Essay about Nationalist Ideas in the Middle East

The role of the Middle East has been very crucial to the United States, especially after WWII. The U.S. had three strategic goals in the Middle East and consistently followed them throughout various events that unfolded in the region. First, with the emergence of the cold war between the Soviet Union and the U.S., policymakers began to recognize the importance of the Middle East as a strategic area in containing Soviet influence. This also coincides with the U.S. becoming increasingly wary of Arab nationalism and the threat it posed to U.S. influence. Secondly, the emergence of the new Israeli state in 1948 further deepened U.S. policy and involvement in the region while also creating friction between the U.S. and Arab states which were

The rise of Zionism and Arab Nationalism in the nineteenth century triggered major political tensions in the region of Palestine. The conflict among the Zionists and Arab Nationalists is primarily due to the politics of territory and is essentially not comprised of religious opposition. In fact, before the advent of Zionism and Arab Nationalism, Jews and Palestinians shared a local identity due to mutual tolerances. This identity, which took precedence over religion, created a vivacious community with its own unique set of traditions and customs shared among the Jews, Muslims and Christians. However, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Zionists whom were seeking a safe haven from Jewish prejudices in mainly Eastern Europe, proclaimed their return to Palestine. Zionists sought the territory of Palestine as the ‘official land of the Jews’ because of their ancient homeland ties. Furthermore, as Zionism progressed, Arabs Nationalists were threatened by the ideology and the vast Jewish immigration to Palestine. In the Arab point of view, Zionism emerged as a European movement, which appeared to be another attempt by Western imperialism to subordinate Muslims to Europeans. Although Arab Nationalism and Zionism were similar in nature, these two identities were destined to clash primarily due to their irreconcilable nationalistic aspirations and cultural characteristics.

Moreover, In 1897 Theodore Herzl, the first Zionist Congress, gave the Jewish people the right to a national rebirth in their country. In document 1 it is stated, "...the right of the Jewish people to rebuild its National home." For that reason, the Jewish people must have Israel back, and the Palestinians must give it

The Zionist movement is the movement that supported the belief that the Jewish people deserved a homeland of their own that was isolated from outside countries. Zionism acted as a government of the Jewish people during the period of time they were making Israel a State. Within the Zionist movement, there were several sub-parties that acted in opposition to each other. The biggest parties were the Mapai, which was a Zionist labor

Not long after his proposal, in 1904, Herzl died a hero (Vital). Herzl singlehandedly gave himself and his soul to cause of the oppressed Jewish people. Herzl had come closer to the restoration of the Jewish people than any of his predecessors in a long time. His predecessors - Moses Hess, Leon Pinsker, and Zvi Hirsch Kalischer - have been forgotten as they were unable to craft a practical plan for the Jewish situation. Herzl displayed the personal charm, the qualities of leadership and the powers of imagination which characterized his whole career as the leader of the Zionist movement (Grayzel). Accompanied by his confident demeanor and hope, Herzl proved success throughout his incredible journey. Little did he know that almost 50 years later, after two dreadful wars, his dream would become a reality with the birth of a Jewish State. Ultimately, Herzl left a legacy for the Jewish people. His responsibility has fallen into the hands of every Jew everywhere in the world (Ignatieff). Today, Jews must fight for the existence of their Jewish State and support its valued existence in the world. With the increase of political tensions between Arab countries and Israel, Jews must take action, like Herzl, to protect what was so dear to them throughout their history (“Arab-Israeli Conflict”). In eight years, Herzl created a movement, established

Labeled “Zionism,” this movement advocated for the return of Jews to Palestine, and that Jews constitute one nation and should have a state of their own. This was not met with wholehearted support, however. Both Jews and non-Jews disputed the need for, and right to exist, of the Jewish state. Jews that clung to more traditional values emphasized that the Zionists did not speak for all Jews, and that many do not wish for such a state to exist. Additionally, non-Jews disliked the particularity of the Zionist movement, viewing it as holding Jews as separate, and more significant, than other peoples.

