Contemporary Middle East Discussion Questions (1 source each, approx Essay

Contemporary Middle East Discussion Questions (1 source each, approx 125 words) - Essay Example This is well seen in the case of Egypt and Persia in which case the effects of these forces continue to play. Many people were always skeptical to the idea of giving away their resources as a way of creating much interconnection with the state (Finkel, 2006). 2) The Wahhabi Muslim fundamentalists believed that Muslims should return to the very fundamental Islamic ways as outlined in the Quran and the Hadith. Much of their beliefs were informed by the teachings of medieval theologians like Taymiyyah. They believed in the Islamic doctrine of Tawhid in which the unity and uniqueness of God were greatly revered (Philby, 2004). More importantly, these Muslim fundamentals believed that philosophical interpretations of the Quran and the Hadith could mislead the people. As such they totally opposed such interpretations. On the other hand, Muslim modernists like Malkom Khan were pushing for the reconciliation of the Islamic faith with such modern values like democracy, nationalism, equality a nd progress. In this case, the critical evaluation of issues in the context of jurisprudence was greatly cherished. Indeed, these beliefs have considerable impact in the Middle East to this day. 3) The Osmanlilik reform movement was developed during the first constitutional era in the Ottoman Empire. ... In this regard, aspects of head tax, conscription, and military service were applied to everyone in equal measure. Citizenship of the empire was therefore a common affair irrespective of any orientation or affiliation. It should however be realized that Osmanlilik was greatly rejected by many Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Many of the adherents of Osmanlilik were lost during the first Balkan War and this led to its eventual failure. 4) The Young Turks Revolution of 1908 was driven by a group of likeminded Turkish nationalists, pluralists and a group of other secularists who totally blamed the Sultan for the harried state of the Empire at the time. The Sultan had suspended the parliament and this was restored effectively by the revolution. It was however realized that the process of replacing monarchic institutions with constitutional ones was not easy as had been initially presumed. The unity of the young Turks and the wide support they enjoyed across the land and beyond was indeed i nstrumental in their successful deposition of the Sultan in 1909. In a way, the Young Turks basically stood for change as opposed to the state of affairs realized at the time. Their goals were therefore different from those of the Osmanlilik (Ruggiero, 2003). 5) The general area of the Middle East greatly attracted much of Europe leading to the European domination of the region and the subsequent influence. Politically, the United Kingdom began this influence by taking over the government of Cyprus which was a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire. This was basically as a result of the Cyprus Convention. In this regard, the British greatly influenced the political, social and economic life of this region. In the same way as Syria became part of the French protectorate, it was