Download Hands on Resources for “Reorienting” the Middle

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 8790% 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!

Join our listserv! NCTeachMidEast

Emma Harver
Program/Outreach Coordinator
[email protected]
919-962-6732
https://www.facebook.com/DukeUNCConsortiumMidEastStudies