The Modern Middle East
Chapter 16
Section 4
Middle East
Middle East Religions and Ethnic Groups
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Most people are Muslim
There are also Christians, and Jews in Israel
Most countries have large ethnic or religious
minorities
The Kurds are an example of an ethnic minority
Kurds live in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey
Kurds have been frequently discriminated against
Distribution of Kurds
Israel
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The Holocaust created worldwide support for a
Jewish homeland after World War II
In 1947, the UN drew up a plan to divide Palestine
into an Arab and a Jewish state
Arabs rejected the plan; Jews accepted the plan
In 1948, Jews proclaimed the independent state of
Israel
Arab countries sent their armies to crush Israel
beginning in 1948
Arabs believe that all of the land belongs to them
UN Partition Plan
Israel has fought four wars against her
Arab neighbors in 1948, 1956, 1967,
1973, and other minor conflicts since
Israel declared statehood in 1948. In
each war, Israel’s military has
successfully defeated the Arab
countries. The goal of the Arab
countries is to destroy and wipe Israel
off the map. Israel, since 1948, has
concluded peace treaties with Egypt
and Jordan. Insurgents (rebels) still
launch rockets from the Gaza Strip and
Syria.
Israel (continued)
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The wars between Arabs and Israel forced 700,000
Palestinians from their homes
The Arab countries invited many Palestinians to join
the fight to destroy Israel after Israel declared
independence in 1948
After Israel defeated the Arabs, the Arab countries
refused to accept the return of the Palestinians
Many Palestinians become refugees and demand
their own country
Despite the ongoing conflicts, Israel has developed
rapidly due to a skilled workforce and a modern
democracy
Kibbutzim work on what is called a kibbutz, or
collective farm (Mr. Tilles lived on a kibbutz in
the 1970s)
State of Israel
Resources and Religion
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Resources and religion have led to conflicts in the
Middle East
The Middle East has the world’s largest oil and gas
reserves
Consequently, it has strategic importance because
the world operates on petroleum
Some Middle Eastern countries have adopted
secular, or non-religious, government and laws
Oil
Resources and Religion
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However, many Muslim leaders argue that a renewed
commitment to Islamic doctrine is needed
In Iran and Saudi Arabia, women are required to
wear hejab, the traditional Muslim garments
Many Islamic countries make their
laws based on Islamic doctrine and
beliefs. These countries are
secular (religious). Iran and
Saudia Arabia are two examples of
secular countries. These two
countries are anti-democratic.
Egypt
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Most populous Arab country in North Africa
Egypt controls the Suez Canal
Under Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt fought two
unsuccessful wars against Israel
Nasser wanted to nationalize (control) the Suez Canal
Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat, made peace with
Israel
Islamists were angry about government corruption
and the failure to end poverty
In 1981, Muslim fundamentalists assassinated Sadat
Suez Canal
Egypt
Nasser, the
Egyptian
leader, wanted
to nationalize
(control) the
Suez Canal, a
vital waterway
that links the
Mediterranean
Sea with the
Red Sea.
Iran
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In Iran, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi ruled with the support of the
United States, which helped oust one of his opponents, Mohammad
Mosaddeq
The shah’s secret police terrorized critics
In the 1970s, the shah’s enemies rallied behind Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, a radical Islamic cleric
Radical Iranian, anti-American students stormed and overtook the U.S.
embassy in Tehran, Iran (1979)
Protests forced the shah into exile, and Khomeini established an Islamic
theocracy, or government ruled by religious leaders
Ayatollah Khomeini
A radical Islamic cleric who
became the leader of Iran
following the Islamic
Revolution and ouster of the
Shah (king).
Mohammad Mossadeq
The Shah
Saudi Arabia
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Has the world’s largest oil reserves
The location of Islam’s holy city (Mecca) is located in
Saudia Arabia
Kings from the Sa’ud family have ruled Saudi Arabia
since the 1920s
Fundamentalist Muslims have criticized Saudi Arabia’s
close ties to Western nations like the USA
Some opponents have adopted violent tactics that
threaten to disrupt the Saudi oil industry
Saudi Arabia
Powerpoint Questions (16 points)
1. What is the dominant religion in the Middle East?
2. What two other religions originate and exist in the
Middle East? (2 points)
3. What discriminated ethnic group resides in Iran,
Iraq, Turkey, and Syria?
4. What was the U.N. plan in 1947 toward Palestine?
5. In what year did Israel proclaim itself a state?
6. What is a kibbutz?
Powerpoint Questions (16 points)
7. What natural resource does the Middle East have?
8. Another word for non-religious is ???
9. What are Muslim women required to wear?
10. What body of water flows through Egypt?
11. Who was the Egyptian leader who wanted to nationalize
the Suez Canal?
Powerpoint Questions (16 points)
12. What Egyptian leader was assassinated by Muslim
fundamentalists?
13. What is a theocracy? Explain.
14. What Iranian leader established a theocracy in
Iran?
15. What country has the world’s largest oil reserves?
The End