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Middle East Notes
At the beginning of each class we highlight a short note from Middle East customs or news in an effort to better understand the many nations descended from Abraham. This page will feature some of the items we've talked about so class members can review them at home. Please let me know if there is a topic you would like covered in future lessons.
On September 18, we talked about the names by which a radical militant group goes by, and how that has changed over the years. Here are a few notes from that class:
ISI is an acronym which stands for “Islamic State of Iraq.”
ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
ISIL stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
IS is simply “Islamic State.”
When we see these acronyms in the news, they are referencing not three or four, but one group of radical fundamentalist Islamic terrorists who are dedicated to bringing about a “caliphate,” a sovereign state of the Muslim faithful ruled by a caliph under Islamic law (sharia). “Levant” implies a caliphate from Egypt to Iran.
Many Muslims take issue with these names and acronyms. They say IS (ISI, ISIS, ISIL) is neither Islamic nor a state, and has no standing with faithful Muslims. President Obama has also made it clear that he considers ISIL neither Islamic nor a state, and has pledged to destroy the terrorist group and what it stands for.
ISIS originated in 1999 as a forerunner of al-Qaeda in Iraq. It was at one time known as “Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). After an 8-month power struggle, al-Qaeda cut ties with the group in February 2014, reportedly for its brutality and notorious intractability.
In June 2014, it had at least 4,000 fighters in its ranks in Iraq. This month, the CIA estimated there are between 20,000 and 31,300 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
On September 25, we discussed Jewish High Holy Days, specifically Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets. Here are some notes from that class:
The sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) is a call to gather and repent. It is also a symbol of God’s sovereignty and kingship, recognizing Him as a Holy Judge. Also, the shofar recalls the binding of Isaac, which tradition states also
occurred on Rosh Hashanah. During Rosh Hashanah synagogue services, the trumpet traditionally sounds 100 notes.
An important aspect of God’s mercy is His promise of a Messianic Deliverer. The sounding of the shofar has served as a reminder of God’s promise to send the Messiah to gather His scattered children.
The Talmud says: "Why do we blow on a ram’s horn? The Holy One, blessed is He, said: ‘Sound before Me a ram’s horn so that I may remember on your behalf the binding of Isaac the son of Abraham, and account it to you as if you had bound yourselves before me.’” The Jewish tradition of recalling the binding of Isaac on Rosh Hashanah as a reassurance of God’s willingness to atone for their sins, introduces us to another important function of the Feast of the Trumpets, namely, to "remind" God of the needs of His people. When God remembers, He acts redemptively on behalf of His people. Since redemption is accomplished through Christ’s atoning death and intercessory ministry, ultimately Christ is the basis of God’s remembrance. The sound of the shofar also announces in the Bible not only the first advent of the Messiah (Isaiah 27:13) but also the second coming of Christ (1Thess. 4:16, etc.).
Trumpets are symbolic of revelation, as well as gathering. The shofar sounds very specific blasts intended to reflect God’s offer of hope, man’s weeping for transgressions, and God’s forgiveness.
For Jews, because Israel’s last three holy days signify something momentous to come, the period between the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles is called the Days of Awe. Feast of Tabernacles signifies a completed harvest, Christ’s millennial reign. As we anticipate further fulfillment of all the works of the Lord, Latter-day Saints know that they truly will be Days of Awe.
The golden plates were delivered to the young Prophet Joseph Smith early in the morning of 22 September 1827. The Feast of Trumpets, with prayers pleading for God’s remembrance of his still-exiled people, had begun at sundown the previous evening.Today, Moroni's image trumpets from temple spires around the world a final call to awaken, repent, and prepare.
On October 2, our class coincided with Yom Kippur. Here are some notes from that class:
Yom Kippur began at sundown on October 3, 2014. It is the holiest of the Israelite Holy Days. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting (25 hours) and prayer. Anciently, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on that day. A blood offering was exacted to atone for the sins of Israel. Two goats were sacrificed, one for the Lord and one for Azazel (the adversary) - the scapegoat.
