Unit 1: Redefining World Society and Culture
Lesson B: Division and Diffusion — World Belief Systems
Activity 11: Conflicts in World Religions
You examined how religions and belief systems led to unity in culture and views about government as well as how they have led to division within the religions. In this next activity, you are going to examine a table of historical events to determine how religions have led to some division between different religious groups.
| Dates | War or Conflict | Who was Fighting | Reason for Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1095 – 1272 | The Crusades | European Catholics and Turks/Arabs/Muslims | The Pope called upon all Catholic countries to take Jerusalem and other lands in the Middle East from the Muslims in the Middle East. |
| 1562 – 1648 | European Religious War | Protestants and Catholics | Catholic and Protestant countries fought a series of wars over the emergence of Protestantism in Europe. |
| 1947 | Pakistan splits from India | Hindus and Muslims | After India received independence from Great Britain the Muslim population argued that they would not be treated fairly in a country dominated by Hindus. |
| 1948 – Present | Arab – Israeli Conflict | Arab Muslims and Israeli Jews | In 1948, Israel was proclaimed a country. The majority of the population was Jewish settlers. The mostly Arab-Palestinian population who had traditionally lived on the land believed that their land had been taken. Neighboring Arab-Muslim countries joined forces and have fought various wars and battles in response to Israel's existence. |
| 1969 – 2001 | Conflict in Northern Ireland | Catholics and Protestants | Northern Ireland was under the control of Great Britain. The Irish population was primarily Catholic while the British were primarily Protestant. Northern Ireland wanted to unite with the rest of Ireland, but in order to protect the Protestants in Northern Ireland, Great Britain refused to allow it to have independence. |
| 1980 – 1988 | Iran-Iraq War | Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims | This war began as a border dispute but soon evolved into a war between these two branches of Islam. |
Written Activity - Notebook
In your notebook, respond to the following questions:
- Are there any patterns that emerge from this table?
- Why do you think that some people or countries were willing to use religion as a reason for war or conflict?
- Did any conflicts lead to long-lasting conflicts of some groups against others? Why do you think this might have happened?
