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Explore the distinctions between Arab, Israeli, Turkish, and Iranian populations in the Middle East, encompassing historical, religious, and geopolitical factors. Understand the unique characteristics of each group and their impact on the region.
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Population Patterns of Middle East 18-1 Notes
Arabs- • It is important to distinguish between being Arab and being Muslim. An Arab, is simply someone who traces their lineage (family history) to the Arabian Peninsula. Not all Middle Easterners are Arab. Some, like those in Iran, are of Persian descent. Turks, are Turkish descent. Israelis are of Israeli descent however, Palestinians are Arab descent. A Muslim is a follower of Islam. Islam is a religion that started around 600AD on the Arabian Peninsula by the prophet Mohammad. We will discuss this more in the next section.
Maghreb- • This fits into the geographic theme of region. This is a uniform region. People from here share a similar characteristic - they live in an area of abundant rainfall in the desert of N. Africa.
Israelis- • This ethnic group traces their lineage way back to Old Testament times when Abraham was called by God to lead the “Chosen people” to the land of Canaan. We will discuss this more in the next section on history of the Middle East.
Israelis continued- • There are about 6 million Jews living in the Middle East, mainly in Israel, and equal amount of them living in the United States. They trace their lineage back to the characters of the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses, David, etc...The main thing that distinguishes them from Christians is that they do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, which means deliverer or savior. They are still waiting for the Messiah to come.
Turks- • Turks are not Arab but are predominantly (mostly) Muslim in faith. They are descended from the Ottoman Turks who ruled most of the Middle East from 1000-1700. They speak Turkic language.
Right now, the important fact to know about the Turks is that they want to be admitted to the European Union and if so they would be the first Muslim nation. They are also members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Which is a military alliance formed to defeat the U.S.S.R. in the Cold War of the 1980’s. Their neighbor, Greece, is also a NATO member but is fighting constantly with Turkey over control of islands in the Aegean Sea which separate the two. The main conflict is over the larger Med. Island of Cyprus. This is addressed further below. Turks continued
Iranians- • Iranians are an interesting group. They differ from any other Middle Eastern group. Their ethnicity is traced back to the Aryans. This is not to be confused with the white supremacists of the Southern U.S. who use the same term. It just means that their ancestors moved to Iran from S. Russia a long time ago.
Iranians continued • They call themselves Iranians but the Europeans called them Persians. This is traced backed to the Persian Empire that once ruled a larger empire. • Religiously, they are Muslim but they are of the Shia sect, which is the minority. Sadaam Hussein and most of Iraq, and the Muslim world, are Sunni Muslim.
Iranians continued The difference between the two sects is belief in who should be the leader of Islam. This conflict started around 650AD when Mohammad died. • The Sunni’s believe it should be someone whose ideals are shaped after Mohammad, and the Shiite’s believe it should be someone from the blood line of Mohammad. We will talk about the impact of this in the next section.
Afghanistan – • Afghanistan is not an Arab country but they are Muslim in faith. Not much is known about this country that is positive. Recently they had their first democratic election and Harmid Karzai won. He is the leader that the U.S. helped gain power after the U.S. invasion in September 2001.
Afghanistan continued • The country lacks abundant natural resources. The government before Sept. 2001 was the Taliban. This was a group of Muslim clerics (leaders like priests) who ruled according to their interpretation of the Islamic Holy Scripture, the Koran. This type of rule is called “Shari a” in the Muslim world and the style of government is a theocracy.
Afghanistan continued • Westerners opposed this type of government because of the perceived abuses to women. Women in Afghanistan, under the Taliban, had to wear a head covering called a burqa to prevent men from lusting after them. I read somewhere that this rule was put in place after two women who were walking down a street were raped by a group of men. Women were then beaten or arrested if seen walking alone or not covered up. Today, women have jobs, go to school, and wear western-style clothes.
