Middle Eastern Ethnic Groups By: Heather MacDougall GSU MAT candidate

What are groups?

GROUPS Groups are two or more humans who interact with one another, accept expectations and obligations as members of the group, and share a common identity.

Culture What is culture? A learned system of shared beliefs and ways of doing things that guide a person’s daily behavior.

Ethnic Groups What are ethnic groups? Ethnic groups share many common characteristics, such as language, physical appearance, customs and traditions.

Middle Eastern Ethnic Groups Persians Iran Afghanistan Kurds Syria Iraq Iran Turkey Arabs 21 Middle Eastern countries Saudi Arabia Syria Lebanon Yemen Jordan Iraq Qatar

Religious Groups What are religious groups? share a common belief system, but are not necessarily composed of a single ethnic group. Examples include Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

Middle Eastern Religious Groups Judaism Christianity Islam

Middle Eastern Ethnicity

Middle Eastern Religious Groups

MAP ACTIVITY Choose a color for each of the three Middle Eastern ethnic groups. Color where each ethnic group would belong on the map. Use your book and your notes to complete the map. Make a key to show the representation of each group.

من هم ، حقا؟ Arabs Stereotypes and truth

Location, Location Originated in Saudi Arabia They are the majority population in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and the nations of North Africa.

Arabs are mainly connected through their use of Arabic. Arabic is the main language for the Arab people.

Religion All Muslims are not Arab, just as not all Arabs are Muslim. 90% of Arabs are Muslim. The remaining10 % are Christian and Jewish.

Population There are over 200 million Arab people living in the world today. Arabs live in 21 countries.

The Persian Empire

History The Persians spread out from Iran in 539 BC and became the world’s largest empire. The Persians existed before Islam began in the 7th century.

Location The majority of Persians live in Iran, making up more than half of Iran’s population. They number anywhere from 76 to 80 million.

Population They number anywhere from 76 to 80 million. 76 to 80 million

Language Persians speak Farsi.

Religion The majority of Persians are Shiite Muslims. Some minorities include Christianity, Judaism, and Ba’hai.

The Kurds A people without a home

History Nomadic people who existed before the spread of Islam. Kurds consider 612 BCE the beginning of their empire and their calendar.

Kurdistan The Kurds are located in 4 Middle Eastern countries: Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.

Language Kurds speak languages associated with Farsi. Kuurmanji Sorani

Population 21 Million Kurds 21 million

Religion Kurds are less strict when it comes to religious rule. 75% Muslim 60% Sunni in Iraq and Turkey 6 to 7% Shiite in Iran Sufi- Islamic mysticism

Location

Oil in Kurdistan