SS7G8 The student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in Southwest Asia (Middle East).

A. Explain the differences between an ethnic group and a religious group.

Unit Focus►Events that happened leading up to

the 21st century in SW Asia have changed or affected the people who live there.◦Ethnic Groups were affected◦Religious Groups were affected◦National boundaries were changed◦Conflicts between people groups have and still are taking place in the Middle East as a result of these changes.

The People of the Middle East SS7G8 The student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in Southwest Asia (Middle East). a. Explain the differences between an ethnic group and a religious group.

b. Explain the diversity of religions within the Arabs, Persians, and Kurds.

c. Compare and contrast the prominent religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East): Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

d. Explain the reason for the division between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

Vocabulary of the StandardDiverse- many different kinds of

Culture- the way of life for a group of people

• Ethnic Group- group of people with SIMILAR distinctive characteristics such as • language, ancestry, culture, national origin, shared history, beliefs, traditions• These similarities have existed for generations• WE ARE BORN INTO OUR ETHNIC GROUP

Religious Group- group of people who share the same belief in a god or gods

WE ARE NOT BORN INTO OUR RELIGIOUS GROUP- WE CAN CHANGE RELIGIONS IF WE CHOOSE TO DO SO.

Arabs Kurds Persians

(Iranians)

Can you describe the location of the Persians, Kurds, and Arabs?

PERSIANSARABSKURDS

Ethnic Groups of the Middle East

Arabs

Kurds

Persians

Found in mountains of S.E.Turkey, northern Iran, Northern Iraq, and northern Syria

Found mostly in Iran; also called Iranians

Majority ethnic group in the Middle East in almost every country except: Israel, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

What makes them a ‘group’?Arabs- share a history of descending from Abraham; speak Arabic

Persians- share a history of descending from the Persian Empire; speak Farsi

Kurds- share a history of being a people without a nation (Kurdistan); speak Kurdish

The Religious Diversity within Ethnic GroupsArabs- the major ethnic group of

the region◦93% of all Arabs are Muslim◦BUT NOT ALL ARABS ARE MUSLIM!

Most Arabs are Sunni Muslim 7% of Arabs are not Muslim

Persians◦Also called Iranians- their ◦Country borders the PERSIAN GULF!Almost all Persians/Iranians are MuslimMost Persian Muslims are Shi’a Muslim

Minority are Sunni Muslim Only 4% of the Persian population are not Muslim

Kurds- live mostly in northern Iraq, Iran, Syria and SE Turkey

MOST KURDS are Sunni Muslimsmall number of Shi’a MuslimBUT NOT ALL KURDS ARE MUSLIM!

Judaism’s Western

Wall

Islam’sDome of the RockChristianity’s

Church of theHoly Sepulchre

Jerusalem contains very important holy sites for all

3 religions

Religious Groups of the Middle East◦Monotheism- a belief in only ONE God began in SW Asia

◦Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all monotheistic religious groups that began in the Middle East.

SS7G8.cCompare And Contrast The Three Main Religions

God told Abraham that he

would be the

father of many

nations,

Abraham began

Judaism, the

world’s first

MONOTHEISTIC

RELIGION

He was nearly 76 but he had

no children with his

wife Sarah

So, he had a

son with his 2nd wife, Hagar

His name was

Ishmael

Sarah became jealous

Sarah gave

Abraham a son, named Isaac

Sarah sent

Hagar and

Ishmael away

Muhammad, the founder of Islam,

was a descendant of

Ishmael

Jesus, the founder of Christianity,

was a descendant of Isaac

Judaism, Christianity, & Islam all began

because of Abraham

The Abraham Connection: Judaism, Christianity, & Islam

Timeline of Events- Religion in Middle East

Years before

Christ (BC)Or

Years before the ‘Common Era’ (BCE)

During Anno Domini (AD)

after the birth of Christ

Or During the

Common Era (CE)

1600

BCAbraham

begins Judaism

33 AD/CE

Jesus’ death;Christianity begins

62

2 A

D/C

EM

uh

am

mad

beg

ins

sp

read

ing

Isla

m

About Judaism

1st Monotheistic religion in the world

Over 4000 years oldStarted by Abraham

and his descendants.Worshiped a God

named Jehovah / Yahweh

Symbol is the Star of David

Writings and literatureTorah – Name of

religious writing. It’s the first 5 books of the Bible.

