What causes the family unit to be so strong in Muslim countries?

I think a key flaw within that question is the idea that the "family unit" will be the same thing for every culture, and will stay the same thing. In more Western societies I would say it has evolved, it is still generally strong though. Popular culture doesn't help though, so I would imagine for the purproses of answering your question, I would blame it 90% of popular culture and 10% on our societies becoming more 24-hour, being that they are more hectic, more going on, less time for family.

I think that you may be drawing a invalid connection. There are many cultures where the family unit is stronger that the current North American model. Not all of them are Muslim. Some Islamic areas such as Lebannon and Indonesia are not as family oriented as others.

Family bonds tend to be stronger in areas with historical tribal or clan based anthropology. A good example of this is the Arab world but is not restricted to Islamic values or norms. Other examples would be the Native American cultures, Tribal Borneo, Native Austrailian, and similar cultures.

They are tight nit patriarchal dominated family units. Using family tradition and religious belief they maintain male parent as head of the family and do not let offspring to fall far from the tree. Intense love for all family members is something that westerners do not credit Muslim families with having but it is this love that makes the Muslim traditions which appear oppressive to us westerners make these family units fairly solid.

We westerners tend to think that women are oppressed as if they are crew members on the HMS Bounty but in fact the typical Muslim family is based on love amongst all family members.

When your family is in awe of Allah because that is the sanctioned way of life, common sense, education, free will, free thought and thinking in terms of logic do not exist.

Of course the family unit appears to be strong but so does cooperation in most prisons around the world.

There are still Muslims clans that will kill the woman if she is raped and expect woman to kill themselves if the husband has an extramarital affair. Sounds like a good reason for a strong family unit! Act accordingly or die!

Marrying their first cousins !! Then they have no enemies or problems within the family unit. Also, the lives of women are in danger all the time, so they hide inside of themselves !! Having a bad government so that all have to watch out for each other . Theres nothing wrong with the strong family unit ! But, to me the first cousin thing is just incestuous, and it is written in the Holy Bible not to do so !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But they go by the koran

Generally because of weak and ineffective governments. if we have had a crime committed against us we go to the police and expect some action to be taken. In Arab nations you cannot rely on this so you turn to your an extended family/clan for assistance.

It is a form of self defense. Whereby the family unit, must defend itself against the avarice of their neighbors. This is reflected in the modern day dealings of Arab Countries, or even sects with one another. No one trusts the word of another, outside of the family clan, and sometimes even inside of the clan.

Perhaps because Muslims consider wives and children as possessions.

Only by flow the instructions of our holy prophet

as he does so we do

simple

personally i think it is religious beliefs and its teachings