No one besides the high priest was allowed to be present in the tabernacle while these acts of atonement were going on. Lastly, an atonement was made for the altar of burnt offering in a similar manner. The goat for Azazel was then brought before the altar of burnt offering. Over it the high priest confessed all the sins of the people of Israel, after which it was sent by the hand of a man into the wilderness to bear away their iniquities into a solitary land. This ceremony signified the sending away of the sins of the people now expiated to the Evil One to convince him that they could no more be brought up in judgment against the people before God. In Heb. 9:6–28 a contrast is drawn between the work of the high priest on the Day of Atonement and the work of Christ, the great High Priest, who offered once for all the perfect sacrifice of Himself.
Zacharias officiated as the high priest on the Day of Atonement, when he entered behind the veil into the Holy of Holies while people waited on the outside. There he met Gabriel, who announced to him the coming of his own son, John the Baptist, in preparation for the coming Messiah – who would atone for the sins of mankind. Zacharias was told that the children would turn to the Lord their God while the hearts of the fathers would be turned again to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
TODAY, these ritual sacrifices are discussed, but have not been performed for around 2,000 years.
Erev Yom Kippur begins the evening before Yom Kippur. This is a day for the giving of charity and asking others for forgiveness.
It is a widely accepted custom for all men to immerse in a mikvah (ritual pool) on the day before Yom Kippur. In certain communities, women also immerse in a mikvah on this day.
There are two reasons for this immersion
1. In order to be ritually pure in preparation for the holiest day of the year.
2. The immersion is symbolic of conversion. Just as a convert immerses in a mikvah and thus becomes a "new person," so, too, it is our intention to do teshuvah (repentance) and become new people.
Photo of a Mikvah:
On October 9, because our lesson included a discussion of Rebecca veiling herself when Isaac approached, we learned more about Muslim veils and coverings, including the Burqa and Hijab. Here are some notes on this topic:
According to the Quran, exposing intimate parts of the body (men’s or women’s) is unlawful.
In Arabic, the term “awrah” derives from the root “a-w-r” which means “imperfection” or “weakness,” but is often translated as “nakedness.”
In some countries a woman’s face and hands are not considered “awrah” and a simple scarf or head covering is sufficient. In other countries a woman’s hands, feet, and face must also be covered.The main idea is modesty, privacy, morality.
As stated by Reza Aslan, “The veil was neither compulsory nor widely adopted until generations after Muhammad’s death, when a large body of male scriptural and legal scholars began using their religious and political authority to regain the dominance they had lost in society as a result of the Prophet’s egalitarian reforms”. However, this is a dissenting view. Many in Islam feel that Muhammad himself (who required others to speak to his wives through a veil or from behind a screen) encouraged women to cover all but their hands and face.
Scholars point out that the Qur'an does not require women to wear veils; rather, it was a social habit picked up with the expansion of Islam. In fact, since it was impractical for working women to wear veils, "A veiled woman silently announced that her husband was rich enough to keep her idle."By way of clarification, Sharia Law is a set of rules and punishments based on the Quran and interpretations of the Quran. Sharia Law means “the path,” or “the way.” It attempts to regulate public and private lives of Muslims. While there is not a strict set of laws and punishments followed by all Muslims, in general practices under Sharia Law include laws about marriage, penalty for theft, penalty for adultery, DRESS CODES, dietary laws, religious practices, and how apostates are dealt with.
Veiling did not originate with Islam. The practice seems to predate Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Elite women in ancient Mesopotamia and in the Byzantine, Greek, and Persian empires wore the veil as a sign of respectability and high status.
Female slaves and unchaste women were explicitly forbidden to veil and suffered harsh penalties if they did so.
Overall, the hijab is meant to highlight the individual’s relationship with Allah.
On October 16 we talked about another Jewish festival, Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. Here are notes and graphics related to this topic:
Sukkot is the plural of Sukkah, a booth or tabernacle constructed by Jews, in which they eat meals during the 7-8 days of the Feast of Tabernacles. Sukkot is also the name of the festival, which is like Thanksgiving and always occurs in the fall. The huts of booths are constructed in remembrance of the temporary dwellings of the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness.
And you shall take on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God 7 days!" – Leviticus 23:40
Sukkot is also called “The Time of Our Joy.”
We remember God’s kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah.
On October 23, we discussed the most common sects of Islam, Sunnis and Shiites. Here are notes and graphics from that class:
Sunnah means, "Well-trodden path." 87-89% of all Muslims worldwide belong to this sect of Islam. Sunnis are found in most Muslim countries. When Muhammad died, Sunnis chose to follow his father-in-law's leadership. Shia means "party of Ali." Shiites chose to follow Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali. About 11-12% of Muslims follow this faith. Most of the Shiite Muslims are in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. Both sects claim Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem as holy cities.
