(MME) Modern Middle East Culture Lesson

Modern Middle East Culture

When discussing the culture of the Middle East, the terms ethnic and religious are often used. Since these terms vary in meaning, it is best for us to examine how the terms differ. An ethnic group is a group of people united in a shared culture. The members of the group might share a language, a common history, or general religious beliefs (meaning they are adherents in the same broad religious sense: Christians, Muslims, Jews). A religious group differs in that it is a group of people united in their spiritual beliefs. As a group, they practice specific traditions and rituals to honor their beliefs. There are several ethnic and religious groups in the Middle East today. In this section, we will explore some of these groups.

 

Key Religious Groups

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are prominent religions practiced in Southwest Asia. 90% of the region’s population practices Islam, 4% are practicing Christians, and 2% are Jews. Judaism was the first monotheistic religion. Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions that grew out of Judaism. They can all trace their roots to Abraham as the father of their faith. Jerusalem, Israel is the holiest city in the world for Jews and Christians, and the third holiest city for Muslims. All Jews and Arabs also share the roots of their languages. Jews speak Hebrew, which is a Semitic language, just as Arabic is. Despite their linguistic and religious similarities, Jews and Arabs have fought for control over the same piece of land for over a century. These tensions have resulted in the two ethnic groups focusing more on their differences than on their similarities.

Image of Most Religious Places Middle East

  • Judaism: Followers of Judaism are called Jews. Judaism began with Abraham around 2000 BCE in Iraq. Jews believe that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The Jewish holy book is the Torah, which is the oral and written laws of the Jews. Jews were forced out of Israel and moved to many places all over the world. This movement is known as diaspora or spreading out of Jews. The Jewish people did not return to their homeland until the modern state of Israel’s creation in 1948.
  • Christianity: Christianity has its roots in Judaism. Christians believe in Jesus, a carpenter who began to travel and teach new ideas about Judaism around 30 CE. He believed that the old laws of Judaism should be replaced by a simple system based on love and kindness. Christians believe that Jesus was the messiah. There are approximately 2.1 billion Christians worldwide making it the largest religion in the world currently.
  • Islam: Islam began around 622 CE in Southwest Asia. In Arabic, Islam means “surrender to the will of Allah” (God). Followers of Islam are known as Muslims, and the founder is Muhammad. Muslims believe that there is only one God (Allah) and that Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet of Islam. Muhammad died in 632 CE, but Islam continued to spread. Today, there are 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. It is the second-largest religion in the world.
    • The Sunni branch is by far the largest denomination of Islam and represents 89-90% of all followers, they are located all over the world. Throughout the Middle East, their numbers are higher with large concentrations in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Aside from Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan, Sunnis constitute a larger population than Shia in any other country.
    • Shia is a minority sect making up only 10% to 13% of the total Muslim population. Calculating their population is difficult because unless they form a large minority group in their country, they are often counted as Sunni. Estimates hold that between 10% and 20% of the world’s Muslims are Shia. This number reaches approximately 200 million.

Culture Challenge

Take Away

 

As you see, there are many commonalities among the people within the Middle East and drastic differences. Often when the news or people discuss the Middle East, they lump the region into one large topic as if they do not have unique characteristics. As you saw through the content, each country in the region has different variations, yet they are all unitary. It is important to recognize the differences and unique characteristics throughout the countries in the region.

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