1. Religions of the Middle East

2. (What do you already Know?)
Copy and fill in this KWL chart: K
(What do you already Know?) W
(What do you Want to know?) L
(What did you Learn?)
Islam
Christianity
Judaism

3. Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that the culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, and government of that society.

4. Georgia Performance Standards
The student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in Southwest Asia (Middle East).
c. Compare and contrast the prominent religions in SW Asia: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
d. Explain the origin of the division between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

5. Vocabulary Terms Monotheism-belief in one god
Polytheism-belief in many gods
Exile- forced removal from one’s native country
The Diaspora- the scattering of the Jews to other parts of the world
Resurrect- to bring back to life
Prophet- a messenger of God
Sects- groups

6. Judaism
a monotheistic religion founded by Abraham and whose followers are called Jews
Oldest of the 3 religions
Began as a set of beliefs & laws practiced by ancient Hebrew people (Israelites) in Southwest Asia
They believe that a human leader will come as a messenger of God and bring about a golden age (Messiah).
Hebrew Bible is the sacred text of Judaism. It contains the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament, Psalms, and a few other Old Testament books)
Is both an ethnic group and a religious group

7. Judaism Leader: Abraham-father of the Jews
2000 BC -Born in Ur (present day Iraq)
Moved to Canaan (present day Israel) when told to leave his native land by Yahweh (God)
Canaan-land promised to Abraham & his descendents by God.
If he moved to Canaan, Abraham and his family would be blessed
Moses-prophet that led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt
He received God’s laws (the Ten Commandments) ,
which were different from existing laws because they were based on the worship of one God. (monotheism)

8. Judaism First Temple for Jewish worship
Built around BC by King David
586 BC-destroyed by Babylonians
Jews were exiled for 50 years.
Persians allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild temple.
Second temple
Built on the site of first temple in 20 BC
Destroyed by Romans attacking Jerusalem in 70 AD
Jews moved away from the land after temple was destroyed (The Diaspora)
Has never been rebuilt (the only remaining wall is the Wailing Wall)

9. Christianity
a religion that developed out of Judaism and based on the life and teachings of Jesus (leader)
World’s largest religion (2.1 billion followers)
Bible- the sacred text of Christianity
30 AD-began preaching new ideas about Judaism
Jesus’ teachings
Believed that the old laws of Judaism should be replaced by a simpler system based on love of one’s fellow human beings.
Jesus preached for 3 years.

10. Christianity 33 AD Disciples
Romans found him guilty of treason and was sentenced to death by crucifixion.
Jesus died, but was resurrected .
Jews do not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah .
Disciples
12 close followers of Jesus
Spread his teachings and their belief that he was the Messiah promised in Jewish scripture

11. Christianity Christianity spread because of Paul of Tarsus
Never met Jesus
Told to teach Jesus’ ideas to non-Jews in a vision after the crucifixion
Traveled to build churches throughout the ancient world
Followers of Jesus’ teachings were now called Christians .
100 AD – Romans fought the growth of Christianity
-Many Christians were arrested and killed, so many worshipped in secret to avoid persecution .
-Despite this, Christianity continued to spread
325 AD – Roman Emperor Constantine called for a meeting to discuss how Christianity should be practiced .
-Catholic Church was created (Catholic means universal).

12. Islam
a religion that teaches that there is one god and that Muhammed is his prophet
Muslim-a follower of the religion Islam
Allah-Arabic for God
Leader: Muhammad-born in 570 A.D. in Mecca, S.A.
610 AD-had a vision of an angel who told him to preach about one god, Allah
These messages from Allah were written down and have become the Qur’an.
622 AD-He was forced to flee Mecca.
632 AD-died
After his death, Muslims fought over who would be his successor which caused a split (will discuss later).

13. Islam Islamic Golden Age began in 700 A.D.
Muslim scholars led to advances in math, astronomy, and medicine .
Muslim business practices led to modern day banking.
They introduced the compass and foods, such as rice and sugar to Europe (via the Silk Road)
Our old friend, Genghis Khan and his Mongols, invaded the area and controlled until the late 1200s when the Ottoman Empire began (we will discuss later).
Five Pillars of Islam (Main beliefs)
Believe in only one God and Muhammad is his messenger.
Pray in the direction of Mecca five times a day.
Give money to the poor and needy.
Fast (from sunrise to sunset) during the month of Ramadan.
Make a hajj to Mecca at least once in your lifetime.

14. What are Sunni and Shia Muslims?
The Sunni accepted Muhammad’s father-in-law as the new leader. They think the community should choose the best leader for Islam. They believe that Muslim scholars should be respected, but should not have supreme power. They are less strict in their beliefs than the Shia.
The Shia believed that Muhammad’s son-in-law should have been leader. Today, they follow a supreme imam as their spiritual guide and interpreter of faith.

15. Why is there division between Sunni and Shia Muslims?
Many Sunni rulers perceived the Shia as a threat, both to their political and religious authority.
Their basic beliefs are the same (Qur’an and Muhammad), but their practices and interpretations are different.
The Shia remain an oppressed community in many countries without the right to practice their religion or organize and have been the target of violence.
85% of all Muslims are Sunni. Based on our notes on government, which country do you think has a Shia majority?