Litterature

 Comprehension questions: 

1.  Read several articles in order to learn about Saudi Arabia's power in the Middle East, about Wahhabism, and about the rapid changes that have taken place in the last 5 years.   

1a. Answer comprehension questions on main article, according to directions below. 

1b. Read about Jamal Khashoggi's murder and answer questions, according to directions below .

1c. Read two additional articles and briefly summarize them (5 pts).

2.  Write a 500-word response (~2 double-spaced pages) giving your reaction to these reforms. 

Comprehension questions:

1. How old is Wahhabism?


2. Name three different mechanisms by which Wahhabism has spread to countries outside Saudi Arabia.


3. Does Wahhabism preach terrorism? Explain your answer.


4. List three non-religious factors that the article gives as having contributed to the rise of jihadist* violence.  (If you aren't sure of your answer  to #5, you might want to supplement your answer by reading this short piece: "Saudi Scholars to Vet Teaching of Prophet Muhammad to Curb Extremism" The Guardian Oct 18, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/18/saudi-scholars-to-vet-teaching-of-prophet-muhammad-to-curb-extremism (Links to an external site.)) 


5. As of 2016, what had the Saudi government done to combat militancy and terrorism on its own soil?


6. According to this article, in what way(s) is it simply chance that Wahhabism has been so influential?


7. How did the Iranian Revolution of 1979 affect Saudi influence on global Islam?


8. Briefly summarize the anecdote given about the changes in a Pakistani village occasioned by a Saudi-trained preacher.


9. Do you think the Brussels bombers were directly or indirectly motivated by Saudi teachings? Explain your answer.

1a.  Everyone read this main article from 2016 and answer comprehension questions on it.

“Saudis and Extremism: ‘Both the Arsonists and the Firefighters’” New York Times Aug 25, 2016.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-islam.html (Links to an external site.)

(Reminder: if you run out of free articles at the New York Times, it is available through our library databases.  See section (A)(2) of this page for more information.)

Answer these comprehension questions on the main article (they largely follow the order of the article, so you can answer them as you read through).

Remember that you must not copy blocks of text without quotation marks, or substitute synonyms but keep the same sentence structure, or you will get a 0 on your homework for plagiarism.

1b.  Read the Wikipedia article on Jamal Khashoggi's death : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khashoggi (Links to an external site.)

and answer the following questions: 

1. Where was Jamal Khashoggi killed?

2. Who killed him? Who ordered the killing? Is there any disagreement or doubt about the answers to these questions?

3. Why was he killed?

 1c. Choose TWO of the following pieces written 1-4 years after the first article, including one published before May 2020, and one in or after May 2020.  *Briefly* summarize (i.e., in 1-3 sentences each) the main point you learned from each these articles or opinion pieces.   Although it is not part of your assignment, notice where these pieces come from, if they are straight reporting or opinion pieces, and what (if any) bias you think is in the piece.  

2. Reaction

After reading the pieces above, write a response on the following question.  This is your opinion, but you should back it up with sound reasoning.  Write around 500 words, double-spaced.

Do you think the reforms in Saudi Arabia are genuine and substantial, and do you think they will change Saudi Arabia's role in the Islamic world?

Read the attach