1. Review of Major Concepts to Date
Agricultural Revolution
Specialization of Labor
Monotheism
Oligarchy
Democracy (2 types)
Republic vs. Empire
Liberty vs. Security
Supply vs. Demand

2. Islam Vocabulary Islam (noun, name of religion)
Muslim (noun, name of follower of Islam)
Islamic (adjective, for example “Islamic architecture” or “Islamic culture”) (no separation of Church and State)
Arab (ethnic / linguistic group)
Sunni (majority sect in Islam)
Shi’a (Shi’ite) (minority sect in Islam)
Most Arabs are Muslims
Most Muslims are not Arabs (Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh)

3. Rise of Islam
For all Arabs, the basic social unit was (and still is) the clan
How can this help explain the dysfunction in the Arab world today?
“Divide & Conquer”

4. Rise of Islam
The Qur’an is regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God pg. 222
In what way is the Qur’an different from the Bible?
(in terms of author & language)

5. Similar to what happened with the preaching of Jesus Christ, accounts of Muhammad’s life and preaching were not written down until a century after his death
Pg. 222

7. Rise of Islam
Islam spreads incredibly quickly through the former Roman Empire
(keep this in mind when we study the Crusades)

8. Things forbidden by Islam:
Gambling
Alcohol
Pork
Usury (charging interest)

9. 1000 years ago, Muslim women had more property rights than Western women enjoyed until the 1800’s
Pg. 225

10. Islam does not have an organized hierarchy of priests
(similar to Judaism, different from Christianity)

12. Cause & effects of Sunni-Shi’a schism?
Iraq as example

14. During the “Dark Ages” in Europe, Muslims preserve and add to the accumulated wisdom of mankind

15. 1000 CE:
Largest library in Islamic world has 400,000 books
Largest library in Christian world has 600 books

16. Muslims translated scientific and philosophical learning of Greeks, Romans, and Persians
Muslim medical knowledge far surpassed that of the West
Pg. 229

17. Judaism expanded into Christianity, which in turn expanded into Islam Muslims consider all monotheists to be “people of the book”
Old Testament
Judaism
New Testament
Christianity
Qu’ran
Islam

18. If Jews, Christians, and Muslims are so similar, why is there so much violence between them?
“The narcissism of the small difference”

19. “Dark Ages” in Europe
After the Fall of the Roman Empire, Europe is fragmented
No central political authority
Travel and trade decrease sharply
Quality of life and life expectancy decline sharply

20. French King Charlemagne briefly unites much of Europe into a “New Roman Empire”
(only Napoleon and Hitler would be able to copy this achievement, but they failed just as Charlemagne had)

21. Because of the threat of attacks by Vikings, Europeans sacrificed their liberty for security

22. Dark Ages
With weak central governments, poor people had to rely on local lords for protection.
This arrangement became known as feudalism (similar to sharecropping in post-Civil War U.S.)
How did this system work?