theme 4: religion, ethnicity and political minorities

Question 1

what are the four main terror groups?

Answer 1

-Hezbollah
-Muslim Brotherhood
-Hamas
-Al-qaida

Question 2

what group were not willing to support Nasser’s rule and who were they?

Answer 2

-Muslim Brotherhood
-founded in 1928, called for a renewed faith in Islam and appealed to the urban masses who had no trade unions to represent them.

Question 3

what group did Nasser fear?

Answer 3

-influence of the muslim brotherhood as it represents an alternative to his national union and might claim allegiance of muslims.
-so banned in 1953 along with all other political parties.

Question 4

what did the Muslim Brotherhood do to Nasser?

Answer 4

-Oct 1954 Nasser was shot at by a member of the brother hood, but allowed him to be seen as a further champion of the Arab world when he continued.

Question 5

how did Sadat differ politically to Nasser?

Answer 5

-he allowed political parties to operate again, but still ensured that his party, the Arab Socialist Union continued to dominate parliament.

Question 6

how did the Muslim Brotherhood reappear during Sadat’s reign?

Answer 6

-members focused on social work not politics but they expressed their opposition to the increase in western influence in Egypt by alcohol and dress

Question 7

how did Mubarak differ politically to Sadat?

Answer 7

-president in 1981
-he allowed the press and political parties more freedom and Muslim Brotherhood emerged as the largest opposition party in parliament, however Mubarak’s party always secured majority.
-dependence of US and friendship with Israel led to misgivings among the muslim brotherhood

Question 8

how did syria have the Muslim Brotherhood?

Answer 8

-had its own branch, which believed that Islam should play a key role in the government and legal system.
-sunni dominated body.
-formed an underground resistance movement and stockpiled weapons in Aleppo and Hons.

Question 9

what happened in the late 1970s between Hafiz al-Assad in Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood?

Answer 9

-when Assad ordered a crack down they went on the offensive and in 1979 they attacked the military academy in Aleppo killing over 250.
-the gov in response sent 25,000 troops into Aleppo arrested over 8000 and later killed 500 unarmed prisoners in their cells.

Question 10

what did Hafiz Al-Assad do after 1979?

Answer 10

-membership was made a capital offence and they started attacking members of the government.
-1981 the army launched an attack on city of Hama and killed several hundred men women and children.

Question 11

what did the Muslim Brotherhood do after it was made a capital offence?

Answer 11

-Nov 1981 a single car bomb killed 200,
-muslim brotherhood called for a Jihad and the army demolished whole areas of the city and 10-20,000 were killed.

Question 12

what happened during Bashar Al-Assad’s time in office?

Answer 12

-on the day of his fathers death he released hundreds of political prisoners and allowed the press more freedom.
-however the security services continued to detain people without trial and many Islamists were given long prison sentences.
-2011anti-government protests rose and Syria descended into Civil War

Question 13

what is Islamic Fundamentalism?

Answer 13

-the belief that the state should be wholly based on a particular version of Islamic law as in Muhammad’s time.

Question 14

what was the difference between Islamic Fundamentalists and Arab nationalists?

Answer 14

-Arab nationalists but more stress on their common language and on historical ties than on religion and was essentially secular.
-Arab islamics wanted no division between religious and political life

Question 15

why was the Islamic revolution in Iran important?

Answer 15

-1979 not an Arab country
-the Iranian revolution was both revolutionary and Islamic and islamic law was established.

Question 16

what happened in 1976 in Afghanistan?

Answer 16

-Afghan communists supported by the Soviet union seized control of their country and immediately faced rebellion from a number of Islamist groups who resented the foreign input
-Dec 1979 Soviets sent in troops and over next ten years Mujahideen were to fight the soviet troops.

Question 17

who did the Mujahideen receive support from in 1979?

Answer 17

-Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and western countries like the US.
-US provided stinger missiles and Sauds encouraged volunteers to go and fight.

Question 18

who was Osama Bin Laden? what did he do?

Answer 18

-he was a Saudi volunteer during the soviet war in Afghan.
-son of a owner of a large construction business and used his wealth and expertise to build a vast underground complex for weapons and medical facilities in Afghan.
-he co-ordinated the activities of 15,000 Islamists fighting alongside the Mujahideen.

Question 19

when did the Afghan Soviet war end?

Answer 19

-1989 finally forced Soviets to withdraw as realised fighting a war they couldn’t win.

Question 20

example of Islamist activity?

Answer 20

-Egypt 1990s made an increasing number of attacks mostly on police and government officials.
-led to a clampdown by the gov and led to several assassination attempts on Murbarak.
-killing of 58 tourists in 1997 led to execution of 60 ringleaders and detention of 20,000.
-after this too weak to continue their campaign, but some concessions were made by the veil taken by women.

Question 21

what did Bin Laden do when he returned to Afghan?

Answer 21

-sheltered by the Taliban movement and used wealth to retrieve al-Qaida and build a ‘Jihad camp for the world’.
-1998 called on Muslims to fulfill their duty to kill Americans and their allies to liberate the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the Holy Mosque from their grip.
-hatred towards US ensured steady stream of recruits to al-Qaida.