Sufis are not a sect of Islam, but seek the inner, mystical dimension of Islam in any sect. The name Sufi indicates purity, and indicates a seeker of the Divine Presence in this life. Sufis refer to themselves as "physicians of the heart." We sometimes call them "whirling dervishes." Below is a chart and map to help sort out similarities, differences, and geography of the two main sects of Islam.
On October 31, we talked about the Yezidi (Yazidi) people and their recent displacement from their homes in Northern Iraq. First, a few items of information about the Yezidi faith:
Yazidism is a monotheistic faith, which shares elements of their religion with Christianity and Islam. There is also Sufi influence and imagery in their worship. Yezidi people revere both the Bible and the Koran, but their litergy is mostly based on oral tradition. Children in the Yezidi faith are baptised with consecrated water by a pir (priest). At weddings the pir breaks bread and give one half to the bride and the other to the groom. In December, Jazidis fast for three days, before drinking wine with the pir. On 15-20 September there is an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Sheikh Adi at Lalesh, north of Musul, where they coarry out ritual ablutions in the river. They also practice sacrifice of animals and circumcision of male children.
Yezidis worhip one Supreme God, Yasdan, but believe that God first created Tawsi Melek, or Malak Taus, also known as the Peacock Angel, who is the greatest of the Seven Great Angels. These Great Angels then produced the Earth and subdues it. The Seven Angels are associated with the seven colors of the rainbow. The Great Angels then created Adam, into whom Tawsi Melek transmitted the breath of life and instructed him how to pray. Adam was promised that if he and his descendants remained steadfast in righteousness they would eventually see and know the Supreme God personally. In the meantime, Tawsi Melek would be their protector and teacher even while rediding in another dimension.
The name "Yazidi" means, "Worshippers of God." The Yezidi people pray five times per dy to Tawsi Melek. They live mostly in Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Many have relocated to Germany and Georgia (Russia). Most of the Yezidi people speak Kurdish, some speak Arabic. They have been vilified as devil worshippers by some Islamic extremists, perhaps because an alternate name for Mala Taus is "Shaytan," Arabic for devil.
For information on the recent work by LDS Charities and other humanitarian agencies in aiding Yezidi refugees, see the Deseret News article entitled, "LDS Charities Partners help women in Iraq."
On November 6 we discussed a recent incident described in this news article, in which a Palestinian man drove his van into a crowd of Israeli citizens at a bus stop in Jerusalem. This man's anger seems to have stemmed from recent conflicts in Jerusalem surrounding the holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - the area where once stood Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple, and now includes the Dome of the Rock, the al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Western (Wailing) Wall. Under an arrangement with Israel, Jordan has custodial rights over Muslim holy sites in the Old City.
The Western Wall, from the time of the second Jewish Biblical temple, is the holiest site where Jews can pray; the Dome of the Rock, where according to Jewish tradition the Ark of the Covenant rested in the first temple, is the holiest site in Judaism.
The al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam; the Dome of the Rock is revered by Muslims because of its connections to the Prophet Muhammad.
Christians also venerate the site because of its Biblical links to Jesus.
A Muslim committee has managed the compound since the time of the Crusades, while Israel, which has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, controls access.
Israel maintains a ban on prayer by non-Muslims at the compound as a security measure.
The Palestinian National Authority and Muslims in general believe that the Western Wall belongs to the Muslims alone. They claim that “No stone of the Al-Buraq wall has any relation to Judaism. The Jews began praying at this wall only in the nineteenth century, when they began to develop national aspirations. There is not a single stone in the Wailing Wall reltaing to Jewish History. The Jews cannot legitimately claim this wall, neither religiously nor historically. The Committee of the League of Nations recommended in 1930 to allow the Jews to pray there, in order to keep them quiet. But by no means did it acknowledge that the wall beongs to them.”
While recognizing the difficulties inherent in any ultimate peace agreement that involves the status of Jerusalem, the official position of the United States includes a recognition of the importance of the Wall to the Jewish people, and has condemned statements that seek to "delegitimize" the relationship between Jews and the area in general, and the Western Wall in particular. For example, in November 2010, the Obama administration "strongly condemned a Palestinian official's claim that the Western Wall in the Old City has no religious significance for Jews and is actually Muslim property." The U.S. State Department noted that the United States rejects such a claim as "factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative."
