1. A Diverse Region

2. Religions ► Islam, Christianity, and Judaism ► Arab Muslims are the majority ► Christians make up a small majority ► Jewish people fled to Israel to get away from discrimination

3. Christianity ► Belief in one God ► Belief in a Messiah who is Jesus ► Trinity- The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit ► Resurrection- God’s promise of eternal life ► Most practiced religion in the world

4. Judaism ► Belief in a single God ► Developed a system of ethics of what is right and wrong ► Justice is important ► Scripture: The Hebrew Bible

5. Islam- Five Pillars ► The Declaration of Faith ► Prayer- 5 times a day ► Giving Alms- donating to the poor ► Fasting during Ramadan- Holy Month ► Pilgrimage- travel to worship Mecca, Saudi Arabia

6. Islam ► Belief in one God ► Muhammad- The prophet of Islam ► Quran is the holy book ► Fundamentalism- the belief that the holy books should be taken literally ► Not all Muslims are fundamentalists ► Two major groups: Shias and Sunnis