Vol. 16 No. 16 (2016): Scientific Journal Referee Issue: 16

Editorial

Since the 1940s, Arab societies have been trying to overcome their deeply entrenched traditional social realities through cultural interaction and modern educational revolutions. However, instead of adopting policies and measures capable of initiating transformative change, they have unintentionally adhered to traditional methods of managing society aimed at modernization. Consequently, traditional culture has been reinforced in Arab cities, and the Arab intellectual has suffered from a cultural schizophrenia, making them modern in vision and thought but traditional in behavior and practice.

This situation has led to pervasive frustration in all cultural renaissance projects and the flourishing of crisis-driven projects, represented by the widespread emergence of the Salafi movement, which had not been widely present before the 1940s. This cultural schizophrenia has clearly reflected itself in almost all aspects of life, particularly in state administration. We find that what is referred to as the separation of powers is merely rhetorical, and that positions in the executive authority, no matter how minor, are governed by familial and acquaintance connections, or what is known as 'trusted individuals' rather than 'experts.' The phrase "the right man in the right place" has thus acquired a social rather than professional connotation.

Despite the dominance of this culture, the issue of cultural schizophrenia has begun to permeate many aspects. We find that there are numerous research studies conducted by Arab researchers in the humanities, reflecting this cultural schizophrenia with great clarity. Some of the content in this issue of our journal serves as a clear example of what we are trying to convey, and both readers and researchers will observe the truth of our assertions.

It is worth noting that the editorial board decided to feature the topic of "Arab Spring Revolutions" and their impact on the Salafi movement in Yemen at the forefront of the topics, placing the subject of "Mechanisms for Appointing Educational Leaders" at the end, as if to underscore that these two topics symbolize the traditional direction in Arab culture. It should also be emphasized that this traditional approach still plays a formative role in the primary structure of Arab society, controlled by the traditional mindset of the Arab intellectual, which is not necessarily a flaw or shortcoming.

Finally, I hope that readers and researchers find their objectives met within the contents of this issue.

Editorial Board