What has our study of the Middle East taught you about our current situation in Iraq?
We have studied the Middle East from its foundation all the way to WWI so far in class. What have you learned about a countries involvement in this area. Stress the positives for countries that have been involved in trade, academics, science, and contrast them with negatives like war, corruption, and fundamentalism.
Write as if you were being asked, as an expert on the middle east, to offer suggestions to the current administration on important ways to proceed in our dealings in the Middle East. You may include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Palestinians in your response.
posted by bcoffman | 10:56 AM
8 Comments:
From our studies over the Middle East I learned many things about the current situation in Iraq. The most important thing that I learned was that this has been going on for Centuries and it won't be a real easy fix. Trying to fix this "mess" will take a lot of time, resources, and patience. People need to realize when you have 3 different groups that hate each other in the same country and are willing to use deadly force, it won't be easy to fix at all.
Since the foundations, the Middle East has had great influence over other places. They were in a great position with two rivers. Unfortunatly, when Islam was created, it broke this reagion a part. There were different beliefs of who should be the next calliph. Later on, struggle between Muslim empires came about. Continuosly over time, more hatred and contraversy came: enclosement of the Palestinians because of the jews wanting Jerusalem, 3 different followers of 3 different beliefes forced to live in one country, and so much more. This regin was once a great nation, but until hatred, racism, and any other abhorrence subdues, it will not be at peace. This is something that the United States can't control, mostly because they hate us, but it's a difference of oppinion and lack of tolerence. We can't force people to be happy. That's oxymoronic.
During our Middle East Unit, I've learned that the West's general involvement in the Middle East has, more often than not, been a bad thing. For instance, during World War I, Western Europe supported the establishment of Israel in a completely Arab, Muslim area. The bad relations between Israel and Egypt, Israel and Palestine, and Israel and Saudi Arabia were all caused because countries like Great Britain used their influence in the Middle East to create a Jewish State. To think of all of the trouble that could have been saved if Israel had just been created somewhere other than right in the middle of one of the largest Muslim concentrations in the world.
When learning about the problems going on in the Middle East, it seems that the problems were not caused from recent issues, but of issues from the past. The problems date back to the crusades and each religion fighting over the "holy land." Islamic regions have been fighting for Jerusalem for thousands of years, so why would the problem all of a sudden change? Not every country and/or religion will stop fighting until they get what they want. Also, the exremists in islamic countries will continue to cause terrorist attacks until they feel there is no more "war on Islam," which doesn't seem to be ending soon.
I think I understand the culture and some of the history of the middle-east and Islam. Knowing those things I think we made some mistakes in some actions we made. I think we should understand the culture and customs of the middle-east and make better decisions.
Our recent studies of the Middle East have taught me that for the last 1000 years almost every holy war has been started...by a misunderstanding. Its true. When we Christians use the word Crusade, Muslims think of an invasion of thier territory. When Muslims say Ji'had, Christians believe its an assault against The Church by force. When in actuallity, both words simply mean a struggle, objective, or cause. Another misunderstanding is the teaching of the koran. Radical Islamic Imams teach young, illiterate tribesmen across the Middle East that Christians and Jews are to be wiped off the face of the earth. Thier enemy is the entire Western culture. Thier goal is to spread Islam to the entire world. In all actuallity this is not what the koran states. The koran is a book that says muslims,jews,and christians are to live in harmony with one another, that it is a sin to kill a dhimmi, or people of the book. Since the begining of Islam, it has taken wrongful twists and turns that alter is original teachings by thier prophet Muhammed. Since then there are many religous sects in Islam. The 3 major are the Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd. For hundreds of years they have fought holy civil wars between themselves to kill the infidel within. The Sunni who take up the largest portion of Islam and most numerous take more teachings from the once powerful Umayyad and Seljuk dynasties. The Shi'a are only take up what is now modern day Iran, follow most of the original beliefs of the koran and SHOULD be our closest ally in the war on terror but political and theocratic agendas have taken over the minds of Iran's leaders.Finally the Kurds are the more isolated of the major sects. They take up the region in North Iraq and have the most beliefs in the koran and have been allies with us against Saddam and the war on terror. All 3 since the diversion of Islam have fought eachother to take over the other sect. Islamic Radical Ji'hadists, aka Islamic terrorists, are consistantly Sunni and have tried to unite the whole of Islam before by attacking the west but have failed since most Muslims recognize the sin of killing the dhimmi. But as years carry on, groups like Al-Qida, The Taliban, Hezboulla, and Hamas have made this thier complete goal. This tells me from my teachings in class that even though its been going on for 1000 years, doesn't mean its almost over. It tells me that this has just begun, and the struggle for power for radical Islam will continue...possibly for the next 1000 years. Its the ongoing struggle of one religon against another. Thats what AP History class has taught me.
By studying the Middle East in class I have learned the reasons that the U.S. is having a difficult time with providing a democracy for the Iraqi people. Also I know the reasons why most people believe that they have to kill us to go to heaven.
I think that we need to understand why the two countries are fighting. They are very religious countries and are fighting for this reason. We as America being the powerful country that we are need to change there government so that its bot all based around religion if this is changed i think that they two would have more o worry about then fighting to make the other one a certain religion or believe in something.
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