rship, Iran has an affinity with other Shia Muslims in the Middle East, notably in Iraq and Syria. Known as Persia until 1935. Iran and Persia are used interchangeably in cultural and other contexts. Following the overthrow of its monarchy, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979. Simmering tensions with the United States since then, especially over the development of nuclear materials. About the land mass of Alaska. Capital: Tehran. Languages: Persian (official, 53 percent), Azeri (16 percent), Kurd (10 percent) and others. Faith: Muslim (Shia, 89 percent; Sunni 9 percent) and others. Population: 79 million (2012 estimate). Proportion of population younger than 15: about one-quarter. Ethnic groups: Persian (61 percent), Azeri (16 percent), Kurd (10 percent) and others. Literacy: 77 percent. (Source: World Factbook.) See ARYAN.
A Persian or Iranian name consists of a given name, sometimes more than one, followed by a family name. Many of the names in the Alf Layla wa-Layla, or “The Thousand Nights and One Night” are Persian, including Scheherazade (various spellings). See IRAN.
One of the two major religions of South Asia, the other being Hinduism. The conflict between followers of Hinduism and Islam remains one of the bloodiest in the world. Though its origins are in Arabia, modern Islam is a world religion (Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation). It is one of the three great religions that venerate Abraham and incorporates teachings from both Judaism and Christianity. At the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, one of the holiest cities of the Islamic world, there is a minaret known as the Tower of Jesus. Halal, dietary rules under Islamic law, are similar to the kosher dietary laws of Judaism. During what are known as the Dark Ages in Europe, Islamic scholars preserved many of the great books of Western civilization. Arab mathematicians invented algebra (Arabic for “the reduction”). Within Islam, the great divide is between the majority Sunni and the minority Shia. There is no quick description of the theological differences between the groups. But as far as the blood feud between them, it is similar to the European religious wars of the majority Catholics and minority Protestants. See also COLONIALISM; HINDUISM; ISLAMIST; JIHAD; MOSQUE “AT” GROUND ZERO; ORIENTAL; SEPTEMBER 11, 2001; SIKHISM; TURBAN.
Adjective, from the Arabic “aslama,” to submit, as to God. Related to the Arabic for Muslim, literally, one who submits to God. Similar to the Christian “supplicant,” Latin for one who kneels down, as in prayer to God. Caution for set phrases like “Islamic fundamentalist” and “Islamic terrorist.” See ISLAMIST.
Caution. Similar to the adjectival “Islamic,” but now used with the connotation of “religious fundamentalist” and the further connotation of “possible or actual terrorist.” As with Christians and Jews, Muslim religious fundamentalism rarely expresses itself in terrorism. See JIHAD; MOSQUE “AT” GROUND ZERO; PEARL HARBOR; SEPTEMBER 11, 2001; SIKHISM; SUICIDE BOMBING; TURBAN.
Avoid, a slur. A legacy of World War II. See CHINAMAN; GOOK; INTERNMENT; JAPAN; NIP; PEARL HARBOR; SLANT; SLOPE; VIETNAMESE SLURS.
The world’s third-largest economy behind the United States, then China. With China and India, Japan makes up one-quarter of the world economy. Economic stagnation since 1990s. Japan’s cultural influence is enormous, from Nintendo to Hello Kitty to Zen. Land mass smaller than California. Historical enmity with China, Korea, Philippines and others. World War II and the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor are the source of many racial slurs by Americans. Capital: Tokyo. Population: 127 million (2012 estimate). Proportion of population younger than 15: about one-seventh.
Language: Japanese (English spoken in commerce). Faith: Shintoism and Buddhism. Ethnic groups: Japanese (99 percent). Literacy: 99 percent. (Source: World Factbook.) See BUDDHISM, Zen; GOOK; JAP; JAPANESE NAMES; NIP; PEARL HARBOR; SHINTOISM; SLANT; SLOPE; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
In the United States, Chinese and Japanese are the Asian ethnic groups longest