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Introduction
Introduction
Throughout the twentieth century, the Middle East has been viewed by outsiders as a region of Islamic fundamentalism with terror, dogmatism, inflexibility and many other negative connotations. While there are some intolerant and violent practices throughout the Middle East, most of these were brought on by the struggle for liberation from the foreign rule that destroyed the region’s economics and politics. The majority of Islamic reformists, whether extremist, radical, traditional, or other, are fairly open-minded and have the goal to improve their countries’ situations through any means possible. It’s the few cases of violent and terrorist-like acts that attract sensationalists and distort the view of Arabic strategies for reformation.
Secularism vs. Islamism
Secularism vs. Islamism
Disregarding the views of Western countries, one of the main areas of concern in the modernization and reformation in the Middle East is which strategy works the best: secularism or Islamism. Through trial and error, the most successful path shown throughout history is a mix of both; political Islam groups that co-operate with a national regime that has some limits on the secular nature of society has proved to be the most successful formula. However, we cannot even define what political Islam is due to its chameleon-like nature and ability to adapt to different parts of the political spectrum based on how the politics around it change. This reason alone is why it is so difficult to find the impact of religious political movements in the Middle East because we can’t even categorize the movements in the first place.
Ethnic and Religious Minorities
Ethnic and Religious Minorities
In contrast to the view that the Middle East is solely Muslim and Arabic, the Middle East is remarkably diverse both religiously and ethnically. Ethnic minorities are often distinguished as Middle Eastern citizens that do not speak Arabic as their mother tongue. This includes Armenians, Imazighen, Nubians, Kurds, and many more. By far the largest religious minority in the Arab world is Shi’ite Muslims. The other large section of religious minority groups are Christians and the Jews.
Many religious and ethnic minorities are overlooked when they deserve considerable credits for many of their inventions and influence. For example, Arab Christians wrote many books, published newspapers, and translated European literature into Arabic. They also owned the first commercial printing presses, publishing houses, and newspapers. The schools built by French Catholic and American Protestant missionaries were even the major source of inspiration that led to the development of the first Western-style colleges in the Arab World. In addition to the educational and concrete influences, Arab Christians also had many ideological influences such as Arab Nationalism. Arab Nationalism, which promotes and celebrates the unity of Arab people, was a secular movement because many of its leaders were Christian or had been taught by Europeans. Other religious minorities were very important in the Arab world as well. The Shi’ites, for example, are among the Arab World’s most successful Islamists. Minorities are also very prominent in the Arab World’s popular culture; they were often among the Middle East’s leading authors, musicians, and filmmakers. For instance, Fairuz was one of the most popular singers in the Arab World and she is a Christian. Although a Christian, her success was neither hindered nor tied to her faith. Also, movies are popular in depicting some of the struggles faced by ethnic minorities such as the oppression of the Kurds under Saddam Hussein.
While minorities have very beneficial influences in the Arab World, they are not always accepted due to the stereotypes portrayed on them. Many people claim that minorities are disloyal to the state and that they cause foreign intervention. Though the minorities did not welcome imperialism, they often benefited from it which angered the majority. Even genuine help from US-backed NGOs (non-government organizations) is seen as foreign interference caused by minority populations in the eyes of Arab extremists. However, sometimes these views of disloyalty to the state are true. For instance, the entire Zionist movement proved that religious minorities can pose a threat to the Arab world. Nevertheless, most of the time the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities is unreasonable.
Works Cited
Pappé Ilan. (2014). Modern Middle East A Social and Cultural History. Florence: Taylor and Francis.
Reynolds, D. F. (2015). The Cambridge Companion to Modern Arab Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pappé Ilan. (2014). Modern Middle East A Social and Cultural History. Florence: Taylor and Francis.
Reynolds, D. F. (2015). The Cambridge Companion to Modern Arab Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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