Identities And Conflict In The Middle East And North African Region

The Middle East and North African region is extremely diverse in terms of religious sects and also racial backgrounds. Because of this, it is hard to pigeonhole the area as being represented by one group. Although mainstream media may give us the illusion that the Middle East and North African region is primarily predicated on Islam, further research would show that the region is actually comprised of multiple different groups. The region is far from homogenous. With that said, the culturalist assumption is wrong. The status of the middle east and the political status of the region cannot be explained by the teachings of the Quran or the practice of Islam. In fact, if one was to use the Quran or Islam as a sole means for studying the Middle

A decent amount of the conflict within the area came with the aid of imperialist western civilizations such as Britain and France. For example, the formal and informal empires established by the British and French in Algeria and Egypt definitely affected the region for the worse. The instability that is usually wholly associated with Islam was also a result of the imperialist powers only establishing a formal or informal empire in that region and not investing in the indigenous population. For example, after the imperialist powers left the region the economy of Egypt and Algeria was very weak. Algeria’s struggle for independence from French powers served as a beacon of light for all other revolutionist’s movements across the globe. Not only did the French imperialism result in those factors, but it also resulted in that fact that no indigenous Algerians were able to attain full citizenship rights which further fueled the want for a rebellion/revolution. Sadly, enough, it was this revolution that pretty much characterized what is now known as the militaristic powers that lead and govern Algeria. According to Gelvin, the military powers that were brought in are now known to this day are now known as “le pouvoir” and they are the unelected power brokers who really run the show. So ironically, culturalists usually associate Islam

In this chapter we get a point of view from Wasif Jawharriyeh, a normal person from a fortunate family. He lived in Jerusalem which at this time primarily served as a religious hub. Interestingly enough, at this time many different religions were able to live harmoniously amongst each other. In fact, different religions actually incorporated practices of their own into other religions. According to Gelvin, “It is hard to imagine a time when Muslim children would dress up in costumes alongside Jewish children to celebrate the Jewish feast of Purim, or when an Orthodox Christian musician like Jawhariyyeh would play at Jewish weddings. The societies were integrated on many different levels even beyond just a religious means. However, even religion was not considered taboo. Many different communities would take it upon themselves to learn about another groups’ religion. For example, Jawhariyyeh went to school and studied the Quran for literary and cultural reasons to learn about the area. Different communities also combined their cultural actions such as music. For example, nadha is often defined as the integration of the western musical traditions and Arab musical traditions. However, problems also came with this integration which is another root of conflict. Certain