minorities in the me presentation

8/2/2019 Minorities in the ME Presentation

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Minorities in the MiddleEast

Amazigh, Christians, Kurds, and Sunni/ShiaCommunities


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Amazigh (Berbers)

It is believed, through linguisticstudies, that the people now knownas the Berbers came from West Asiaor the Caucasus States

Egyptian text, dated at 2500 B.C.,identified a tribal group to the west(Libya)

Spread throughout Northern Africaand, under the rule of the UmayyadCaliphate, into the Iberian Peninsula

Do not consider themselves Arabs

and maintain a separate languageand cultural ractices


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Amazigh (Berbers)

Because of Gamel Abdul Nassers Pan-Arabism and suppression of Berber culture,accurate demographic data is difficult toacquire, but current estimates:

14-25 million speakers of Berberlanguages

Half of the Moroccan population

1/3 of the Algerian population The indigenous people of the Canary

Islands are Berber

2 million across Europe

1 million across Mali, Niger and


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Amazigh (Berbers)

Under Egyptian President Gamel Abdul Nasser, anideal for a unified Arabic community (Pan-Arabism)arose

Language, Culture and Berber identity was suppressed because of the Arab

Nationalism and employment requirements/restrictions

The Arab Spring sparked a renaissance for the Amazigh in North Africa

They were among the first in the struggle to topple the oppressive Libyan regime

Algeria recognized itself, constitutionally, as an Arab, Berber and Muslimcountry

Morocco added Tamazight (the language of the Berbers) as an official languageand its study spread


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Christians in ArabCountries


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Maronite Christians inLebanon

The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church

It is estimated that there are over 3 million Maronites in the

world, and approximately 930,000 in Lebanon.

Maronites, along with other Christian sects, make upbetween 31-35% of the population

There are also pockets of Maronites in Syria, Israel, Cypress,and a worldwide diaspora

Their main spoken language is Arabic, however Syriac is the


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In 1920 the Maronites, with the help of France, establishedGreater Lebanon as a homeland and refuge for persecuted

Christians in the Arab Muslim world.

After 1943 the Lebanese Presidency was guaranteed to aMaronite, and from that point until 1975 the Maroniteminority secured control over Lebanons political, military,and economic systems.

After independence, Lebanon became a leading commercial-financial and cultural-intellectual center in the Middle East.


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However, the Maronite governments pro-Western/anti-Arableanings, its corruption, and its inability to recognize and

confront growing discontent from the Muslim Arab majorityled to years of civil war between the two sects.

The result of the civil war was the demise of MaroniteHegemony in the country and ultimately the marginalizationof Maronites in an increasingly Arab-Muslim Lebanon.


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Chaldean and AssyrianChristians in Iraq

Both descended from similar roots, but seen as separateethno-religious groups. Syriac is the official liturgicallanguage of both Churches.

Chaldeans are Eastern Rite Catholics

Assyrian Church traces its roots to 2nd centuryMesopotamia, and is not Catholic

They make up approximately 16% of Iraq's population, andthere are large pockets in Iran, Syria, and Turkey as well.

The lack of security over the last 10 years, as well as theincrease in sectarian violence and increased attacks on


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Kurds


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Introduction

The Kurdish people are the largestethnic group in the world without acountry of their own. Approximately

25 million Kurds live in an area calledKurdistan, a mountainous areacovering 200,000 miles from

southeast Turkey, northeast Syria,north Iraq and west Iran. Many havefled oppression and poverty toEurope, North America, Australia,Central Asia and the Middle East.


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Demographics

THE KURDS live mainly in Turkey, Iranand Iraq and probably number about25-35 million worldwide (though

estimates vary).

About 15 million Kurds live in Turkey,6 million in Iran, 5 million in Iraq andup to 1.5 million in Syria. Smallernumbers live in former Soviet

republics and in Lebanon. Outside


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Languages

Kurdish (Kurdish: Kurd or ) is adialect continuum spoken by the

Kurds in western Asia. It is part of theIranian branch of the Indo-Iraniangroup of Indo-European languages.

The Persian language is one of its

close modern relatives.