November 13: Hezbollah. The name "Hezbollah" means "Party of God." This Shiite Islamist militant group is a political party based in Lebanon. Hezbollah has been classified as a terrorist organization. It was funded by Iran in 1982, formed to resist Israeli occipation. Hezbollah fought successfully against Israel in 2006. The organization has been recruiting young Christian, Druze and Sunni men in east Lebanon for the Resistance Brigades to fight ISIS.
Al Qaeda’s Sunni ideology regards Shiites as heretics and profoundly distrusts Shiite groups like Hezbollah.
But Hezbollah has taken the lead on the most incendiary issue for jihadis of all stripes: the fight against Israel. Because of their success in the 2006 war against Israel, Hezbollah has gained some measure of respect in the Arab world. While the United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist group, the two may be indirectly working together to keep ISIS fighters in Syria out of Lebanon.
On November 20, we discussed the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, and specifically within that initiative, the Islamic Translation Series. The Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, has been working to renew and enlarge cultural memory by pulishing texts from the period during which Islam was the dominant political and intellectual influence in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean worlds. Professors at BYU have collaborated with scholars at academic instituteions around the world to bring back into cirulation writings that are the intellectual heritage of all people. These volumes celebrate the interrelated achievements of Medieval Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers. Within the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative are the following libraries: Islamic Translation Series, Eastern Christian Texts, Library of Judeo-Arabic Literature, and Medical Works of Moses Maimonides.
The Islamic Translation Series
is designed to further scholarship in the study of Islamic philosophy, theology, and mysticism, and assist in the integration of Islamic studies into Western academia. There are currently twelve volumes available. One of those volumes is "The Niche of LIghts," by Al-Ghazali. Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali's philosophical explorations covered nearly the entire spectrum of twelfth-century beliefs. Beginning his career as a skeptic, he ended it as a scholar of mysticism and orthodoxy. The Niche of Lights, written near the end of his illustrious career, advances the philosophically important idea that reason can serve as a connection between the devout and God. Al-Ghazali was born in North Western Iran, and lived from 1058-1111 AD. By age 34, he excelled in all Muslim scholarship. He was also known as "The Proof of Islam," and "The Renewer of the Religion."
Al-Ghazali's book, "The Niche of Lights," takes its title from the Light Verse, which reads, "God is the light of the heavens and the earth; the likeness of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp, the lamp in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star kindled from a blessed tree an olive that is neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil well-nigh would shine, even if no fire touched it; light upon light; God guides to His light whom He will. And God strikes similitudes for men, and God has knowledge of everything.” In this book, Al-Ghazali identifies the three basic domains of human experience:
ISLAM: Doing, Practice, Sharia Law
IMAM: Knowing, Doctrine, Kalam
IHSAN: Being, Reallization, Sufism
Al-Ghazali was interested in all three domains of learning. Perhaps his greatest contribution was to make it indisputable that the third and innermost domain is an inherent and essential part of Islam. The Sufis strove to worship God as if you see Him. The Quran often refers to its teachings about God by using the words “similitude” and “likeness." In the first section of his book, Al-Ghazali considers the word "light" itself, and its plural "lights," as applied to physical light and lights; to the eye; to the intelligence (i.e. intellect or reason); to prophets; to supernal beings; and finally to Allah himself, who is shown to be not the only source of light and of these lights, but also the only real actual light in all existence. In the second section, he discusses the relationship between symbolic language in the Koran and the reality of the world, indicating that every object on earth has a counterpart in the spiritual world. In the third section, the intriguing expressions of the Koran - the LIght, the Niche, the Glass, the Oil, Tree, the East and West - are explained.
On December 4, we talked about the Palestinian Islamic organization known as Hamas. The word "Hamas" translates as "enthusiasm." Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Australia, Canada, Egypt, the European Union, Israel, Japan and the United Kingdom. It is officially banned in Jordan. Iran, Russia, Turkey, China, and some Arab nations do not consider it a terrorist organization.
Hamas was founded in 1987, with the goal of establishing an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Originally, it was an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, with Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as its founder and leader.
