attention is paid to conflict rather than progress. For example, the display of scientific and technological innovation during the 2020 World Expo in Dubai is less reported by the international media. -**Lack of historical perspective**: Ignoring the contributions of the medieval Arab scholar Ibn Al-Haytham (the founder of optics) to modern science. ### 5. **Data reference** -Global Innovation Index (2023): Israel ranks 16th and the United Arab Emirates 32nd (higher than some European countries). -Scientific research paper output: Saudi Arabia ranks in the top ten in the world in the number of papers in the field of chemical engineering (Scopus data). **Summary**: The culture of the Middle East is undergoing modernization and transformation, and the level of science and technology is polarized but the highlights are outstanding. It is not accurate to use "closed" or "poor" to describe the entire region, and it is more necessary to pay attention to the dynamic development of specific countries. Understanding this complexity helps to avoid stereotypes and see the possibility of cooperation and learning.