Synagogue/Temple – Place of worship

Rabbi – Religious leaders

Sabbath – Religious observance day- All day Saturday.

What Jews Believe

Believe in one God, creator of the universe

Religious book is Torah1st 5 books of the bibleMoses primary authorIncludes 10 commandments

Hebrew / Jewish History12 tribes make up HebrewLived in Canaan modern

IsraelForced into slavery by

EgyptiansMoses led them out of

slavery (called Exodus)Went back to IsraelCalled Jews after largest

tribe Judah

ChristianityChristianity followers of Jesusbegan in Judea / Israel Leader JesusBorn a Jew at about 4 B.C. Parents, Mary & Joseph, Lived in Nazareth. Christians call Mary the Virgin Mary. Christians believe Jesus is the “Son

of God”

Many believe Jesus’ birth fulfilled a prophecy that a virgin would give birth to the Messiah

Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, north of Judea, when he was in his early 30’s.

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) contain stories about his birth in the city of Bethlehem.

Life of Jesus

Jesus attracted disciples / followers

preached, performed miracles, & criticizing the Jewish authorities.

Jesus preached about the coming of the Kingdom of God, meaning an eternally just and peaceful state of affairs.

Kingdom of God = heavenBelieved to be the “Son of God”

Followers of Christ

Jesus’ disciples spread his teachings throughout the Roman Empire

organized churches. New religion open to all and not just Jews

Judaism & ChristianityJudaism predates

Christianity – it is the foundation of Christianity but is not a part of it

Jesus and Apostles were Jewish

Jews believe Jesus was a prophet but not Messiah

Jews are not concerned about salvation and the “world to come”

Writings of Christianity

Most early Christians accepted the books of the Jewish Bible as inspired by God and made them part of the Christian Bible.

They also added their own writings to the canon—that is, the official list of books of the Bible.

Exit Questions1. What do Christians believe

Jesus is?2. What religion was Jesus?3. How old was Jesus when he

started his ministry?4. How did Jesus die?4. What happened to Jesus after

his death that made people believe he was the Messiah?

Exit Questions1. What is monotheism?2. Who is responsible for starting

the Jewish religion?3. What is the Torah?4. When is the Sabbath?5. What are the 10

commandments?

Origins of Islam

Story of Prophet Mohammed

He was born to Arab parents from the tribe of Quraish, in Mecca.

The Quraish worshiped 360 gods. They believed these gods will get them closer to the God of gods (Allah).

His parents died very early.He never worshiped Idols, drank Alcohol or

lied.He worked as a shepherd and then as a

trader.Known to people in Mecca as “the Honest”.

Story of Prophet Mohammed

Arab tribes had multiple wars with the prophet and Muslims.

Finally, victory was for Islam and Mecca fell into the hands of the prophet.

He forgave all his enemies and soon, his followers became in hundreds of thousands.

He died at the age of 63.

Allah MonotheisticAllah is Arabic for God

Used by MuslimsAllah – the one God

Quran(Koran): The Holy Book

Muslim Holy Book

Original intact as given by the Prophet in Arabic

114 ChaptersTeaches what a

Muslim must do

5 Pillars of IslamProfession of Faith (Shahadah)

Prayers (Salah)Charity (Zakat)Fasting ( Sawm)Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Profession of Faith (Shahadah)

The Shahadah is the basic creed or tenet of Islam:

"I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".

This is the most important pillarIdeally, it is the first words a newborn

will hear, and children are taught as soon as they are able to understand it and it will be recited when they die.

Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer

Prayers (Salah)Five Daily Prayers from Dawn to Late Evening regulate a Muslim’s day

Face Kabah, prayers in Arabic as taught by the Prophet.

