Al,
If you have the chance to take a course on the ME, I think you will find it very interesting. If your professor is any good and is from the region, you will get an incredible insight into what's going on.
Until taking this course, I never fully understand the tension between the Western nations, particularly the US, and Islam. What I am learning is the two regions have been evolving in different directions. In recent years, while the West had become more secularized, Islam has tried instead to move back to its fundamentalist roots/beginnings. While not completely successful, its this move away from secularization that is a major source of tension between the two cultures. Of course, there is a slew of other grievances held against the West by the Muslims that also contribute to the craziness.
However, within Islam itself, there is conflict be secularization and fundamentalism. This is where OBL comes in......he is against secularization and the corruption of ME gov'ts. He is just one of several groups who are jostling for power and control. As fundamentalist as the Saudis are, militant Islamists like OBL are not satisfied. Its what makes the ME such a powder keg even if Israel weren't there to stir things up.
A factoid that I just learned about. As you probably know, the Shia in Iraq and Iran are the majority religion and the Sunnis are the minority. However, in all of Islam, the Sunnis are the majority and the Shia are the minority.
In a part of the world where religion plays a big part and where the Sunnis and the Shia have been pitted against each other from the beginning, this difference between the religious makeup of Iraq and Iran with the rest of the ME is huge.
Really loving this course...............<g>
ted |