Question 22

what reason did Bin Laden give for his want for Jihad?

Answer 22

• presence of US military bases in the Arabian peninsula.
  -the destruction of Iraq by the USA.
  -US backing for Israel.

Question 23

who was Ayman al-Zawahari?

Answer 23

-Laden’s second in command and became leader after Laden’s death.

Question 24

how did al-Qaida start to attack the US?

Answer 24

-late 90s
-1996 truck bomb targeted US military barracks in Saud killing 400.
-1998 nineteen suicide martyrs bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killing 12 American diplomats and 200 Africans.
-2000 boat packed with explosives rammed into the side of the USS cole off the coast of Yemen killing 17 US sailors.

Question 25

what was 9/11?

Answer 25

-11 september 2001 19 men hijacked 4 american passenger planes and flew 2 of them into the twin towers of the world trade centre, one into the pentagon and one crashed into pennslyvania.
-over 3000 people were killed

Question 26

what were the reactions to 9/11?

Answer 26

-majority of muslims appalled and Iranian president who doesn’t even like the US condemned the bombers un-islamic methods.
-war on terror from the US and overthrew the taliban government which had provided a safe base for al-Qaida.

Question 27

what event started the Arab spring?

Answer 27

-17 December 2010 a street seller in Tunisia set himself on fire after officials had unfairly confiscated his vegetable cart, this led to an uprising in Tunisia and within days the president was forced to fled abroad.
-within weeks protests spread across the Arab world and became known as the arab spring.
-3 other governments were toppled including President Murbarak in Egypt.

Question 28

what is pan-islamism?

Answer 28

• centred on the unity of a common religion.

Question 29

what three events played a main role in increasing the support of pan-islamism?

Answer 29

-defeat of the Arab states in the 1967 war, underlined the weakness of the pan-arab movement and opened the way towards another form of unity.
-Iranian revolution 1979, first time that pan-islamism succeeded in putting into effect its alternative political model of an Islamic republic.
-defeat of the Soviet union in Afghanistan in 1989 which boosted the pride and confidence as it had successfully defeated a superpower.

Question 30

who are Hamas?

Answer 30

-Islamic resistance movement founded in 1987 during the first intifada is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood who has managed to obtain popular support amongst Palestinians.
-offered welfare assistance through schools, healthcare centres youth clubs and mosques.
-growing popularity seen in election results in 2006 elections they won 76 out of 132 seats.

Question 31

who are Hezbollah?

Answer 31

-founded in Lebanon in 1982 after the start of the Israeli war.
-unlike Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas it is a shiia organisation inspired by Ayatollah.
-started as a militia group fighting the Israeli forces in 1982 but has developed into a political organisation with strong political support in the Lebanese elections.
-funded schools, hospitals and relief centres.
-2009 formed an alliance with Amal and won 35 out of the 128 seats.

Question 32

what role did Hezbollah play in lebanese war against Israel?

Answer 32

-2006 Hezbollah militants launched a cross-border attack in which 8 Israeli soldiers were killed and the other two kidnapped triggered huge Israeli response.
-Israeli war planes bombed Hezbollah strongholds in Beiruts southern suburbs while Hezbollah fired about 4,000 rockets at Israel.
-more than 1,125 lebanese and 119 Israeli soldiers and 45 civilians died.

Question 33

what is the difference between Sunni and Shiia?

Answer 33

-Muslims who believe that Abu Bakr, a close companion should have been the prophet’s successor have come to be known as Sunni Muslims.
-Muslims who believe that Ali should have been the successor as his family, are now known as Shia muslims.
-Shia show a preference for particular Hadith and Sunnah where as Sunnis consider all to be equally valid.

Question 34

after WW1 where were there shia sunni divides?

Answer 34

-Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

Question 35

what were the divide of sunni and shia like in 1920s and 1930s?

Answer 35

-cooperation with the great syrian revolt in 1925
-iraq had extensive cooperation of sunni and shia

Question 36

what were the divides of sunni and shia like after ww2?

Answer 36

-1968 Iraq Ba’athist seize power and officers central to new regime came from sunni area and most positions given to men in this area, rebellion in 1977 in Najaf and Karbala brutally suppressed.
-Syria ruled by Ba’ath after coup in 1966 dominated by Shia sect and much patronage.

Question 37

who are the Alawites?

Answer 37

-offshoot of Shia Islam, who have added to their religion aspects of other faiths including Christianity and have a holy trinity of their own.
-mainly found in Syria where the make up about 10% of the population.
-Assad family are alawite.
-hostility between them and sunnis is because sunni clerics have denounced Alawites as heretics and even demanded their death and so made Alawites fearful

Question 38

who are the Coptic Christians?

Answer 38

-main Christian church in Egypt, make up 10-20% of Egypts population and is the largest Christian community in the middle east.

Question 39

how have the Copts been treated by Egyptian presidents?

Answer 39

-Nasser was a turning point as there had been several christians involved in high politics with 2 prime ministers, but Nasser didn’t allow this and since this no christian has held position.
-some coptic leaders have encouraged their community to endorse Mubarak over the 2 decades as a way of countering extreme Islamic extremism