Middle East: Geography, Environment & Cultures TEST Notes

What is the difference between an Ethnic Group and a Religious Group?

Ethnic groups are groups of people who share the learned beliefs and practices of culture passed down through the family.
Ethnic groups share many common characteristics such as language, physical appearance, history, customs, foods, and traditions.
Religious groups, on the other hand, share a common belief system, but are not necessarily composed of a single ethnic group. For
example, Christians around the world belong to many different ethnic groups. There are Albanian Christians, Celtic Christians,
Mexican Christians, and the list goes on and on. This same idea applies to all the other religions as well. You see, a religious group
includes all the followers of a specific religion, no matter what their ethnicity or part of the world in which they reside. It is important to
understand that neither ethnic groups nor religious groups are defined by political boundaries, meaning one ethnic group can be spread
out over many different countries. Take the Kurds for instance, we learned that the Kurds live in the same general region, but that
region happens to span the borders of many different countries. The same goes for religious groups, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists do
not each have their own countries!

Middle Eastern Ethnic Groups:

We focused our learning on three different ethnic groups in the Middle East; the Arabs, the Persians, and the Kurds. You need
to be able to explain the religious diversity (or lack thereof) of each of these ethnic groups for this test. You will need to memorize the
first sentence pertaining to each ethnic group. Lets look at each one individually.
The Arabs The Arabs are an ethnic group that is religiously diverse, although the vast majority of them are Sunni
Muslims. (The following material is evidence of the religious diversity, but it does not need to be memorized: Most Arabs are Muslim
(followers of Islam), but the majority of the world's Muslims live in South Asia, not the Middle East. Middle Eastern countries such as
Lebanon and Syria are religiously diverse and are home to Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians and Roman Catholics, as well as
Druze and Alawite communities, which are offshoots of Islam. Lebanon has a large Christian population that includes Maronite and
Melkite Catholics, and Greek and Armenian Orthodox communities. The country recognizes 18 different religions. Perhaps as much as
one tenth of Egyptians are Coptic Christians, a denomination founded in the early orthodox Christian church.) Again, that information
does not need to be memorized but it does illustrate that the Arabs are an ethnic group that is religiously diverse, meaning Arabs follow
many different religions. Incidentally, did you notice that Arabs live in many different countries including Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt?
Again, I will remind you that ethnic groups are not defined by political boundaries, or country borders.
The Persians/Iranians The Persians are an ethnic group that is religiously diverse, although the vast majority of
them are Shi'a Muslims. (The following material is evidence of the religious diversity, but it does not need to be memorized: Although
the vast majority of Iranians are Shi'a Muslims, religious minorities have always played an important role in Iranian life. Zoroastrians
date back to more than two thousand years ago. Iranian Jews claim to be the oldest continuous Jewish community in the world, dating
back to Babylon. Armenians, an ancient Christian people, were imported by Iranian rulers for their artisanry, and Assyrian Christians
have been living in Iran since the third century.
There are Sunni Muslims populations in the south and Turkish populations in the north and west. One homegrown religious
group is The Bahai movement. This movement is a semi-mystical nineteenth-century departure from Shi'ia Islam and won converts
not only from Islam, but also from Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. Baha'i has spread from Iran to virtually every nation on
earth.) Again, fascinating information but what you need to focus on knowing for your test is that Persians, in general, are a religiously
diverse ethnic group but the vast majority of Persians are Shia Muslims. Can you remember what has caused the great divide
between the Shia Muslims and the Sunni Muslims? Well, if you need a reminder, we will cover that later in this study guide.
The Kurds - The Kurds are a non-Arabic people who largely adhere to the Sunni Muslim faith. A people with their own
language and culture, most Kurds live in the generally contiguous (bordering) areas of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Armenia and Syria a
mountainous region of southwest Asia generally known as Kurdistan ("Land of the Kurds").
Lets tie it altogether. Most of the people of the Middle East are Muslims, that is, believers in the religion of Islam. Most are
also Arabs, although there are numerous other groups, including Jews, Persians (Iranians), Kurds, Berbers, and Armenians. It is
important to note that "Muslim" and "Arab" are not the same thing. Muslims are followers of Islam, a religion founded in the seventh
century A.D. by Muhammad, while Arabs are an ethnic group subdivided into many different tribes, clans, and families. While all Arab
states profess Islam as their primary religion, not all Arabs are Muslims. Even though Islam is truly a global religion, and the majority of
Muslims in the world live outside the Middle East, Islam remains a strong force within the region.

Middle Eastern Religious Groups:

We focused our learning on three different religious groups in the Middle East; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You need to
be able to compare (know how they are similar) and contrast (know how they are different) for this test. Use the Three Faiths Chart
from your class activities as a supplement to this study guide to help you study for this test.
In some ways, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are similar. All three stem from a common patriarch or ancestor, Abraham. All
are monotheistic, meaning their followers believe in only ONE God. Followers of all three of these religions all believe in the same
deity as God, even though they refer to God by different names (Yahweh, God, and Allah). In other words, when the followers of these
religions pray, they are all praying to the same God. All of these religions have good reasons to consider the city of Jerusalem holy.
All are based on divinely revealed scriptures. All accept the concept of Judgment Day, the existence of human free will and human sin,
and the necessity for repentance.
Even so, the religions are also very different. Judaism teaches that God will send a Savior to redeem humankind, but that this
Savior has not yet come. Furthermore, Judaism teaches that Jesus was a great teacher but nothing more. Christianity teaches that
Jesus is the Savior that Judaism still awaits. Christians are also the only ones who believe in the Resurrection, Jesus rise from the
dead after being crucified. Islam teaches that Jewish and Christian prophets were divinely inspired, meaning that they received direct
messages from Allah and then passed those messages on to the people. Islam also teaches that Jesus was a great prophet but not a
Savior and that Muhammad was the last and greatest prophet.

What caused the great divide between the Sunni and Shia Muslims?
Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith, such as the Five Pillars. The
differences between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual differences, but political ones. Over the
centuries, however, these political differences have spawned a number of varying practices and positions which have come to carry a
spiritual significance. The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of
who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation had to be answered.

Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected
from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr,
became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. The word "Sunni" in Arabic comes from a word meaning "one who follows the traditions of
the Prophet." On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family,
among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself.

The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his
cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead
to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in
Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the
Party of Ali." From this initial question of political leadership, some aspects of spiritual life have been affected and now differ between
the two groups of Muslims.

Shia Muslims often view their Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine
intercession. Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no
basis for having saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not by birth, but is a trust that is earned and which
may be given or taken away by the people themselves.

Shia Muslims also feel animosity towards some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, based on their positions and
actions during the early years of discord about leadership in the community. Many of these companions (Abu Bakr, Umar, Aisha, etc.)
have narrated traditions about the Prophet's life and spiritual practice. Shia Muslims reject these traditions (hadith) and do not base any
of their religious practices on the testimony of these individuals. This naturally gives rise to some differences in religious practice
between the two groups. These differences touch all detailed aspects of religious life: prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, etc.

Sunni Muslims make up the majority (85%) of Muslims all over the world. Significant populations of Shia Muslims can be found in Iran
and Iraq, and large minority communities in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon. It is important to remember that despite all of these
differences in opinion and practice, Shia and Sunni Muslims share the main articles of Islamic belief, such as the Five Pillars, and are
considered by most to be brethren in faith. In fact, most Muslims do not distinguish themselves by claiming membership in any
particular group, but prefer to call themselves simply, "Muslims.