History of Nationalism in the Middle East

The Arab Middle East as we know it today came into being as a result of policies put into effect by the West following World War I. The French and the British divided the region according to their own plans and based on the emerging globalization of that time. Egypt, discussed in detail later in this research, had a much longer history as an independent country, but was still heavily influenced by the English. The monarchy set up by the colonial powers at the beginning of the twentieth century in Egypt was overthrown in the middle of that century as Egypt emerged as one of the first truly independent nations in the post-colonial era. Other countries, including Syria, Jordan, Lebanon a

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rkey than to other Middle Eastern Muslim countries. This image of Egypt as a secular nation is flawed, however. Islam is the nation's official religion, and Egypt has used Islam over the past 100 years to move from a nation that was highly influenced by the British to a nation that more closely identifies with its Middle Eastern neighbors. The Egyptian government over the course of the twentieth century sought to use Islam for its own purposes, encouraging rural populations to be content with their station in life, for example, and as a way to control the nationalism that has become prevalent in the country (Starrett 73). According to some analysts, the Egyptian government's use of Islam has been to both objectify the religion and to functionalize it. When Islam is perceived by Egyptians to be a system of beliefs that can be examined and evaluated, it is objectified. It is as an object that Islam can be compared to other religions and belief systems. When Islam is perceived by a population to be unexamined and unexaminable, it is practiced by followers without understanding. Once it can be examined, it can be understood. The Egyptian government has functionalized Islam in that it has used Islam to further social and pol
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Middle East, Muslim Brotherhood, Middle Eastern, President Bush, Islam Islam, Saudi Arabia, War II, East United, French British, Taliban Western, middle east, twentieth century, soviet union, world war, saudi arabia, secular nation, egypt secular nation, arab nations, egypt secular, war ii, secular religion, world war ii, arab middle east, retrieved internet 17, internet 17 2003,
Approximate Word count = 2671
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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