Syria Is A Secular State Of The Middle East

The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." They are also known as followers of "Ahl-al-Bayt" or "People of the Household". The historical background of the differences of the two different Muslim faiths is important to recognize due to the significance of its effect on Afghan culture and lifestyle.

A small faction making up 12% of the Syrian population, were referred to as Nusaryi, a label that emphasized their religious groups different approach to Islam, were viewed as heretics of the Islamic religion. During the Ottoman rule, the Nusaryi were the most numerous and poorest of the peasants. Of the Nusaryi who were fortunate enough to have a job, were most likely worked for the Sunni Muslim landlords in the mountain region. In 1920, the French changed their named to Alawite. The term “Alawi” suggested an adherent to Ali, the son in law of Muhammad. This was done to highlight the similarities to the Shiite branch of Islam. The Alawites thrived more than any other faction from the French mandate. The villages on the mountain range and bordering city of Latakia were composed of high amounts of the Alawite faction. The French mandate allowed the areas the govern themselves and jurisdiction over their own people (Fildis). Because the French viewed the Alawites in the mountain range area as potentially strong allies, they took exceeding measures to ensure their support and progress. They introduced schools into the villages, providing opportunities for large amounts of Alawite children to have an education and a future that leads to more than being a servant to a Sunni (MacFarquhar). Many Alawites chose to join the military, it being one of the best outcomes and ways for the Alawites to change their social condition. Over time, an Alawite military

of Syria have a lot of struggles in their daily life. Some of the people have no home and they can’t do many things because of the bombings that occur.

In the Syrian culture/lifestyle there are many similarities to America. Now, every country also has their own way of doing things, their own lifestyle, etc. The difference is because of their culture. The Syrian culture has a lot of unique and interesting ways of doing stuff, like how they spend their time,what their favorite sport is, and many more things. And that’s what makes each country different.

They have suffered from cruelties that need psychological and moral support in order to live with dignity and have hope for the future. To get a true understanding of what it is like living in the Middle East as a Christian, I recently contacted Sara Touchan, a Christian who used to live in Syria. She escaped the war and ISIS and joined Ponte Vedra High School as a junior. She said that living in Syria before the war was simple and really nice. She did not have a chance to meet a lot of Muslims because she attended a private Catholic high school. However, her parent and brothers had Muslim friends through jobs or public universities. Before the war, Syria was one of the better countries for Christians in the Middle East. However, when the Syrian civil war began, it just kept getting more violent and dangerous. She said “We really were not sure if we were going to survive the next day or not. The bombs, voices, and gunshots became a daily routine. Some days were worse than others of course, and a day that was consistent of only hearing bombs without seeing any fight was considered a good day.” Their electricity, water, and Internet used to go off. They had to take showers with cold water from small bottles in the winter. Christians felt unsafe because of ISIS, who wanted to kill Christians solely based on their religion.

Syria is located on the middle east and is really close to Europe or the area where we call Eurasia. It shares border with Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. For the problem, it began in early 21st century, Syria have encountered a civil war which has affected everything in the country, from the very basic needs to the serious issues.

From this initial split other divisions and changes occurred within the religious practices and laws of Islam. While both share a belief in the Qur’an and the sunna (sayings or actions) of the Prophet Muhammad there are religious and legal differences. Imams are by the Shia definition the divinely guided ones but the Sunni defines Imaans as saints (Diffen n.d.). The Shia declared Ali and his descendants Imams with a special connection to the will of God with religious and legal authorities. The number of Imams and who were truly the divinely guided Imams would split Shias. There arose many branches but it came down to three main ones the Twelvers, the Seveners, and Zayids (Goldschmidt Jr. 2013). The Imams were mystical beings and the Twelvers believe that the 12th Imam disappeared and will one day return to set thing right for Muslims. Within the Sunni sect there are four branches of Islamic Law:

Shiites reject the first three Caliphs of Islam, and consider Ali to be the first Imam. Sunni accept the four rightly guided Caliphs. An Imam in the Shiites narratives can only come from the prophet’s bloodline, and has a special ability of interpreting the Quran that normal people cannot do. This narrative further perpetuates the Shiite Ideology that only those who carry the prophet’s blood in their veins should lead the umma. Sunni think of an Imam as one who leads a prayers.

The Sunnis and Shiites differed on who should have succeeded Mohammed after his death in 632. Sunnis supported Abu Bakr, the prophet's friend; Shiite Muslims felt the rightful successor was the prophet's son-in-law and cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib. Ali became the fourth caliph, or spiritual leader of Muslims, but he was murdered and his son was killed in battle, effectively ending the direct line from Mohammed. Today's Shiites consider all caliphs after Ali to be false. Sunnis, meanwhile, believe Muslim leaders can be elected, or picked, from qualified teachers. So Sunni and Shiite Muslims do not recognize the same line of authority. Muslims are split into two main branches, the Sunnis and Shia. The split originates in a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over who should lead the Muslim

Syria, an important and influential country in the Middle East resides on the four corners of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Syria’s history dates back many centuries and covers the multi-highway of commerce and religion. Both the ancient Silk Road between the Mediterranean and China and the Pilgrim’s Road to Mecca pass routed throughout Syria. Although the country’s population is 86% Muslim, the oldest Semitic language of Aramaic written in parts of the Hebrew Bible is still spoken today.

Their society is divided into classes where they do not associate with other ranks. “Traditionally, it is a sign of wealth and status in a family for its women to dress in long robes with their faces veiled” (“Syria”). To add, wealthy people have a modern lifestyle with new appliances. Women are restricted to the home and men have possession over them. Family is important and “the more children one has, the more fortunate one is considered” (“Syria”). Syrians are affectionate individuals who greet one another by asking about their

The country of Syria is a pivotal coastal country located in the Middle East. It shares its northern border with Turkey, southern border with Jordan, east and southeast border with Iraq, and southwest border with Lebanon and Israel. The coastal region

Syria was also the home of some of the oldest and most beautiful monuments in the world. Before the rise of ISIS women they 're able to walk the streets without the fear of being raped by ISIS soldiers. Women didn 't look at as total equals to men, but they were on the road to being able to. Laws were passed so women could vote in the 1900 but men still believed that women should stay at home and take care of the children. Supporters were on the road to helping the women get jobs and making their own living when terror hit their country.

The Syrian Arab Republic is an Arab country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the North, Iraq to the East, Jordan to the South, and Israel to the Southwest. In March 2011, the Syria conflict has begun due to various reasons and is still going on today. This outbreak is one of the key factors which resulted the Arab Spring (Arab Uprising). Arab Spring refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world in 2011. The protest originated in Tunisia in December 2010 and quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. In these countries, the citizens intiatied the protests as the ruling families have been

Geographical position has made a significant influence on the development of Syrian cultural achievements. In fact, Syria was located on the area between Mediterranean ports and Asian trade ways. This peculiarity contributed to economical welfare of the country and, as a result, cultural prosperity (Standish, 2010, p.12). Syria’s climate influenced on the forming national material culture. To illustrate, weather patterns are rather various “across the country, ranging from the hot, dry summers inland to warm, humid summers on the coast; winters are chilly and dry on the coast, and more biting inland, with