How many Kurds are there?
- 25 - 35 million
What religion is the Kurds?
Sunni
What happened to the idea of a Kurdish State after WWl?
- Provision for a Kurdish state, Treaty of Sevres 1920
What is at the heart of Islamic fundamentalism?
Muslims should return to their Islamic values and establish states based on laws derived from the Koran
What is the difference between Arab Nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism?
- AN stress on their common language and believe in secularism
- IF wanted no division between political and religious life
Which Arab countries felt threatened by Islamic fundamentalists?
Conservative monarchies like Jordan and Saudi Arabia
And those with close ties to the west
When was the Iran Iraq war?
1980
What did Afghan communists do in 1978?
Supported by the Soviet Union, they seized control of the government
When did the Soviets send in troops to Afghanistan?
December 1979
What was the result of the soviets sending troops in to Afghan?
Led to a huge rebellion and for 10 years the Afghan gorillas (mujahideen) fought the soviets
Who provided aid to the afghans?
- USA, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
Who was Osama bin Laden?
Son of a large construction business in Saudi and used his wealth to build underground complexes for weapons and medical facilities
When were the Soviets forced to leave Afghanistan?
1989
Where did those attracted to political Islam thrive?
Mosques, Arab governments dared interfere
Impact of the Islamic revolution in Iran
- Political transformation, monarchy removed, religious leaders dominated politics and was overwhelmingly voted for
- Iran and Iraq war, Sadam Hussein was very fearful of the same thing happening in Iraq
- Inspired Shia movements to challenge dominant Sunni regimes e.g Saudi
