1. Unit 3

2. Ancient History  Some of the world’s oldest settlements have been found in the Middle East  The world’s oldest civilizations were in Mesopotamia – the first, being Sumer

3. A Cradle of Religions  Three of the world’s most powerful religions originated in the Middle East: Judaism (0.2% of world’s population) Christianity (33% of world’s population – largest in the world) Islam (20% of world’s population – second largest in the world)

4. Distribution of World Jewish Population Distribution of World Christian Population Distribution of World Muslim Population

5. A Cradle of Religions  Judaism (c. 2000 BC ) Abraham made a covenant with God Start of the first major monotheistic religion Abraham’s descendants were the beginning of the Hebrew (Jewish) race Jewish history is fraught with discrimination and tragedy The first and only Jewish state is Israel, formed after WWII (1949) Three modern day branches: Orthodox, Conservative & Reform

6. A Cradle of Religions  Christianity (c. 30 AD ) Jesus of Nazareth begins his ministry Believers call him Christ – the Son of God He is crucified by Roman authorities, and is said to have been resurrected three days later to continue his ministry for another 40 days Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire during the 300s Orthodox split from Catholic in 1054 Protestant Reformation of 1519 created the third major branch Many modern restoration churches

7. A Cradle of Religions  Islam (622-630) Muhammad receives his revelations from Gabriel Muhammad led an army and seized control of Mecca, where he established his religion After his death, those close to Muhammad wrote down his prophecies, which is called the Quran Followers believe the Quran fixed the corrupted message of God Islam is split into two main branches: Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim civilizations are responsible for many scientific and medical discoveries

8. Post-Muhammad History  Throughout most of history, the Middle East has been controlled by various Islamic Empires (such as the Umayyad Dynasty, the Seljuk Turks, and the Ottoman Empire)  Many clashes with Western crusaders over control of Jerusalem (‘the Holy Land”)  The Ottoman Empire held control over most of the Middle East, until its defeat after WWI

9. Modern History  Turkey was the first Middle Eastern nation to modernize, starting in 1921 Under the direction of Mustafa Ataturk First to secularize the government Allowed private industry to form Westernized their dress, alphabet, and improved the status of women

10. Modern History  Iran attempted a similar modernization under Riza Shah An invasion by the Soviets and British in 1941 halted his efforts, after Riza Shah had become corrupt and cruel  In 1959, Shah Mohammed Pahlavi secured the throne by ousting the Ayatollah Khomeini Discontent over his policies led to a revolution When the shah left for the US for medical treatment, the Khomeini returned

11. Modern History  Iran, cont… The US attempted to return the Shah to power, but followers of the Ayatollah stormed the US Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage ○ After a failed (and deadly) rescue attempt, the hostages were released over a year later in 1981 Since then, Iran has waged war against Iraq and has continued to be ruled in a traditional Shi’ite manner

12. Modern History  Egypt, while African, shares more commonalities with the Middle East than the rest of Africa Egypt modernized under Gamal Nasser, who wanted to unite all Arab nations His successors, starting with Anwar Sadat, focused on Egypt’s internal problems

13. Modern History  Other nations Saudi Arabia modernized its law, but did not secularize like Turkey did Military rule controlled Syria, Turkey, and Iraq from the 1970s on through current times Conflicts over oil, secularization, and Communism were common during the 1970s and 1980s

14. Arab-Israeli Conflict  Discontent after the creation of a Jewish state where a Muslim majority lived (Palestine)  Conflicts between Israel, Egypt, and the Muslim majority in Palestine fight starting in 1956  (This will be discussed more thoroughly later)

15. Modern Problems  Human rights violations in the more extreme Muslim nations (such as Iran and Afghanistan)  Terrorist groups, such as the PLO and al Qaeda, involvement in domestic and international terrorism  The US-led coalition of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan  Attempts at democratization (such as Afghanistan and Egypt)  Domestic violence in Libya and Syria