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This article provides some observations on the field of Middle Eastern studies. It argues that the Middle East is exceptional, possessing certain particular cultural characteristics. But that is true of all regions, states and cultures. They all have their particularisms and are, therefore, all "exceptional" in their various ways. That is to say, "culture matters." Exceptionalism is one facet of the broader question related to analyzing the Other. Multiculturalism and its inherent respect for, and acceptance of, the Other are an important social development in Western societies in recent decades. Yet, it is precisely in these multicultural societies of the West where one frequently encounters, together with the acceptance of the Other, a surprising reluctance to actually recognize the Otherness of the Other. Instead of accepting this trend in Middle Eastern studies, the objective should be to establish a balanced perspective on the continuum between uniqueness and universalism.

Abstract
Through the lens of three notable intellectuals, this article explores several different explanations for the limited success of secularism in the Middle East. The "Arab Spring" of recent years, far more than it has been a struggle between the forces of democracy and the forces of autocracy, as portrayed by so many, was in fact yet another clash between the forces of modernity and the traditionalists. Most Western scholars and observers failed to identify the centrality of the forces of tradition, ignoring the social and political undercurrents of Arab societies, especially the importance of religion as a critical marker of collective identity. Middle Eastern societies were "not just like us." Culture mattered.