| A | B |
|---|
| Kaaba | the central, cubic, stone structure, covered by a black cloth, within the Great Mosque in Mecca. |
| Anti-Semitism | anti Jewish feelings |
| Ayatollah | Religious leader in Iran who led Anti-Shah movement and was anti U.S. and the western world |
| Balfour Declaration | Document issued by Great Britain during WWII that said Jews should have a homeland |
| Bedouin | Desert nomad |
| Caliph | successor to Mohammed |
| Camp David | Presidential retreat where Egyptian President Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Begin met with President Carter and signed the first peace treaty between Muslims and Jews |
| Cuneiform | Ancient form of writing used by the Sumerians |
| Diaspora | 70 AD- the Romans forced the Jews out of their land and Jews were scattered throughout Europe without a homeland |
| Fertile Crescent | Arc shaped area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers with rich fertile soil |
| Gaza Strip | occupied territory once controlled by Egypt and taken by Israel in the 6 Day War and is now an area of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis |
| Hajj | Once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca during which Muslims dress in all white and circle the Kaaba and go to Arafat |
| Hijrah | Muhammah's migration from Mecca to Media in 622 AD |
| Holocaust | Nazi Germany's genocide against the Jews. 6 million Jews were killed |
| Intifada | in 1987 an uprising by Palestinians who were living on the occupied territories because they were tired of Israeli military rule. The Israeli army used excessive force to put down the demonstrations. |
| Jihad | A religious struggle against oppression of Muslims, which can be but isn't always a holy war |
| Koran | Holy book of Islam which Muslims believe are Allah's exact words |
| Mandate | Land or territory that is administered but not owned by League of Nations |
| Mesopotamia | Ancient civilizations "the land between the rivers" located between the Tigris and Euphrates in the fertile crescent |
| Monotheism | practice of religion where there is only one god |
| Mosque | Muslim house of worship |
| OPEC | Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries which controls the costs and amount of oil produced |
| PLO | Palestinian Liberation Organization led by Yasir Arafat. There goal was to regain Palestine and at times they have used terrorist tactics |
| Torah | Holy book for the Jews |
| Zionist Movement | Movement of European Jews back to their promised land started by Theodore Hertzle |
| al-Qaida | Established by Osama Bin Ladin in the late 1980s to bring together Arabs who fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet invasion. Helped finance, recruit, transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan resistance. Current goal is to establish a pan-Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non-Islamic" and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries. |
| Arabian Nights | Stories told by Shahrazad to leave King Shahriyar in suspense, to keep him from killing her. |
