Skip to main content

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

Popularity Report

Total Popularity Score: 0
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

Rank

Bookmark History

Saved by 19 people (-7 private), first by anonymouse user on 2008-04-01


Public Sticky notes

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

Highlighted by el-j-bee

Arabs are part of an ethnic group, not a religion.

Highlighted by readmore77

Shia Muslims are similar to Roman Catholics in Christianity. They have a strong clerical presence via Imams and promote the idea of going through them to practice the religion correctly. Sunni Muslims are more like Protestant Christians. They don’t really focus on Imams and believe in maintaining a more direct line to God than the Shia.

Highlighted by readmore77

People from Iran are also known as Persians, and they are not Arabs.

Highlighted by readmore77

Here’s how the various Middle Eastern countries break down in terms of Sunni vs. Shia and whether or not they are predominantly Arab. Keep in mind that these are generalizations; significant diversity exists in many of the countries listed.

  • Iraq Mostly Shia (roughly 60%), but under Saddam the Shia were oppressed and the Sunni were in power despite being only 20% of the population. Arab.

  • Iran Shia. NOT Arab.

  • Palestine Sunni. Arab.

  • Egypt Sunni. Arab.

  • Saudi Arabia Sunni. Arab.

  • Syria Sunni. Arab.

  • Jordan Sunni. Arab.

  • Gulf States Sunni. Arab.

Highlighted by katieday