Afghanistan continued • The agriculture industry is almost non-existent in Afghanistan. Farmers can earn four times the money growing poppy than regular crops. It is hard to convince them otherwise when they are protected by militias and drug lords. Karzai’s government has little influence outside of the capitol of Kabul. During this presidency, he must form a strong military and gain the support of the majority of people to enforce his anti-poppy beliefs. There are maps showing poppy production in Afghanistan on the internet.
Cypriots- • These are the islanders of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. It is the 3rd largest island on the Mediterranean and was controlled by all major civilizations dating back to the Egyptians. The most common economic activity is agriculture. The population of the island is 708,000 people, 80% are Greek, 18% are Turkish, and the remaining 2% are Armenian and other.
Cyproits continued • The island is split into two parts, the north and east are controlled by the Turkish-Cypriots, and the south and western 2/3rds controlled by the Greek-Cypriots. • In 1974 Turkish military troops invaded Cyprus during a coup of the government by the Greek-Cypriots. The conflict was never settled but a cease-fire line was drawn up by the United Nations (UN). The capital city, Nicosia is just south of the line in the Greek side.
Cyproits continued • The Turkish population is mostly Muslim in faith and the Greeks are E. Orthodox. Both sides have established their own legislature and leaders but the U.N. does not recognize the Turkish government in Cyprus. It is interesting to note that the Turks controlled the island during the 1800’s until 1877-78 when Turkey lost in the Russo-Turkish wars. They gave over control of the island to the British to administer the island which lasted until their independence in the 1960’s. In 1995 talks started to admit Cyprus into the European Union.
Armenians- • 1991 gained independence from U.S.S.R. Mostly mountainous country so people live in the river valleys. Lake Sevan which we studied a little in our Russia unit is the largest lake in Armenia and contains 90% of all standing water in Armenia. Population is about 3.5 million and is mostly homogenous (same) ethnically. About 90% of them are Armenian with the remaining 10% made up of Russians and Kurds and others. Most live in urban areas with the largest city being the capital of Yerevan. The official language is Armenian and the vast majority are Christian.
Kurds- • Kurds are a semi-nomadic tribes in a region called Kurdistan which is made up of the northern part of Iraq, the eastern part of Turkey, and western part of Iran. • They believe they descended from the ancient civilization of the Medes. • Today they are mostly Sunni Muslim but are ethnically different than the Turks, Iraqis, and Iranians. They want their own nation but have met resistance from Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
Kurds continued • Most of them raise sheep, farm, or manufacture finely woven rugs. • They speak their own language, Kurdish and number around 26 million. It is hard to estimate their total number since many have moved into other countries. • They were promised their own autonomy in northern Iraq but Sadaam Hussein failed to materialize the way the Kurds wanted and civil war broke out.
Kurds continued • Their territory is protected by the U.N. in Northern Iraq. The locals helped us invade the southern part of Iraq from the north recently. I’m not sure where the Kurds stand in the reconstruction phase of Iraq except to think that they feel the U.S. owes them more control over their land since they helped us. I don’t think they want a united Iraq, I think they want their own homeland as a country.
Water and Population • Most people live near sources of freshwater. This is especially true in this region due to all the desert and steppe area. Most cities in the desert are because of an oasis or petroleum related industries there.
Population and Density • Population density is a measurement of people in a given area. Most are measured in people per square kilometer because Europeans and most others use the metric system. We, in America, use what we call Standard measurement, so our distance is measured in feet and miles. A high population density is different than high total population. If a country has a lot of people and few square miles, it will have a high population density.
Population Density • In the Middle East, Turkey has the most population but also a lot of land. Bahrain on the other hand is the smallest country in square miles so has a high population density.
Urbanization • Urbanization is the process of people moving from the rural area to the cities. This is happening on a global scale. Urbanization leads to two major problems and one major consequence. Overcrowding and straining public services are the two problems and pollution is the consequence. In the Middle East especially, because it is a desert region, one of the problems of overcrowding is providing enough food for them.
Map of Middle East • On the Perry-Castaneda map library hosted by the Univ. of Texas website, they have good maps of the Middle East showing ethnicity and Muslim distribution. Visit the site and check out the maps of Iraq and Iran in specific.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east.html • Last updated on 3/21/06