In the 1967 6-day war, Israel captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. As a result of this war, a wave of Palestinians was displaced. An estimated 300,000 Palestinians left the West Bank and Gaza, most of whom settled in Jordan. Israel made peace with Egypt following the Camp David Accords of 1978 and completed a staged withdrawal from the Sinai in 1982. However, the position of the other occupied territories became a long-standing and bitter cause of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel granted the right of self-governance to Gaza through the Palestinian Authority. Gaza has never been a sovereign state or territory. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been governed by Hamas.
Hamas carried out its first attack against Israel in 1989. The 1990s and 2000s were filled with attacks, mostly car bombs, suicide bombings, and rockets launched into Israel. In 2006, Hamas used an underground cross-border tunnel to abduct the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, holding him captive until 2011, when he was released in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
On 8 July 2014, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge to counter increased Hamas rocket fire from Gaza. The conflict ended with a permanent cease-fire after 7 weeks, and more than 2,000 dead: 71 Israelis and 2,101 in Gaza.
Video below is an Israeli video of a guided tour through a Hamas tunnel.
On December 11, we talked first about the Jewish holiday, Chanukah or Hanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication. Hanukah is an 8-day commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second centruy BC. The name "Hanukah" derives from the Hebrew verb "חנך", meaning "to dedicate." On Hanukah, the Maccabean Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. By way of revue: Solomon’s Temple was the permanent house of the Lord, but was destroyed by Babylonians around 587 BC. When the Jews returned by Cyrus’ decree, they began to rebuild the temple (see Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.). The second temple was sometimes called Zerubbabel’s temple. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah. The second temple was dedicated in 515 BC. Syria took control of Judea from Egypt around 200 BC. Antiochus III the Great guaranteed his Jewish subject the right to contiue to practice their religion in the temple at Jerusalme, but his son, siding with Hellenistic Jews, invaded Jerusalem, looted the temple and stopped services. Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BC Antiochus IV ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the temple, banned circumcision, and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple. Sacrificing pigs was a common practice among Greeks. Large-scale revold ensued. Eventually, Judah "the Hammer" (Maccabee) led the revolt and by 165 was successful in liberating and cleansing the temple. During the first century after Christ, Herod greatly enlarged and expanded this temple, which became known as Herod’s Temple. Herod's Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. All that is left today is the Wailing Wall or Western Wall.
We also talked about the Dome of the Rock, or "Qubbat As-Sakhrah," built around 687-691 AD. The shrine is build on the place where, according to uslim belief, Muhammad ascended to heaven. Mt. Moriah is also the place where, according to Jews, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Some believe the rock might have been the location of the Holy of Holies that was part of Herod’s Temple. The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic building to survive. It is octagonal in shape, with a distinctive gold dome, extensive decoration from a variety of periods, including mosaics, painted wood, marble, multi-colored tiles, carpets, and carved stone. The intricate patterns of the mosaics replace figurative art since, according to Muslim belief, it would be impossible to represent Allah in any figurative form.Instead, the shrine conveys its own message through color and shape. In Islamic art, blue, the color of the sky, suggests infinity, while gold represents the color of the knowledge of God. The shape of the dome itself is a powerful symbol of the soaring ascent to heaven, its circle representing the wholeness and balance essential to the Muslim faith. Inside, at the center of the Dome, is the highest point of Mount Moriah. During the Crusades, the Dome of the Rock was commandeered as a Christian shrine before returning to Islamic hands. Many medieval people believed it to be the famous Temple of King Solomon.
Along with the theological component there was also a political purpose for the construction of the Dome, which reminds us of Jeroboam's eagerness to build temples and shrines in Israel. In the late 7th century Chaliph Abd El-Malik wanted to discourage his followers from making the pilgrimage to Mecca because he feared that they might fall under the influence of one of his Muslim rivals. He constructed the Dome in the hopes of establishing Jerusalem as the major Muslim pilgrimage destination, so that he could keep his followers and attract new ones. Similarly, Jeroboam built his own shrines and called his own priests to officiate in Israel so his people would not travel to the temple in Jerusalem, and perhaps consider Judah a more holy destination than Samariah.
When Israel took control over the Dome area after the Six-Day War in 1967, Israeli leaders allowed an Islamic religious trust to have authority over the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock as a way of helping keep the peace. Since that time non-Muslims have been allowed limited access to the area but are not permitted to pray on the Temple Mount.