The Cause of Hatred and Distrust in the Middle East The war in Iraq is further poisoning the already noxious political atmosphere between Arabs and Americans. It has intensified and increased dangerous feelings of humiliation and outrage among the Arab public, while paranoid rhetoric about Western attacks against Islam elsewhere is spreading from the religious fringe to the mainstream. It is simplistic and self- serving for political leaders in the West to tell us that the terrorists attacks happen because they "hate freedom," or "hate our democratic values" or "they despise our love of liberty. " Many, in fact, hate what they perceive as materialistic Western values, but this is not what leads them

were chosen by God to set up a state of Israel where they could not be

Before anyone can comprehend the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one must understand the theory of Zionism. Theodor Herzl was the first Jew to have the idea of creating Israel. He was a witness of the Dreyfus affair, in which a Jewish officer was accused of treason, solely because he was Jewish. Herzl also witnessed mobs of people shouting “Death to the Jews”. This was the last straw for Herzl. Herzl decided that there needed to be a change so he made it one of his life goals to create a successful movement in which Jews founded a Jewish state. One of his main arguments was that discrimination against Jews could be eliminated if they had their own Jewish State, and so modern Zionism was formed. The idea of modern Zionism is so pertinent to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because much of the reason for Israel becoming a Jewish state is behind the fact that Jews were perpetrated throughout the years before Zionism even came into play of the situation.

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

The PFLP is Fatah’s primary rival within the PLO and claims to offer a fundamentally different ideological and organizational approach in achieving Palestinian goals. Founded in late 1967, the PFLP has its roots in the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM) and in the political styles of its own principle founders, George Habash and Wadi Haddad—both from Greek Orthodox Christian backgrounds. The Arab Nationalist Movement particularly attracted to Christians, who saw a secular ideology based on Arab unity as a way to equalize their status in a predominately-Muslim world and to shape out a special niche for themselves within the Palestinian resistance movement.

Ethnic conflicts are well rooted in the world's history and perhaps inherent in human nature. This type of conflict is difficult to resolve as is evident in the situation in the Middle East. The ethnic conflict theory explains that it is not territory, politics, or economics that prevents the achievement of peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, instead, it is a deep-seated hatred of one another that neither group can overcome. The Camp David Summit in July 2000, the most recent attempt at fostering a lasting peace is a clear example of how ethnocentrism can prevents success.

Historians, specifically American historians of the 21st century have demonstrated an interest in the Middle East in Islam, due to Americans frequent contact with the Middle East in the early 1960s. Islam and the Middle East have played a remarkable role in Americans discussion and reaction to the events that took place on September 11th, 2001. During this time Americans were beginning to regard the Middle East, Muslims, and Islam as one entity. Americans and the world regarded the Middle East as Islam and Islam as the Middle East. Thus, this correlation between the two made Muslims say Muslim Americans and Muslims in America as less western and more of another, but they were also seen as untrustworthy individuals. Additionally, prior to the September 11th, attacks and an after effect of September 11, was that Muslim men were violent and Muslim women as oppressed individuals. Thus, the perception of Islamophobia and the threat it brings to western society has impacted the discussion of Islamophobia in America.

In Araby, by James Joyce, the story is told by a young boy who has his heart on a girl. The boy’s name is never mentioned in the story and neither is the girls’. Since the narrator is the young boy, his name is never mentioned. In the story, the girl is only mentioned as Mangan’s sister. The point of view, plot, and setting all help make up this story. The narrator in this story is the young boy and he tells the story through his point of view.

Over the last century, the Middle East has been the location of ethnic rivalry, political and economic instability, religious conflict, territorial dispute and war. Much of this tension in the Middle East comes from the various interpretations of Islam and how the religion should be applied to politics and society. Over the last ten years, the United States and their allies have pushed to promote democracy in the Middle East. However, they too have many obstacles they must overcome. They face problems such as the compatibility of Islamic law and democracy, the issue of women’s rights, and there is always the problem of how to go about implementing a democratic reform in these countries. Many initially would assume that it is only the