Middle East Review

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Middle East Review
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General Information

• The Middle East is considered the crossroads of 3
  continents
• WHY?
• The Middle East includes parts of 3 continents
• Africa, Europe and Asia

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Geographic Features

• Deserts
• 2/3 of the region is desert
• Prevents development
• Rainfall is rare
• Climate
• Warm Winters/ Hot and Dry Summers

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Geographic Features

• Oil
• ½ of the worlds supply
• Worlds most used energy resource
• People/nations need to maintain good/strong
  relationships
• Water Supply (lack of)?
• Less than 10 of the land receives enough water
  to make farming possible

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Early Civilizations

• Mesopotamia
• Means land between rivers
• Polytheistic belief in many Gods
• Social Structure
• Priests/kings
• Wealthy merchants
• Workers
• Slaves
• Cuneiform writing system/process of pressing a
  pen-like instrument into clay
• Hammurabi code of laws

• Egypt
• Polytheistic belief in many Gods
• Viewed leaders as Gods
• Pharaoh name of Egyptian Ruler
• Hieroglyphics system of picture writing
• Mummification preservation of bodies helped
  them learn more about bodies
• Women held a high status in society

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What is the Fertile Crescent?

• An arc shaped region that stretches from the
  Mediterranean Sea along the Tigris Euphrates
  rivers to the Persian Gulf
• In Ancient times known as Mesopotamia

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Religious Development

• In the Middle East, 3 Great World Religions
  Developed Judaism, Christianity, Islam
• JUDAISM

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Religious Development Christianity
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Religious Development Islam

• The Five Pillars of Islam

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Key People and Beliefs
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Rise and Spread of Islam

• Islam spread rapidly during the 100 years after
  Muhammads death
• Why was Islam so successful in expanding???
• Skilled Warriors
• Willing to Die Jihad
• Tolerance

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Golden Age of Islam

• What was it??
• The Golden Age of Islam was a period of cultural
  achievement and technological advancements
• Through trade and conquest, Muslim civilization
  spread
• Europe at this time, is in the Dark Ages
• Examples of Achievements
• Science manufacture of glass, laboratory
  equipment, chemistry books
• Mathematics developed Algebra, number system
  (adapted from India)?
• Astronomy acknowledged the earth is shaped like
  a sphere, observatories
• Medicine advances in surgery and anesthetics,
  pharmacies
• Art/Architecture - elaborate mosques, glass,
  ceramics, colorful carpets

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Crusades

• Why did it happen?
• A group of outsiders invaded from Europe
• Christian Church calls for Crusade, to drive
  Muslims out of Holy Land
• Christian warriors set out to capture Palestine
• This went on for almost 100 years
• Christians do not regain Palestine, but distrust
  remained between Christians and Muslims

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Rise of the Ottoman Empire

• The Ottoman Empire became a major world power by
  conquering Constantinople, the capital of the
  Byzantine Empire
• The Ottomans blended Byzantine culture with
  Muslim culture
• The Ottoman Empire reached its height under
  Suleiman
• Who is Suleiman? What happened under his
  leadership?
• Improved justice system
• Modernized army
• Added to the size of his empire (spread into
  Africa and Europe)?
• Great architecture
• Cultural achievements (art, literature, poetry,
  painting)?

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Fall of the Ottoman Empire

• The Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of World
  War I
• The Ottomans had sided with Germany (Germany
  lost)?
• What caused the collapse???
• Poor leadership/Government was corrupt
• European Advances technologically economically

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Imperialism in the Middle EastWhy were European
Nations interested in the Middle East?

• 1. Suez Canal
• Britain needed the Suez canal to get to India
• 3. Oil
• Britain Russia set out to control the oil
  fields

• 2. Turkish Straits
• Russia wanted warm water ports

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Nationalism in the Middle East

• What is Nationalism?
• Pride and devotion to ones country
• Arab Nationalism led to the creation of
  independent countries
• Example Turkey
• Kemal Ataturk (national hero) he modernized
  (westernized) Turkey
• Separated Church and State
• Traditional clothing replaced with western dress
• Mandatory public education was established
• Increased womens rights (right to vote)?
• Western technology was introduced

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Islamic Fundamentalism

• What are Fundamentals?
• Islamic Fundamentalism Muslim movement against
  westernization that supports a return to the
  values of the Koran (Quran)
• What group of people were most affected by this
  movement?
• Women lost rights, going back to traditional
  roles

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Iranian Revolution(Best Example of Islamic
Fundamentalism)?