On January 8th, we talked about the Fatah Party in the Palestinian Authority. Recently, Mahmoud Abbas, president/chairman of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, announced Palestine had joined the International Criminal court in order to pursue war crimes charges against Israel. The U.S. State Department strongly opposed the move and warned it would be counter-productive and do nothing to further the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a sovereign and independent state. Abbas made the move in part because Palestine had just been rejected by the UN Security Council in their bid for a three-year deadline for Israel to withdraw from all occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians.
Fatah and Hamas are the two most influential political parties in Palestine - Fatah more influential in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While Hamas hopes to create an Islamic state in Palestine, Fatah is more secular, focusing on Palestinian nationalism. Hamas is largely recognized as a terrorist group, and Fatah is not. Fatah was formerly known as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, founded by Yasser Arafat. They have received support from Syria, Russia, China and Algeria. In 2006, even Israel provided light weapons and ammunition to armed forces loyal to Fatah.
In the map below, Area A (dark green) designates the areas are fully governed by Palestinians (18%). Area B is shared control: Palestinian civil administration with joint Istaeli-Palestinian military control (21%). Area C is full Israeli control, with some exceptions for Palestinian residents (61%). As of June 2014, Gaza and the West Bank are nominally united under a Palestinian unity government. The dark pink areas on the map indicate locations completely annexed, or in other words integrated as part of the country of Israel, by the Israeli government - East Jerusalem and a strip of land located between Israel and the WEst Bank when the latter was still controlled by Jordan. In other words, Israel controls most of Palestine's claimed territory, but not all of it.
On the right is a reproduction of the Fatah Party flag.
Because of terrorist attacks in Paris on January 8-9, we took time in class on January 15 to discuss al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the young men who perpetrated the attacks. The name "al-Qaeda" means "The Base." Al-Qaeda is a global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988-89. Members of this terrorist organization, which was previously centered in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are now present in cells around the world. The arm of al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula is headquartered in Yemen. Goals of this group include violent attacks in order to cause shock and terror in the West, as a means to an eventual caliphate or Islamic state governed by Sharia Law. They have taken responsibility for the attacks on U.S. soil which occurred on September 11, 2001. In 2014 al-Qaeda officially cut all ties with ISIS because of what they called excessive brutality within the ISIS organization. ISIS currently draws more funding than al-Qaeda, using more black market deals to gain revenue. Al-Qaeda largely draws on donor funding, and may be seeking more attacks in the West in order to stay relevant. ISIS has also gained popularity with the young by embracing social media, while al-Qaeda uses more traditional recruiting methods.
In the Paris attack on Charlie Hebdo, French-born brothers Cherif and Said Kauachi claimed they were sent by al-Qaeda in Yemen and financed by Anwar al-Awlaki. They appeared to be well-trained terrorists. Cherif said he trained in Yemen with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Both brothers had been to Yemen in recent years. Last year Said's wife exchanged 500 phone calls with the girlfriend of the man responsible fo the attack at the Jewish deli in Paris.
Amedy Coulibably was the 32-year-old young man who shot and killed a female police officer, then took 19 hostages at a Jewish grocery stody in Paris, killing four. In Coulibably's suicide video, he revealed he belonged to ISIS and that he was in a team with the Kouachi brothers. In the video, Coulibaly proclaimed: “What we are in the process of doing is completely legitimate. It has been completely deserved for a long time. For what you have done to the Islamic State, we are attacking you. You cannot attack us and expect nothing back in return.” While the two terrorist organizations apparently do not work together, the concern is that individuals like these three young men with allegiances to divergent groups will work together to cause greater damage and impact.
On Sunday, January 11, world leaders marched with citizens of Paris and the world in solidarity against terrorist organizations and in support of freedom of speech. In the photo below, we see in the foreground (l-r) Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mali's president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French president Francois Hollande, German chancellor Angel Merkel, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
On January 18, 2015, 25 Kurds were kidnapped by ISIS in Mosul. On the 22nd, we discussed the questions: Who are the Kurds? and Where is Mosul? The Kurds are a religiously diverse ethnic minority scattered throughout Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, etc. They were originally nomads, living in the area south of the Caucasus Mountains. About 17% of Iraq's population are Kurds, and 10% of the population of Iran. Kurds have faced discrimination and persecution in most countries where they have a presence.
A majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslim, some Shia. Other religious backgrounds amoung the Kurds include Yarsan, Yazidi, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity. Most secular Kurds are more moderate than the countries in which they reside. Kurdish authorities in Syria declared full equality for women in all walks of public and private life. Kurds in Iraq were subject to ethnic cleansing under Sadam Hussein. Currently, they are under pressure from ISIS - but the Kurds do control areas in northeastern Iraq. See map below.
In the map above, you can see the the city of Mosul is outside the Kurdish Autonomous Region recognized by Iraq, but within the area under Kurdish control until recently. Mosul is a city of over 1,000,000 people, which has been under ISIS control since June, 2014. Since that time, more than 500,000 refugees have fled the area - many of them Kurds. Iraq is about 65% Shia. The Sunni miniority had power until 2003. Allied forces liberated the country from an oppressive dictator - but the unintended consequence of bringing democracy to Iraq was that the majority took power after having been oppressed for years by the minority Sunnis. With democracy brought a shift in power that has left Iraq in flux. Citizens of Mosul have paid the price in terrorist occupation, which brought with it the interruption of cellular phone service, a shortage of potable water, and tremendously inflated prices for many basic necessities.
The city of Mosul includes ruins of the ancient city of Nineveh - the last capital of the Assyrian Empire. This connection to Isaiah's writings illustrates the volatile political landscape that has been ever present in this area.
On January 20, 2015, Sia Houthi rebels took over the presidential palace in Saana, the capital of Yemen. On January 29, our class discussed who the Houthi rebels are and what their motivations are for overthrowing the existing Yemeni government. By way of historical background, the Houthi movement began as "Believing Youth" in 1992, named after Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, their commander at that time. The group offered summer camps and school clubs to Yemeni youth. By 1994-95, 15-20 thousand students had attended these summer camps. Houthis are also known as "Supporters of God," and operate as a Zidi Shia insurgent group with anti-American and Anti-Jewish objectives. This Shia branch of Islam makes up around one-third of the population of Yemen, and ruled North Yemen in an imamate for almost 1,000 years until 1962.
Recently, according to a report in BBC News, the Houthi rebels have said that Yemen is at a critical and defining moment in their history. They are accusing the country's leaders of putting their interests ahead of the Yemeni people, noting high taxes and few benefits to the people.
Yemen is relevant to our study of the Old Testament as we note it is the modern country in which Mt. Sinai is located, and has been a figure in ancient politics for thousands of years. In the scriptures, the land of Yemen is identified as Sheba or Seba. Yemen today is at risk of civil war, which will impact political tensions in the region, especially Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni poer, because of its strategic position and access to shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden. Saudi officials believe the Houthi rebels are backed militarily and financially by Iran.
Pictured at right are Houthi sympathizers with signs printed with their logo, which reads, "God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam."
Prior to our study of the three minor prophets who preached during the period between the Assyrian invasion of Israel and the Babylonian conquest of Judah, we discussed some of the history of the ancient city of Babylon, and its status today. It is estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from around 1770 - 1670 BC, and again between 612-320 BC. It was perhaps the first city to reach a population above 200,000. The remains of this ancient city of grandeur are in present-day Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 53 miles south of Baghdad.
In 612 BC the Assyrian captial of Nineveh fell to the Babylonian armies and their allies. The Assyrian empire struggled on for the next few years, until 605 BC when they were decisively defeated at the battle of Carchemish, along with their Egyptian allies. The new power in the middle east was then Babylon's king Nebuchadnezzaar. He made Babylon one of the greatest cities in history. Through a series of attacks, the population of Jerusalem was taken into bondage by the Babylonians, who destroyed the city of Jerusalem around 587 BC. But the power of the Babylonians over Judah was short-lived; internal unrest and the attack of Cyrus the Great from Persia overthrew the Babylonian empire around 539 BC. Babylon became a battleground between the Greeks and the Parthians around 150 BC, and much of the old city fell into ruin.
In 1983, Saddam Hussein began rebuilding the city of Babylon on top of the old ruins. He installed a portrait of himself and Nebuchadnezzar at the entrance to the ruins. He also inscribed his name on many of the bricks, in imitation of Nebuchadnezzar. One frequent inscription reads, "This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq." These bricks became sought after as collectors' items after Hussein's downfall. Since 2004, the World Monuments Fund has been working with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to develop a site management plan for Babylon. Watch the video at left for more information on the possible future of Babylon as a tourist destination.