Exciting Iceland Vacations?

Do you think this of Iceland?

• I have been traveling the world now for over 30 years and while traveling i have noticed something weird that one of the places that remind me the most of the middle east is Iceland which i think is weird compared to the location,religion and history. I think that some of the reasons are the laws for example that pornography is banned in Iceland and it's not banned in any other European country to my knowledge. The food i found is pretty similar not the traditional Icelandic food but what families especially in rural south-west/south-east Iceland eat on regular days although it's not spicy they have allot of lamb usually in some kind of sauce which i also came across in the middle east. Their opinions.Again mostly in rural south-west/south-east Iceland i found that many people show hostility against Americans and Brits which i found in many places over the world but mostly in the middle east and not much in west/north Europe or at least not as much as in Iceland and many Icelanders have very similar political and non political opinions. I was wondering if anyone else has had the same experience or if anyone else agrees with me

• Answer:

  It must be tiring to travel constantly for 30 years. I wonder how you fund your travels. Iceland is a social liberal country that places a high importance on the traits of independence and self-sufficiency. If you think Icelanders have a problem with Americans and Brits, I have a feeling that you've never travelled France. That set aside. Although, you can find a few things that are similar in Iceland and in the Middle East (implying that the Mideast consists only of analogous cultures), my bet is that you find more things that are exact opposites. LGBT rights: It's strange to claim that people outside the capital area (over 50% of the population) are not accepting of homosexuality when the country's PM is lesbian and the government has legalized homosexual marriage. Gender equality: According to the World Economic Forum's annual report in 2010, Iceland remains the country that has the greatest equality between men and women. Child protection: Iceland has very extensive and progressive child protection law. In a 2003 Children's Act, Iceland placed itself on the list of twenty-five nations that have outlawed spanking, but along with that, the act also outlawed verbal and emotional abuse and made child protection a priority. Physical or mental violence is punishable by imprisonment and/or fine, and there is no legal defence. Religion: In a 2005 poll, 38% of Icelanders responded that they believed there is a god and 11% denied the existence of any kind of deity. That can be compared to Iran where apostasy by a Muslim is punishable by death. Death penalty: The last application of capital punishment in Iceland took place in 1830. Democracy: Political participation in Iceland is very high. Usually over 85% of the electorate casts a ballot. It has shown that the population is very aware of its power and politicians are held responsible to their actions in parliament. During the last 3 years there has been a strong demand for more direct democracy which was met with an increased number of referenda to take decisions in greater disputes. But again to you. What kind of hostility did you experience and why do you connect it with Americans and Brits in general (as opposed to not 'Americans, Brits and Australians' or 'Americans, Brits and Ethiopians' or 'foreigners in general' or 'just you')? Edit An answer to your last addition: I would like to believe that the democracy is vivid enough and functional enough so that the opinions of the government mostly correspond to the ones of the population. I don't want to be misunderstood. What I've been writing is in no way meant as an insult towards the Middle East (i.e. I do not in any way dislike being compared to the cultures of that area). The Mideast have a magnificent history and are commonly believed to be the cradle of civilisation and every single Iranian I know is both talented and intelligent. I'm simply stating that my view of Iceland is that it is in more ways different from the Middle Eastern cultures that I know, than similar. But again to my last question. I'm interested in hearing in what ways you've experienced unpleasant or hateful attitude towards American and British people.