Middle East Flashcards
What are the main two versions of Muslim and what is the primary difference?
The Sunni and Shia Muslims. The division dates back to 632 when the prophet Muhammad died and the following dispute over his successor.
The Sunni form 85% of the Muslim population and are traditional (orthodox) muslims who believe the successor should be chosen using Arab tribal traditions.
The Shia muslims believe the son-in-law, Ali (and his sons Hassan and Hussein— all assassinated), are the rightful leaders of the Islamic community.
Why is there so much hostility in the Middle East?
Because for centuries the land was shared by different “tribes” of people (different branches of Muslim).
Europeans tried to draw lines on a map and combine different tribes of people into one nation state.
Hostility arose when one branch of Muslim is supposed to govern another.
What is a Jihadist?
The term “jihadist” is someone who has adopted a violent version of the Lesser Jihad to justify acts of terrorism as religiously mandated struggles.
Greater jihad: the personal, spiritual struggle of an individual to live in accordance with Islamic principles
Lesser Jihad: This involves the defense of the Islamic community, but is interpreted by as a non-violent defense of community and faith, like striving for social justice or peace.
What is the most important strait in the Middle East?
The Strait of Hormuz (hor-mooz)
It is controlled by Iran and 20% of the world’s oil needs each day flow through it
What is the Hezbollah?
Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon
It holds seats in the Lebanese parliament, and has a military arm stronger than the Lebanese military.
It was initially formed as a militia to resist Israeli invasion of 1982, but the political agenda has evolved to include Lebanese nationalism and Shiite community interests. It is considered a terrorist group by some.
What is the Alawite?
The Alawites are a religious group primarily found in Syria.
They are part of the Shia branch of Islam, but differ from mainstream Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Hafiz al-Assad, an Alawite, became President of Syria in 1970 and turned the country into a dictatorship.
Although a minority, the Alawites have held key government and military positions in the Assad regime, which has led to civil unrest with population that is majority Sunni Muslim.
Describe the connection between the Persian Empire and Iran
Persia IS Iran.
Persia changed its name to Iran in 1935 in a move to promote nationalism and historic pride (Persia was a Greek name, and Iran was a name it’s people used to describe itself).
The Persian language (Farsi), which evolved from Old Persian, is still the official language of Iran.
Who are the Houthi Rebels?
The Houthi rebels are a militant group based in Yemen
They primarily composed of the Zaidi Shia Muslims (Zay-dee), which is a branch of Shia Islam (but do not follow the twelve imams — they have a differing view on Muhammad’s descendants)
They are believed to be a proxy for Iran in the Yemen civil war (where Saudi Arabia supports the Yemen government)