• Who is Ayatollah Khomeini?
• 1979 Becomes Irans New Leader
• Religious Dictatorship
• Government ran according to strict Islamic Law
• Effects
• Hostility towards the West (books, music, movies
  were banned)?
• Strict adherence to Muslim religious traditions
• Encouraged other Islamic countries to change
• Women lose rights

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Iran/ Iraq War

• Irans neighbor, Iraq was concerned over the
  Iranian Revolution
• Iran Khomeini Iraq Saddam Hussein
• 1. 90 Shiite Muslims 1. 60 Shiite Muslims
• 2. 10 Sunni Muslims 2. 35 Sunni Muslims
• 3. mostly Persian ethnicity 3. Arab ethnicity
• 1980 War broke out over border dispute Iraq
  invaded Iran
• The war caused great loss of life and property
• Lasted until 1988 (cease fire)/ no clear winner
• U.S. assisted Saddam/Iraq with weapons technology

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Israel

• Diaspora dispersion of Jews from homeland
  around the world
• Zionism / Theodore Herzl movement and leader
  for a Jewish state in Palestine
• Balfour Declaration 1917 British document
  supporting a Jewish state
• __________________________________________________
  _______________________________
• Why did so many nations support the formation of
  Jewish homeland?
• They felt sympathetic due to the treatment of the
  Jews by the Nazis during WWII (Holocaust)?

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Arab/Israeli Conflict

• Jews and Arabs both claim rights to the land
• WHY?
• Jerusalem Holy City for both religions
• Conflict still exists today

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Persian Gulf War

• 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait
• WHY?
• Iraq wanted to take control of Kuwaits oil
  fields
• Saddam Hussein was the leader in Iraq
• Why would the U.S and other world leaders be
  concerned with this invasion?
• Many countries depend on Kuwait for their oil
  supply
• January 16, 1991 UN and American troops
  attacked and quickly drove Iraq out of Kuwait
• Despite defeat Saddam remained in power

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OPEC

• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
• What are the two main functions of OPEC?
• Set standard price of oil
• Control the amount of oil produced

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War on Terror

• What happened on September 11, 2001?
• 4 US commercial plans were hijacked and crashed
  into the World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon,
  and one crashed
• Who was the leader and group behind these
  attacks?
• Osama bin Laden al-Qaeda (international
  extremist Islamic terrorist group)?
• What is the link to Afghanistan?
• The Taliban, Afghanistan's Islamic fundamentalist
  government, was targeted for removal by the
  United States after 9/11 because they allowed
  al-Qaeda terrorists to live and train in their
  country U.S troops remain there today to keep
  the Taliban from regaining power

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Iraq the War on Terror

• Iraq also becomes a target WHY?
• Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, was believed to
  have weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) U.S.
  fears he would give them to terrorists
• Saddam refused to cooperate with UN weapons
  inspectors
• U.S. and Great Britain invade and remove Saddam
  from power
• Saddam Hussein captured, tried, executed for
  crimes against humanity
• No WMD's ever found U.S. and British governments
  heavily criticized for war decisions and
  planning U.S. Troops remain in Iraq to keep the
  peace between groups fighting for control while
  Iraq tries to establish democracy

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Social Issues - Today

• Modernization and westernization vs. traditional
  Muslim values
• Some women expected to be subordinate, but
  urbanization and modernization creating tensions
• Women can now vote in all Middle Eastern nations
  except Saudi Arabia (monarchy)?
• Many Muslim nations accept western technology,
  but not values and culture

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Social Issues - Today

• Nuclear proliferation still an issue
• Def the use of nuclear energy and proliferation,
  or spread, of nuclear weapons
• Iran working on nuclear program, issued threats
  against Israel
• Border disputes continue between Israel and
  neighbors