Nations of the World! 6IRI&feature=related

Lebanon Beirut: formerly theBeirut: formerly the “Paris of the Middle East” Reduced to rubble afterReduced to rubble after Civil War throughout the 1980s 70% Muslim, 30% Christian. Why?70% Muslim, 30% Christian. Why? Large Shiite population tied closely to IranLarge Shiite population tied closely to Iran - Hezbollah

Lebanon Religions 17 separate religious and ethnic groups officially recognized Leadership positions dependent on religious majorities

Syria Shiite government allied with Iran, but Syria has a Sunni majority Lost the Golan Heights to Israel in 1967 Syria is still officially at war with Israel over this – key Hezbollah leader assassinated by Israel February Current civil war an attempt to overthrow Shiite ruler of Sunni majority

Egypt The Nile! True or False…Oil is the most important resource in determining where people live in the Middle East? Important in Arab world in population, international relations, mediation between Palestine and Israel, and location Suez Canal won in the Suez Crisis 1956 Muslim Brotherhood currently a threat to secular government

Sudan Formerly controlled by Great Britain & Egypt Civil War; major disparities between the North & South –Millions of refugees –Drought, poverty, famine, violence Push to impose Islamic Law South Sudan created in 2011

Iraq Ba’ath Party ruled from 1958 to 2003 (Saddam came to power in 1979) 2 nd largest oil reserves in the world Infrastructure has been nearly ruined due Saddam’s neglect and U.S. invasion Large Kurdish minority in northwest operates nearly autonomously

Kurds Largest non-Arab Muslim minority group World’s largest ethnic group without a home Own language & culture Harsh treatment by others Mostly Sunni Muslim Allied with U.S.

Turkey –Founder “Ataturk” –Old Ottoman empire post WWI –Largest economy and most westernized of all Middle Eastern countries –Secular government and military, but a strong fundamentalist movement in Turkey

Turkey - Kurds: non-Arab, Sunni people that are a nation without a country (Kurdistan) - Large Kurdish minority involved in guerrilla skirmishes with Turkish government –Turkey is on both Asia & Europe – improving its treatment of Kurds in an effort to try to join the European Union.

Whirling Dirvishes Sufi Islam Spiritual ‘Mystical’ component of Islam Brotherhoods organized around a spiritual leader Dance is an act of love and faith Ottoman culture roots