1. ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS Notes

2. Ethnic GroupLocationAncestryReligionLanguage ArabsMost of SW Asia and North Africa Descents of Abraham through his son Ishmael Most are Islamic; however not all Arabs are Muslims Arabic KurdsTurkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran they live in the mtns Descendants of Medes ancient Iranian people Most are Sunni Islamic Kurdish PersiansLive in Iran ½ of the population Europeans who migrated from central Europe and Southern Russia Shia IslamFarsi or Persian

3. JUDAISM

4. FOUNDERABRAHAM ORGINS1800 BCE SOUTHWEST ASIA SACRED TEXTTORAH FOLLOWERS CALLEDJEWS NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS WORLD WIDE 15 MILLION INTRESTING FACTSWAILING WALL/ WESTER WALL ALL SOUTHWEST ASIA JEWS LIVE IN ISAREAL WORSHIP IN SYNAGOGUES God Called Yahweh HOLIDAYSHANUKAH PASSOVER

5. CHRISTIANTY

6. FOUNDERJESUS ORGINS33 CE ISRAEL SOUTHWEST ASIA SACRED TEXTBIBLE FOLLOWERS CALLEDCHRISTIANS NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS WORLD WIDE 2.1 BILLIONS INTRESTING FACTSCHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER WORSHIP IN A CHURCH God called= God HOLIDAYSCHRISTMAS EASTER

7. ISLAM

8. FOUNDERMUHAMMAD ORGINS622 CE SAUDI ARABIA, SOUTHWEST ASIA SACRED TEXTQURAN/ KORAN FOLLOWERS CALLEDMUSLIMS NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS WORLD WIDE1.2 BILLION INTRESTING FACTSDOME OF THE ROCK WORSHIP IN A MOSQUE God is called Allah 5 PILLARS OF FAITH = 1. Daily prayer 2. Giving to charity 3. Belief in God (Allah) 4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan, 5. a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca once in a lifetime. HOLIDAYSRAMADEN

9. THE SPLIT

10. SUNNI SHI’A Sunnis believe that the supreme leader (Caliph) does NOT need to be related to Muhammad. Who will be the best for the Muslim people This is the major branch of the religion, representing about 90% of the world’s Muslim population. Shi’a believe that the supreme leader (called the Caliph) must be a blood relative of Muhammad. Roughly 10% of the world’s Muslims are Shi’a. This branch of Islam is found mostly in Iran and some parts of Iraq. This is the religion of most Persians (ethnic group in Iran).