Arab History and Cultures. 2012Fall Semester Midterm Essay Questions TMU. Professor:Chloe Ching-hsiang Lo

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1 B 黃 昕 盈 Arab History and Cultures 2012Fall Semester Midterm Essay Questions TMU Professor:Chloe Ching-hsiang Lo 1. Treating Islam or the West asself-evidently distinct civilizations has undergone heavy criticism in recentdecades. This way of thinking about the world presumes that the West and Islameach has its own unique and unchanging essence or character. Therefore, it iswrong to explain today s Islamic political movements by what happened inwestern Arabia in the seventh century CE. Question: what happened in thearabian Peninsula in the seventh century CE? Discuss it from the angles of lifestyles, social behaviors, and political backgrounds. 2. The Greeks long conflict with the Persians, who established a powerful state based in the Iranian plateau and whose efforts to expand westward threatened the independence of the Greek city-states and their own hopes for expansion. The Greeks long struggle to resist Persian domination and the ways in which they came to understand what differentiated them from the Persian enemy, coupled with their firm confidence in their cultural superiority over the barbarians (i.e., everyone else),resulted to the sharp polarity between Europe and Asia, which had little to do with reality. Most of the Greek city-states were far from being democracies in any sense of their term; they were monarchies or tyrannies or oligarchies,clans or factions. Question: what can you refer from a.) Islamic teachings(such as the Five Pillars) and b.) from the historical and political backgroundat that time (such as Jews living in the Roman Empire vs. Jews under Islamic rule) and later ages (such as the Renaissance and the Crusades) in order to support or to oppose the above statement (that is, the negative images of Asian corruption and decadence)? 3. What is the Ottoman Empire? Howdid WWI affect the Arabs within the empire? How is the Palestinian nationalismemerging into global stage (or disappearing from global attention)?

2 QUSETION 1. Muhammad led his army to Mecca, and posed the status "Islam" recognized in Mecca. They accepted him is the "prophet", and Muhammad declared Mecca is the Islamic holy places. As the "Islam" translation in Arabic, it is the intention of peace, stability, obedience and perfect. It is also the one God religion, the Islamic religion outlook affects the Arabian Peninsula, and the idea was quickly spread to the neighboring southern Mediterranean, North African, and Southwest Asia. The formation of this new culture has beyond the traditional race, language, custom, geography, history, constraints, and lead the humanity to wards a new concept of globalization. Citizen are the people who desire to living, which enables them to live away from starving and deficiency. At the time of 7th century, whether Byzantine or Persian territory were both suffering from oppressive government, we cannot deny that people were wagering to seek relief; therefore, the new concept of equality of the Islamic faith has widely welcome and advocacy. In the harsh environment, the obligation for Islam were based on the simply but achievable namely condolence to the patient, to treat the orphan kindly, the relief of poverty, and to mediation disputes in a fair attitude. The Islamic religion was surely attribute sympathy for the audiences' views of life. QUESTION 2. I will state my side of opposing the statement by using the Five Pillar of Islamic teaching, in order to compare the differences of two cultures creed and responsibilities toward their religious followers. Take Sawn, Zakat and Hajj for example: 1.Sawn: Fasting month in Islamic calendar, the Muslin must be fasted from dawn to sunset. During this time, they are not allowed to eat anything and drink, nor excessive desire of things before sunset. From my personal experience, my friend from Pakistan who is Muslin, is sincerely implement the rule, and is followed without rejection and prejudice, though she is educated in Norway but Islamic country. If a person is willing

3 to annually fasting a month every year, this is indeed a kind of violation of the physiology needs in beings. The violation of appetites for them is making the sacrifices for the faith heartedly. I would like to say that we all understand exercise to lose weight is the true rule of body shaping and health; however, how many of us claiming to go on a diet and do sports but eventually failed to touch down the finish line and collapse in front of a table of salivating and charming desserts. If the fasting rule can be done, then how can we judge that they are depravity and degenerated? It is the firmly religious that lead them to be prosperous. 2.Zakat: Donation, the capable has to donate 25% of their revenues to those in need, and the free donations are also encouraged. In addition to the money charity, they are opened to help any people and even strangers. In comparison, the Greek is not able to rescue others, instead, they continues broaden their territory by plunder and wars, leading their people to poverty and destitute. 3.Hajj: Besides the sickness and the poor s, every Muslin at least once in the lifetime has to do the pilgrimage in Mecca. In my point of view, if a person's lifetime has always embedded a firm creed that he or she has to be there in Mecca in order to worship his belief, and this become the ultimate goal for each man's life to achieved, then I believe that they hold the daily lives as each meaningful day to live. Muslin, devote themselves in work no matter what, are all for the immortal aim, and they make money as well as train for physical requirement to step on the Mecca. This shows that the Islamic faith emphasize on the spirit than the importance of material acquirements. Compared to those who were indulging in gaining the power and occupy others, barbarism is evidently not the narration belong to Asian. QUESTION 3. Ottoman Empire is also called Turky,and this was the first empire established by Turkish. The founder was Osman I who inherited from his father's kingdom. Because of his courage and guts, he finally conquered the dynasty of the Ottoman Turks, and announced that he own the rights of the independence from Seljuk Turks. During the

4 period of Osman I, Thebasion was the town of his inportant territory, and the capital city was Nicean where was named Söğüt in the later period. The peak hour of the Ottoman Empire was during the late 16 century, and the power of it was spread to the east Europe, north of African and even the part of Asia. Without doubt, we can say that the Ottoman Empire was one of the most in fluency and powerful states in the world. The world war I exploded in 1914 till 1918, after the war, in 1920 the ottoman turkey signed a treaty demanded butt the Allies, which is known as the 'treaty of Sevres", and the contents are as bellow: Territory: 1.most of the territories in Europe are divided by Italy and Greek, 2.Palestine and Mesopotamia were belong to the British's "trust territory" 3.Syria and Lebanon became the French's "trust territory" 4.southern Anatolia became Italy's sphere of influence 5.black sea straits were dominated by the international, but Turkish Only the northern and central parts of Constantinople and Asia Minor can be owned by Ottoman Empire. The Allies countries also limited the armed force, which was less than five million people; furthermore, the victors of World War I supervised all its finance and economic issues. Overall, the fate of the Ottoman Empire was to say that they were about to totally carved up by so called western European powers after the end of First World War. They faced the defeat and the ancient royal days have gone, and needless to say the doomed days for the empire has waiting ahead in that period of times. As far as I am concerned, the Palestinian nationalism issue in the global stage is becoming disappearing, as my point of view:

5 1. After the Israel signed up the Camp David Accords with the united state, it has been always supported by the United State, though the Palestinians gained the limited autonomy in the occupied territories, but the Pale still refused to accept it 2. People out side the middle east are becoming numbed about the numberless wars happened between Israel and Palestine, which were aroused approximately every years 3. Regarding to the economic condition recent years in the world, most of the countries are exercising another economic recession from 2008, including the Europe as well as the united state alone, both of the two main economies in the world are encountering their own problems, no one has more attention besides themselves.