The middle east. Religion and ethnic groups презентация

Cultural Region Proposal The Middle East: Religion and Ethnic Groups

The Region’s Map

The Regions Maghreb – North Africa Fertile Crescent – Kuwait, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine Nile Valley – Egypt and Sudan Arabian Peninsula – Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, UAE Northern Tier - Turkey

Religious and Cultural Traits The Middle East is divided into various ethnic and religious sects (Durham 43). The ethnic groups are Arabs, Persians, Kurds, and Turks among other sub-tribes. The religions include Judaism, Islam (Sunni and Shiite), Christianity, Ibadism, Zoroastrianism, and Druze among others (Held 120).

Cultural Formation Sunni Islam is the religion with the most followers; the faith is mainly practiced in Saudi Arabia, North Africa, the UAE, and Yemen. In Iran and Jordan as well as parts of Lebanon, Shia Muslims dominate Judaism is mainly practiced in Israel. In Syria, Alawites form the majority. Iraq has a mixed religious identity of Shia and Sunni, which is responsible for the sectarian wars in the country. In Turkey, Christianity and Islam are widely practiced.

Ethnic Formation In the North African Maghreb region, the main cultural activity is pastoralism and nomadism in addition to practicing Sunni Islam (Anderson, Seibert and Wagner 12). In the Fertile Crescent and the Nile Valley are Arabs, Jews, Kurds, and mixed races, who practice arable agriculture and practice Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In the Arab Peninsula and the Northern Tier, trading and oil are the main economic activity (Louise 54).

Works Cited Anderson, R., R. Seibert and J. Wagner. Politics and Change in the Middle East (8th ed.). Prentice-Hall, 2006. Print. Durham, Cole. Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues. New York: Ashgate. 2012. Print. Held, Colbert C. Middle East Patterns: Places, Peoples, and Politics. Fourth Edition. London: Westview Press, 2006. Print. Louise, Fawcett. International Relations of the Middle East. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.