Additional Prayers optional

Charity (Zakat)

Required 2.5% charity on yearly savings

A Muslim must be a charitable personRemoving a stone from the road is

charityGreeting with a smile is a charity

Fasting (Sawm)

Ramadan is 9th month in Islamic Lunar calendar

Daily dawn to sunset fast for 29/30 days (no food or drink)

Done to show sacrifice Mohammad made when he received his revelations

Eidul-Fitr Holiday at the end

Pilgrimage (Hajj)

About 2-3 million Muslims perform Hajj each year from all over the world.

Every Muslim at least once in their life must make a pilgrimage to Mecca

Exit Questions1. Who is the founder of

Islam?2. Where was he born?3. What did he do when he

captured Mecca?4. What is a Caliph?5. What does Allah mean in

Arabic?

Who do they say Jesus was?

A true prophet (messenger of God) whose message has been corrupted

A false prophet

Son of GodSavior (of mankind from their sins)God in human form

How do they say Jesus died?

He did not die but went up to heaven during the crucifixion

Death by crucifixion

Death by crucifixion

Do they believe Jesus was resurrected (brought back to life) after his death?

No No Yes

How does someone get to heaven?

Correct belief Good deeds Five Pillars of Islam

Belief in GodGood Deeds

Faith that Jesus was the son of God 

SS7G8d: Explain the ORIGIN of the division between Sunni and Shia Muslims

A quick review:What are the followers of Islam called?Most Muslims are from which branch of

Islam?What places in the Middle East are

mostly Shia?What places in the Middle East are

mostly Sunni?

Background InformationBefore Islam began, most of Arabia was

polytheistic.Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 CE.He became an orphan at age 6 when his

mother died.He was raised by an uncle who was a

shepherd.He traveled in caravans across Arabia as he

grew up; he managed caravans (traders).When Muhammad was 25, he was

employed by a wealthy widow, who became his wife.

Muhammad had no other wife (even though polygamy was common) until his wife died 24 years later.

Muhammad often went to a cave to escape chaos and find peace.

In 610 CE, Muhammad was 40 years old, he was visited by Angel Gabriel. His wife was his first ‘convert’ to Islam.

After other visits from the Angel Gabriel, he began to teach others that there was only one true god, Allah.

In his 1st 3 years, he only converted 40 people.

His teachings threatened the Meccan way of life; he and his followers were treated very badly.

In another city, Muhammad was gaining more followers.

Muhammad and his close friend, Abu Bakr planned an escape to the city of Yathrib.

Medina needed a good leader so Muhammad went; in exchange for his leadership, all people accepted Muhammad’s belief in one god.

Their escape is known as the Hijira.The escape happened in 622CE, the first year

of the Muslim calendar.The city became known as Medina, ‘the city of

the prophet’.

Muhammad and his followers went back and conquered Mecca in 630 CE.

He dedicated the temple of Ka’aba.He succeeded in converting most of the

Meccans to Islam.He returned to Medina.Muhammad died in 632 CE.By 634, Islam had spread throughout the

Arabian Peninsula.Within 100 years of Muhammad’s death,

Islam had spread to the Atlantic coast and the coast of China.

So what’s the problem with the Sunni and Shia?

There are two main sects of Islam- Sunnis and Shia.

Sunnis- have historical roots to Abu Bakr (Muhammad’s close friend) who was the leader after Muhammad.

The “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs” lead the Muslim community after Muhammad’s death.

“Sunni”- the name comes from Sunnah, ‘custom of the Prophet’;

Sunnis believe Muslims should be lead by someone who follows Muhammad’s example of leadership, not necessarily a relative

Shia- have a historical connection to Ali, Muhammad’s relative.

Shia believe the leader of Islam should be a relative of Muhammad.

They believe that Muhammad designated Ali as his successor.

When the last of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs died the struggle between the two groups worsened.

This battle between the Sunnis and the Shia about who should lead the Islamic faith has been going on centuries.

The religious practices of the two groups is very similar.