The Kurdish language itself has about16 million s eakers toda . 2


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Religion

Today, the majority of Kurds areSunni Muslim, belonging to the Shafischool. Mystical practices and

participation in Sufi orders are alsowidespread among Kurds.[124] Thereis also a minority of Kurds who are

Shia Muslims, primarily living in theIlam and Kermanshah provinces ofIran, Central and south eastern Iraq(Fayli Kurds), and who are Alevi, whomostl live in Turke .


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Politics

Iraqi Kurds-

1946 - Kurdistan Democratic Party(KDP) holds its first congress inMahabad. Within a few months, the

"Mahabad Republic" collapses underattack from Iranian forces, andMustafa Barzani flees to the SovietUnion.


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1988 - As the Iran-Iraq war draws toa close, Iraqi forces launch the "AnfalCampaign" against the Kurds. Tens of

thousands of Kurdish civilians andfighters are killed, and hundreds ofthousands forced into exile, in a

systematic attempt to break theKurdish resistance movement.

1988 16 March - Thousands of


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2005 June - First session of Kurdishparliament held in Irbil; KDP'sMassoud Barzani is president of

autonomous region.

2009June - The Kurdish governmentbegins crude oil exports to foreign

markets. Contractors are to pump90,000-100,000 barrels a day from

two northern oilfields to Turkey. The


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Turkish Kurds

1978-/In Turkey, Abdullah Ocalanhelps to create the Kurdistan WorkersParty, or PKK, to seek Kurdish

independence. He assumesleadership of the leftist organization.

1984-On August 15, under Ocalan'sdirection, the PKK turns to armedstruggle. Thousands of Kurds in

southeast Turkey join the cause,


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1991-Turkey lifts ban set by formermilitary government on the use ofKurdish language in unofficial

settings. Kurdish remains illegal inschools, political settings, andbroadcasts

1992-A large-scale Turkish militaryoperation attacks PKK bases in Iraq,

where Kurdish safe havens had been


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1993-The Turkish government grantslimited autonomy to the Kurds,though Kurdish political parties

continue to be banned. Martial law isimposed to quell uprisings. Tens ofthousands of security forces are sent

to southeastern Turkey as thestruggle intensifies.

1991/ Abdullah Ocalan is captured,


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Sunni Islam and ShiiteIslamSimilarities & Differences


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Sunni and Shia Islam


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General Demographics ofIslam

Islam is the 2nd largestreligion afterChristianity

There are 1.62 billionadherents = makes up23% of the worldspopulation

Muslims are found inAsia-Pacific region suchas Indonesia (12.7%),Pakistan (11%), India(10.9%), Bangladesh

(9.2.5)

There are large communities of Muslims in China,Russia, and Balkans

The majority of Muslims are Sunni

15% are Shiite


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History of Islam = TwoDifferent Sects in Islam

632- death of Prophet Muhammad

Disagreement over successor: Somebelieved it should be pious leader =Sunni

Others believed it should be throughthe bloodlines - Shiite


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Sunni & Shiite Differences

SunnisThey accept the fourCaliphs as the rightlyguided

Reject the belief that theShiite Imams are divinerulers

There are 4 schools ofjurisprudence that offer

alternative interpretation of

legal decisions affected theMuslim life.

Less prominent sectariandivision than Shiite Islam

ShiitesThe first true leader of theMuslim community is Ali(the Prophets cousin)

Religious practices aresurrounded by theremembrance of Alis son;Hussein.

Different interpretation ofthe Hadith (sayings of the

Prophet) Most common of Shiism

today is the Twelver Shiism-they accept the line of thetwelve Imams descendant

from Ali


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Similarities

They both share common traditions,beliefs and doctrines

All Muslims believe that the Prophet

Muhammad was the messenger of AllahAll Muslims are expected to live with

accordance to the 5 pillars of their faith:

prayer, pilgrimage, recital of the creed,giving alms to the poor, fasting

Quran= the holy book of all Muslims


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Links

http://www.tamurt.info/index.php?lang=

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-

africa-14650257http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle

http://www.spiritrestoration.org/images/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kurdish-inhabited_area_by_CIA_%281992%29.jpg
http://www.tamurt.info/index.php?lang=enhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15239529http://www.spiritrestoration.org/images/Muslim%20Sunni%20and%20Shia.jpghttp://www.spiritrestoration.org/images/Muslim%20Sunni%20and%20Shia.jpghttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15239529http://www.tamurt.info/index.php?lang=en

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