Hands on Resources for

“Reorienting” the Middle East

Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations

Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

In general, what is our goal

as 21st century educators?

Provide students with opportunities to develop knowledge and skills that will enable them to make sense of the world in which they live

Students will grow up with the ability to influence public policy and private behavior on behalf of international understanding, tolerance and empathy

Foster cooperation and understanding between students of different backgrounds

Give students the tools to become fully functioning citizens

Is this the Middle East?

Muslims preparing to pray at the Ka’aba in Mecca, Saudia Arabia

Israelis sledding in Jerusalem, Israel (2013)

Traffic in the United Arab Emirates

Christian girls worshipping in traditional head coverings at a

Russian Orthodox Church

Oil well in Qaidam Basin, Qinghai Province, China

Priest prepares for New Year’s services at Vank Cathedral, New Julfa, Isfahan

Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra performing with the Bavarian Radio Choir

The Crystal Mosque in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

Where in the world

is the Middle East?

CCSMEMC “Core Areas” of the Middle East

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus (northern), Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait,

Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia,

Turkey, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza (Palestine) and Yemen

CCSMEMC “Core” and “Extended Regions” of the Middle East

Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti,

Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mali,

Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sahara, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan

What are a few common misconceptions

about the Middle East?

The words “Arab” and “Muslim” are

not synonymous.

Arabs are people who speak Arabic as their native

language and identify themselves as Arabs

Muslims are those who practice the religion of Islam

Roughly 18% of Muslims are Arabs

Many Arabs follow different faiths and live all over the

world. There are Christian Arabs and Jewish Arabs living

in the Middle East.

Many Arab cultural influences in Islam

Qur’an – written in Arabic

Muhammad – an Arab

Prayer – facing Ka’aba (Arabia)

Call to prayer – Adhan (Arabic) eh-than

Holy Sites – Mecca & Medina (Arabia)

Jerusalem

minaret

The Arab World

The Muslim World

10 Countries

with the

Largest

Populations of

Muslims

Estimated

2010 Muslim

Population

Indonesia 209,120,200

India 176,190,000

Pakistan 167,410,000

Bangladesh 133,540,000

Nigeria 77,300,000

Egypt 76,990,000

Iran 73,570,000

Turkey 71,330,000

Algeria 34,730,000

Morocco 31,940,000

**Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion

& Public Life | Global Religious Landscape,

December 2012

Not everyone in the Middle East is Muslim.

In addition to the large Jewish population in Israel, there are also significant Christian and small Jewish communities throughout the region.

Egyptian Christians most likely account for about 10% of the population though some sources give between 3-20% of the population

Israel as a majority Jewish state

Iran as an example: There are about 200,000 Iranian Christians of different backgrounds, and Iran also has about 25,000 Jews and 20,000 Zoroastrians

There is more than just desert

in the Middle East.

Rafting down the Jordan River

The Cedar Forests of Lebanon

Taurus mountains in Antalya, Turkey

Many people in the Middle East

appreciate America.

It is true that some people

are critical of the United

States’ foreign policy, but

many others look to the

United States as model for

political freedom and

economic development.

Most Muslims

around the world

express support for

democracy, and

most say it is a good

thing when others

are very free to

practice their

religion.

-Pew Research

conclusion

Pew Research also shows that at a personal level, many

Muslims enjoy Western popular culture and fashion, and

adopt it as their own

Many women in the Middle East are

valued and respected.

Many are well-educated, participating in important roles in society, and voting in elections.

Muslim women play an important role in family life.

Women in Turkey got the right to vote in 1934, ten years before women in France.

Women are 60%

of university

students in Iran.

Women’s rights and equality continues to be a global

issue, not just in the Middle East.

Nobel Peace Prize goes to women’s rights activists in 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SYvYBxt_Dg

Majede Najar: “Why I wear a hijab”

“I want to show with this picture that Muslim women are not held back. My sister

studied abroad for 6 years to earn her medical degree. My family trusted her to live on

her own in a foreign country. I am a photographer and feel free to address issues like

the empowerment of women. Do not let our vails misguide you, we are modest AND

modern.”

The Middle East is a diverse region with

many different cultural influences

Iranian wedding traditions reflect ancient Zoroastrian traditions.

Traditional folk dances of Israel are choreographed for recreational purposes and festivals. They include the Hora and dances incorporating the Yemenite step.

Turkish coffee houses continue their role in society as a meeting place. This tradition stems from the Ottoman Empire.

Because of it’s location on the Persian Gulf, U.A.E. has one of the largest fishing sectors in the Arab world.

“Orientalism”

A way of seeing that

imagines, emphasizes,

exaggerates and distorts

differences of Arab

peoples and cultures as

compared to that of

Europe and the U.S. It

often involves seeing Arab

culture as exotic,

backward, uncivilized, and

at times dangerous.

Common Misconceptions about

the United States

Of the total Muslim population, 10-13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90% are Sunni Muslims

Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq

1) The Testimony of Faith: Shahada

“There is no true god (deity) but God

(Allah),1 and Muhammad is the Messenger

(Prophet) of God.”

The word “Allah” is God in Arabic

Islam recognizes a series of prophets including Abraham,

Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad

Scared Texts: Qur’an, Sunna

2) Prayer: Salat

5 times a day

Facing Mecca

Mosque (masjid): place for

worship and community prayer

Community service: Fridays at

noon

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shriaz, Iran

Jamaat Ibad Ar-Rahman in Durham

Grande Mosquée in Paris

Masjid Sultan Suriansyah in Banjarmasin, Indonesia

Vocabulary about Prayer

muezzin: a man who calls Muslims to prayer

adhan (azan): the Muslim call to ritual prayer

minaret: a tall slender tower, typically part of a mosque, with a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer

prayer rug: a small carpet used by Muslims for kneeling on when praying, placed on the ground for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer

misbahah or subha: prayer beads used by Muslims to help count recitations and concentrate during personal prayers.

3) Almsgiving: Zakat

reminds Muslims that whatever wealth they may possess

is due to the blessings of God

acts as a social security for all

is an act of worship and

acknowledgment of gratitude

4) Fasting: Sawm

Every year in the month of Ramadan (Islamic Calendar),

all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown

Regarded principally as a method

of spiritual self-purification

Fasting encourages self-discipline,

becoming spiritually stronger,

sharing sufferings of the poor and

developing sympathy for them

5) Pilgrimage: Hajj

To Mecca (the Ka’aba)

During the pilgrimage

month (12th month of

the lunar calendar)

Once in a lifetime, if

possible (physically and

financially able to

perform it)

Crash Course in History: Islam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpcbfxtdoI8

First Amendment Center

“Teacher’s Guide to Teaching About Religion…” www.freedomforum.org

How should religion be taught within the context of the

classroom?

In a way that focuses on:

academics, not devotion

awareness, not acceptance

study, not practice

exposure to, not imposition on

education, not promotion

information, not conformation

Duke-UNC Consortium

for Middle East Studies

We are a collaboration between Duke and UNC. We

support our faculty, students, and community (K-12 and

community college teachers as well as the general public)

in deepening understanding of the Middle East.

Teaching Resources

Professional Development Opportunities

Books & Film Lending Library

Presentations

How to stay in touch with us:

Check us out online! http://ncmideast.org/

Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/DukeUNCConsortiumMidEastStudies

Join our listserv! NCTeachMidEast

Emma Harver

Program/Outreach Coordinator

harver@email.unc.edu

919-962-6732