Religion – Islam and Judaism are
the two primary religions of the region, both containing their history in the
area. Despite the constant differing
opinion in the area today, both religions contain massive amounts of history in
the area. “The relationship between the
Jews and pagan Arabs was symbiotic in that not only were the Jews heavily
Arabized, but the Arabs were also significantly influenced by Jewish beliefs
and practices,” (Aslan 525-526). In
multiple instances, both religions have very similar structure and sets beliefs. Both Islam and Judaism also share a common
origin through Abraham. When looking at the Middle East, these two
religions make up the vast majority of people living in the area. With so much of the fighting occurring due to
ideological differences, it is almost ironic that both contain so many similar roots.
Aljazeera – As the predominant
news channel that is the primary information provider to the Middle East,
Aljazeera has turned from a news channel once hated by many to the number once
source for most Middle Eastern citizens.
Jehane Noujamin, an Egyptian American film maker, created a documentary
named Control Room in 2004. Within this
movie, the beginnings of Aljazeera are developed. Through a short documentary, the perception
of the conflict in the Middle East can be so easily changed just by looking at
it from the perspective of the news in the area. Josh Rushing,
a former Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps, was given direct orders
by the Pentagon to not comment on the film.
After disobeying direct orders, Rushing was asked to leave the Marine
Corps, and eventually joined an English Aljazeera channel. Despite the fact that Aljazeera provides
almost all news to the Middle East, only two places in the United States actually
play the channel. This is rather
unfortunate, as the skewed perspective of so many American people could be
changed drastically with the simple allowance of such an important news source.
Revolution – The Middle East is an
area that is constantly going through revolution. The most recent of these occurred in the form
of the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was
sparked through various acts, but the most important of these was from the use
of social media. Revolutions in the Middle
East have always had a significant impact.
“The Iranian Revolution overthrew the Pahlavi Dynasty, which had ruled Iran
from 1926 to 1979,” (Gelvin 294). The
uprising that occurred in Iran was due to the ignorance of human rights in the area. It followed suit to other revolutions
throughout history. The Arab Spring has
been so drastically different. "Revolutions
of the past have usually had charismatic leaders who were politically savvy and
sometimes even military geniuses. Such revolutions followed what we can call
the Revolution 1.0 model. But the revolution in Egypt was different: it was
truly a spontaneous movement led by nothing other than the wisdom of the
crowd...people who would only post comments in cyberspace became willing to
stand in public; than those protesters, among many others, made the great leap
to become marchers and chanters, and grew into a tyrannical regime..."
(Ghonim). Revolution 2.0 and the Arab
Spring brought an entirely new concept to what revolution can be, and as the
Middle East continues to develop, it is most likely going to be seen as a
greater occurrence.
Oil – As one of the largest
exports, oil is undoubtedly one of the most unifying items in the Middle East. It has contributed to making multiple
countries extremely wealthy in the area.
From Qatar to the United Arab Emirates, Middle Eastern countries thrive
off drilling for oil. “In 2010, oil
exports accounted for 90 percent of Saudi Arabia’s revenue, 94 percent of
Kuwait’s, and 95 percent of Abu Dhabi’s,” (Gelvin 256). Qatar alone has experienced vast economic growth over the last several years due to
the rise in oil prices. Oil and gas
still account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70%
of government revenues. Simply put, oil and gas are responsible for the massive
amount of expansion and help to run the country. Oil has made Qatar one of the
highest per-capita income countries, and one of the world’s fastest growing
countries. The World FactBook states that Qatar has the second-highest GDP per
capita in the world. Qatar has reserves
of natural gas that are near 26 trillion cubic meters, which is roughly 14% of
the world total and the third largest in the world. The video attached shows how Qatar has been
able to develop a strong and beautiful infrastructure with its profits.
The Veil – The veil is easily one
of the most commonly attributed pieces of clothing to the Middle East. When looking at any American or outside
perception of the Middle East, the veil is perhaps the only thing that will
carry over in each picture. Traditionally
in the Middle East, “veiling was practiced among upper-class women only,”
(Gelvin 243). However, in more recent
times, the veil has become an article that both men and women alike will
wear. Regardless, the veil is worn for
various reasons, not simply religious beliefs.
Elizabeth Metraux, who has spent part of her life living and working in
the Middle East, demonstrates the importance of “lifting the veil”
and understanding the actual importance of women in the Middle East.
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