Part 1
There exists a number of similarities and differences in the practices and beliefs associated with childbirth in the European and the Arabic cultures. Among the similarities include the high numbers of home deliveries experiences in both cultures. In the Arab world, it is the tradition for pregnant women to give birth at home with help of the traditional village midwife. In Europe, countries such as the Netherlands, the number of home births has remained high throughout the better part of history, owing to the fact that that childbirth is viewed as a natural event and not a sickness or disease that requires pregnant women to go the hospital (Brigitte, 1992). The differences include, for example, the Mutterpass tradition in Germany where pregnant women are issued with a notebook that is used to record the progress of the pregnancy and the condition of the woman during different times of this progress. As a dominantly Islamic population, pregnant women in the Arab world are required to observe Ramadhan just like all the other follower of Islam.