Ethnic Groups and Religious Groups What is the difference?

What is culture? Culture consists of the beliefs, customs, laws, art, and ways of living that a group of people share.

What is a culture trait?  Anything shared by a culture is a culture trait. These can be  Religion  Language  Music, dance, literature  Food  Clothing  Technology and tools

Ethnic Groups  Share many common characteristics:  Language  Similar physical features  Customs  Traditions

Religious Groups  Share a common belief system but are not necessarily composed of a single ethnic group.  Religious groups can have many different ethnic groups.

Who are the Kurds?  Kurds comprise 22 million people in 6 countries –  Turkey (10 million),  Iran(5.5 million),  Iraq (3.5 million),  Syria, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Kurds  Speak a language related to Farsi  The majority are Sunni Muslims  Were promised their own country after WW 1, carved from the Ottoman Empire  Thousands were killed in Northern Iraq in 1988 on orders from Saddam Hussein

Kurds  Most Kurds are found in the mountainous areas where Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq come together.  They speak their own language called Kurdish, and have a separate history, literature, music, and set of traditions.  Many Kurds hope to have a nation of their own some day, a hope that has caused conflict with the countries in which Kurdish people live.  Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim Women, in traditional Kurdish dress, dance during a wedding party in what they hope to one day be called Kurdistan.

Other Groups in the Middle East  Arabs – people living in the Middle East who speak Arabic and Islam is their primary religion.  Persians- people living in Iran. Their primary language is Farsi and religion is Islam.

Arabs  Arabs are the most populous ethnic group in the Middle East.  Arabs believe themselves to be descendants of Abraham through his son Ishmael and originally from the Arabian Peninsula.  They speak Arabic.  Most Arabs are Muslims, with the majority being Sunni Muslim. However, there are many Christian Arabs as well, especially in the countries of Lebanon and Egypt. Arabs escape the Gaza strip into Egypt for much needed supplies.

Persians  Most Persians live in the modern country of Iran where they are the most populous ethnic group.  They are different from Arabs and Jews in that their ancestors came from Central Europe and Southern Russia  The country of Persia became known as Iran after WWI.  Persians speak Farsi, a language that uses the Arabic alphabet but is actually spoken differently.  Most Persians are Shia Muslims even though Shia Muslims only make up about 15% of the world’s Muslim population. Persian family from northern Iran

Persians in Iran

Arabs in the Middle East

Jewish  Most of the Jewish population in Southwest Asia reside in Israel.  During the 20 th century, many Jews migrated to Israel after its formation following WWII.  Israel’s Jews come from all over the world with different customs.  The Law of Return allows a Jew from other countries to become citizens in Israel.