1. Ethnic and Religious Diversity of the Middle East

2. People of the Middle East
Arabs: majority ethnic group; originated in the Arabian Peninsula Kurds: live in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey; own language and customs Turks: originally came from central Asia

3. People of the Middle East
Persians: majority ethnic group in Iran Berbers: mixture of Arab and people of North African descent Armenians: Christians: victims of Turkish genocide

4. Languages of the Middle East
Arabic: spoken in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Libya, The Gulf States Farsi: spoken in Iran Hebrew: Jewish language

5. Languages of the Middle East
Berber: spoken in many North African countries, such as Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia Kurdish: originated in Iran: restrictions placed on this language in Turkey and Syria Turkish: adopted the Latin alphabet in the early 20th century

6. Religions of the Middle East
Islam
Sunni
Shia

7. Religions of the Middle East
Judaism
Ashkenazim
Jews of European descent
Sephardim:
Jews of Asiatic descent

8. Religions of the Middle East
Christianity
- Eastern Orthodox
- Coptic Christian
- Maronite Christian
- Roman Catholic

9. Questions for Video: 9/28
Identify all of the Mideast conflicts which the President mentions in his speech.
List the religious groups which the President also mentions.
Is Muslim extremism directed only at the West? What does the President say about the goals of such extremists?
What are the President’s views regarding religious slander?
What are the President’s views regarding free speech? Does he think that it can effectively be silenced?