The Middle East: Definitions
Directions: Follow the steps in order. It is important that you shade lightly as you will be shading some countries with 3 different colors. As you shade in each country label it. Consider as you read what the criteria is for each of the definitions. You will need to know the criteria when you build your own definitions
1. Outline in black the countries in our brainstorm.
2. Read Definition 1 and lightly shade the underlined countries in blue.
3. Read Definition 2 and lightly shade the underlined countries in orange.
4. Read Definition 3 and lightly shade the underlined countries in brown.
5. Read the Preface to A Brief History of the Middle East: From Abraham to Arafat by Christopher Catherwood
6. Using Voice Thread, Webspiration or some other visual learning tool create definition for the Middle East and defend your position.
Scoring Guide
Task: You must: / Criteria: I will look for: / Points PossibleCreate a map that shows different definitions of the Middle East / Countries labeled
3 definitions neatly shaded in / 20
Write a definition of the Middle East / A list of countries in your definition
Criteria for including the countries / 40
Challenge a definition / A comment on another team’s definition
A challenge to that same team’s definition / 10
Defend you position / A direct response to another team’s question
Use of your criteria to support your position / 10
Total Points / 80
Definition #1
Region in western Asia and northeast Africa that includes the nations on the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey.
Definition #2
Most Middle Eastern countries are located on the continent of Asia. The term "Middle East" includes all of the following countries:
Cyprus; Iran; Iraq; Israel (including the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank, where Palestinians and Israeli settlers live); Jordan; Lebanon; Syria; Turkey; the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, which include Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait; and Egypt (on the continent of Africa).
Sometimes the Islamic countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan are included under a wider definition of the Middle East. Afghanistan and Pakistan are not Arab countries. Not all countries and people in the Middle East are Arabs. The primary language groups in the Middle East are Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish.
Definition #3 (Riphenburg, Carol J. http://www.cod.edu/Middle/maps/defined.htm Accessed 2009. )
The definition of the term Middle East is not set in granite, as the region is not an exactly defined area of the world. It is sometimes referred to as the Near East or Southwest Asia; in India the region is known as Western Asia. What the area is called sometimes depends on one’s position on the globe. Even then, not everyone agrees on which countries should be included within a geographic domain.
The different terms applied to the region emphasize that the area being described owes its regional character to other than indigenous factors. The countries in this area are as diverse as the countries of Europe, they are included in a single term only because they are “near to” or “in the middle of” other regions. These countries are grouped together because of their relation to the outside world rather than an inherent unity arising from similar geographical and social conditions or from a recent common history.
Mapping this area is complicated because the Middle East is defined solely as the Arab states and Israel then Iran would be excluded. If this area is thought to include Israel and the predominantly Muslim states in the area, then the North African states of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, plus Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Sudan, and Turkey, would also have to be included.
In the academic community, the term Middle East refers to the Arab countries of North Africa; the Arab countries of Asia; Israel; and the non-Arab countries of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. According to some broader definitions, it may also include the five countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Some might also include Azerbaijan.
That said, a commonly used definition focuses on those countries that Americans most often associate with the Middle East and that have had a continuing and central role in two issues of importance to US foreign policy: the Arab-Israeli conflict and the security of the Persian Gulf and its oil resources. These nations are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Given the importance of the war on terrorism to current US foreign policy, it might be appropriate to include Afghanistan and other neighboring Central Asian states in the definition. The average American sees Afghanistan as a country in the Middle East.