The Country And Culture Of Iraq

By definition, Islam is a religion of those who obey the doctrines of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad, who in the 7th century lived in Arabia, initiated a religious movement that throughout the Middle East was supported by the Arabs. Today, not only in Middle East origins, Islam has adherents, where it is the dominant religion in all countries (Non-Arab, and Arab), but also in other parts of Africa, Asia and, of course, as well as in the United States. Those who are loyal to Islam are called Muslims. The Sunni, Shiite conflict in Iraq started long before the ruling of Saddam Hussein, but when Hussein became Prime Minister of the country the conflict between the two religious sects was taken to a new level. Right when Hussein gained full power, under his control, began years of persecution of the Shiite Muslims in the country. But, before this happened, the conflict was based upon Muhammad and who was to rule after he had died. When Muhammad had died there were many disputes on who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death in 632. Shiites believed that the prophet’s son-in-law, Ali, was to be the successor. Both consider the Koran the word of God. But, devoutness and religious practice distinguish between the two sects. However, Islam teaches that all Islam is equal so Sunni and Shiite sects fight with each other not only because of “hatred” but, also because of religious

For this assignment the cultural manifestations I selected to discuss as being important to our Unit’s success are Wasta, Deference to authority, and Tendency to seek compromise. Of course understanding all of the cultural manifestations are important to our unit’s success, but each region within the Middle East-North African (MENA) region will have their own variations based upon which branch of Islam is dominant in the region, what that region’s experience has been with the U.S. or a Western presence in general and numerous other factors such as the prevailing socio-economic factors of the region.

During the First World War, Iraq was ruled by Great Britain (). Iraq was ruled by Great Britain until they declared themselves a republic in 1958 (). Today Iraq is dominated by violence (). Even though newspapers and the news show violence, a culture inside is trying to come out ().

The Shi’a and Sunni are the two main Muslim sects in Iraq, with about 80 to 90 percent being Shi’a.

Despite these traditions, the political loyalties of Sunnis and Shiites are affected by their country of citizenship and nationality. In 1980, Iran, a Shiite country whose language and culture are Farsi (Persian), was invaded by Iraq, an Arab country with a Sunni leadership but a Shiite majority in the population. Despite the Iranian appeals, most Iraqi Shiites stayed loyal to Iraq by performing military service when required during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. The war between Iran and Iraq that took place soon after and lasted from 1980 to 1988 highlighted some of the differences between Sunni and

Iraq is essentially split between two different forms of Muslims, with the majority being Shias and the minority being Sunnis. The Shias, being less strict about following Islamic laws directly from the Quran, whereas the Sunnis are more firm with following and enforcing all Islamic law as described in the Quran. However, the foundation of both group’s beliefs are the five pillars of Islam, and believing in the prophet Muhammad. The separation between the two groups lies predominately with the succession of the prophet

The capital of Iraq is Baghdad and the official language of Iraq is Arabic. About 77% of the population are Arabs, 19% are Kurds. The remaining 4% of the population is a mix between, Turkomens, Assyrians, and Armenians. Hospitality is a very important tradition in the Arab and Muslim culture. People that visit are to be treated like kings and must be taken care of, including being fed all meals. One traditions says that someone is allowed to stay in your home for three days before you can question why they are

To understand Iraq’s culture you first need to understand its long, tragic history that started at a time when the country was part of a larger Mesopotamia. Conquerors came to power and fell numerous times at the edge of a sword for thousands of years. More recently, Iraq has seen continued fighting and killing at the hand of a dictator and numerous extremists. The United States, with the support of many coalition forces, has tried to end all of these travesties and allow this country to become a free, democratic state. As anticipated, the United States decided that they had done all they needed to in Iraq and in 2013 pulled its troops out. Iraq’s new leaders now have control of their own country but corruption and terrorism remain. If Iraq cannot come together as one, there will never be stability.

I think it's an interesting topic that I've never really thought about. " Culture has a way of uniting us and also dividing us" I agree with you on that. For example, As a refugee living in Baghdad, Iraq for 17 years, I can tell you that culture clearly had united us as Iraqi people and at the same time separated us. For example, language, Arabic Language united us all as Iraqis; everyone had to know how to speak Arabic because it was the language for education in every part of Iraq. However, it also separated us from the Kurds who are part of Iraq but speak Kurdish. It created conflict, because the Kurds had to learn Arabic because it is the language of education. Culture united us as Iraqi people who shared the same body language, majority

Iraq embraces potentially the most ancient civilization flourishing today. In order to appreciate the culture of Iraq, we have to revise about 5,000 years back to the culture of Mesopotamia and Sumer. Today, Iraq claims almost all of the same land as Mesopotamia once did. Way back in 4000 B.C.E, the Sumerians flourished the land of modern day Iraq. This was ultimately the start of a long lasting culture that would be passed on for thousands of years. These Sumerians are fully responsible for the way that the Iraqi culture was molded. They delivered much progression to not only Sumer and Iraq, but also to many other countries.

The purpose of this paper is to look at Iraq’s current; political, military, economic, information, infrastructure, physical environment, and time. Outlining the future struggles this young Islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic will face in its’ truly turbulent area. Their future role in the stabilization of the region, and their importance to the US as a regional ally.

The Middle East is far from monumental and homogenous. Its differences have been a source of both strength and inspiration. The most visible, most pervasive, and the least recognized aspects of

Iraq is located in the eastern portion of the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent is the region of the Middle East and North Africa that is considered more fertile than the other arid parts of the region. This area was significant to early civilization’s success. Iraq is the 58th largest country in the world. The geography of Iraq can be divided into four main regions. The regions are the desert in the west and southwest, the upland between the upper Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the highlands in the north and northeast, and the plain through which the Tigris and Euphrates flow. The Tigris-Euphrates river system has a large impact on Iraq and gives Iraq rich soil, which helps with agriculture. All four of these regions are very diverse.

Iraq had a major importance for Iran since the Safavid dynasty turned Shiism into a state religion. Shiite Islam was formed in Iraq. The sacred Shiite cities of Najaf and Karbala are Shiite training centers and destinations for religious pilgrims. At the moment, Iran views southern Iraq as part of its historical sphere of

In recent years, the Iraqi nation has endured a crisis that will forever remain in the hearts and minds of the Middle Eastern culture. However, the outcomes of the War on Iraq will not change the long-lasting and passionate traditions and memories that have been held in the country for decades. One major event that happened in Iraq’s history is that on October 3, 1932 Iraq was established as an independent nation. Iraq has always been a country in which respect and generosity have been highly valued and play an important cultural role in everyday life. Additionally, approximately ninety-five percent of Iraqis are Muslim, and therefore Islam is the official religion of this nation (Gutierrez 1). Furthermore, Iraq is a