MW

Ethnic and Religious Groups

Study Guide for Unit 2 Test over Ethnic and Religious Groups
Assignment #16 - Ethnic and Religious Group T-Chart

Ethnic Group Characteristics

  • A group that can't be merely defined by familial connections.

  • include cultural practices, language, and shared history.

Religious Group Characteristics and Examples

  • Examples of religions studied:

    • Hinduism

    • Buddhism

    • Christianity

    • Shinto

    • Islam

    • Judaism

  • Common elements:

    • Set of rituals

    • Sacred texts

    • Belief systems concerning God or gods

Assignment #17 - Southwest Asia Religions

Major Religions Originating from the Region

  1. Islam - 90% of the population practices this religion.

  2. Christianity - A significant minority, 4%.

  3. Judaism - Another minority, 2%.

  • Important note: The percentages do not add up to 100% as some individuals do not identify with any religion.

Similarities Among the Three Religions

  • All three religions share the following traits:

    • Belief in one God

    • Trace their roots to Abraham

    • A messenger and a holy book feature in their belief systems.

    • All started in middle east

Overview of Judaism

  • Followers: Jews

  • Founded by: Abraham

  • Holy Book: Torah

  • Significant Event: Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

  • Ten Commandments: A moral code to live by, considered the moral law.

  • Historical Note: The remaining part of the temple, destroyed in 70 CE, is known as the Western Wall.

  • **Term for Jewish people

’s Dispersion**: Diaspora

  • Year when Jewish people returned to their homeland now called the State of Israel: 1948

  • Number of followers worldwide: Approximately 15 million

  • Place of Worship: Synagogue

  • Religious Leader: Rabbi

  • Important Jewish Holidays:

    • Passover: Celebrates the Exodus from Egypt.

    • Hanukkah: Commemorates the miracle of the Temple light lasting 8 days despite enough oil for 1 day.

    • Rosh Hashanah: Celebrates the Jewish New Year.

    • Yom Kippur: Known as the Day of Atonement, a day of fasting and no work.

Overview of Christianity

  • Roots of Christianity: Judaism

  • Founded by: Jesus

  • Key teachings: Parables - stories that convey moral lessons.

  • Followers: Christians

  • Number of followers worldwide: Approximately 2.1 billion

  • Place of Worship: Church

  • Religious Leader: Minister

  • Holy Book: Bible

    • Division of the Bible:

    • Old Testament (Old Covenant)

    • New Testament

  • Important Christian Holidays:

    • Christmas: Celebrates the birth of Jesus.

    • Good Friday: Observes the crucifixion of Jesus.

    • Easter: Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.

Overview of Islam

  • Followers: Muslims

  • Founded by: Muhammad

  • Holy Book: Qur'an

  • Region where teachings were accepted and spread: Primarily the Arabian Peninsula through military conquests.

  • Number of followers worldwide: Approximately 1.2 billion

  • Place of Worship: Mosque

  • Religious Leader: Imam

  • Obligations required from Muslims during their life: Five Pillars of Faith

  • Important tip: Hajj - a trip to Mecca that Muslims must complete at least once in their lifetime.

  • Religious Law: Sharia - lawful guidance both in personal and communal aspects of life.

  • Type of government where religious leaders hold control: Theocracy

  • It is the 2nd largest religion in the world, only behind christianity

  • **Ramadan: celebrated for when Muhammed got the Qur

’an**

  • **Religious law that muslim governments follow: Shari

’a**

  • Type of government where religious leaders are in control: Theocracy

Divisions within Islam

  • Shia and Sunni:

    • Shia Muslims believe that the ruler must be a descendant of Muhammad.

    • Sunni Muslims believe that the ruler does not need to be directly related to Muhammad.

    • General followers distribution:

    • Shia: Approximately 10% of Muslims.

    • Sunni: Approximately 90% of Muslims.

Assignment #18 - Southwest Asia Religions Chart and Diagram

  • Review any visual materials like charts or diagrams, which reinforce the information provided in the above notes.

  • Familiarize with symbols representing each religion from the chart.

  • Recognize the chronological order in which the religions originated: the oldest first, followed by newer religions.

Assignment #19 - Southwest Asia Ethnic Groups

Key Ethnic Groups and Their Characteristics

  • Arabs

    • Location: Most of the Middle East.

    • Predominant Religion: Islam, mainly Sunni.

    • Language: Arabic

    • Believe they are direct descendents of Abraham, through his son Ishmael

  • Persians

    • Location: Mainly Iran

    • Predominant Religion: Islam, mostly Shia.

    • Language: Farsi (one of the oldest languages spoken today!)

  • Kurds

    • Location: Reside in Turkey and Syria

    • Predominant Religion: Islam, predominantly Sunni.

    • Language: Kurdish

    • Tend to be less strict about Islamic practices - for example, fewer laws for how Kurdish women should dress

    • **Largest Ethnic group in the world without their own country or land to call home. **

Majority Group in the Middle East

  • The majority of people living in the Middle East belong to the Arab ethnic group.