APHumanGeography

Exam review: According to this population pyramid, what stage would the US be considered on the Demographic Transition Model? Why? Feel free to comment and/or post your PING PED country data using http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/informationGateway.php as a resource.

Myanmar is a region of high ethnic conflict because there are about a dozen ethnic groups who all want more power in the government.  How would ethnic conflict in Myanmar effect religious tension?

Kara- I liked how you chose an article that dealt with ethnic conflict. In Myanmar, the ethnic groups struggling to gain power are a great example of how ethnicity effects the way people live and what their culture is like. This situation shows that ethnic conflicts are more common than people seem to notice.

This article links to religious conflicts as it shows the anger towards ISIS, an extremist sect of Islam, from other Muslims in the area and other Arabs who are atheist. Why does ISIS feel the need to have such a tight and violent grasp on the community they inhabit?

I would also ask the same question on why the extremists are so violent towards others, and another important question is why are they violent to other Muslims.

This article discusses an Islamic terrorist group in Nigeria, known as Boko Haram, that opposes all elements of Western culture. They have launched numerous attacks on civilians, including kidnapping nearly 200 school girls.  What sparked this violence?  Will it ever stop?

The fact that it took four days for news of this attack to spread is a testament to how much location, specifically isolation, can affect the diffusion of news and information. In regards to the attack itself, I fail to see how this attack gets the group closer to achieving a goal. How does attacking a village, killing 33 people help to eliminate Western culture? This is just senseless killing.

Religious conflicts are reaching new highs around the world as the government puts more restrictions on the faith of the people.  Why does the government restrict religions and what do the people or government gain from these restrictions?

3 main ideas of the article: -Ultimately, Northern Ireland is a very small place, with a lot of madness, and in this sense it is also very similar to Israel. -Peace in Northern Ireland is there, but it's an unsettled peace. -Protestants, many descendants of Scottish and English settlers, see themselves in the Israelis' position - staking a righteous, ancient claim to territory in defiance of a force they view as bloodthirsty insurgents, the Irish Republican Army. This article talks about how there is still some unsettled people in all of Ireland, regarding religion. Also, during the unsettled peace, there are some incidents between Protestants and Roman Catholics, that connects to the Palestine-Israel conflict today. Will there be another religious war in Ireland?

It reminds me of the book I read, "Angela's Ashes" where the author mentions the stereotypes about Protestants that the Roman Catholics held even though these people weren't part of the conflict so long ago. The article is a reminder that history often repeats itself.

I liked how this article talked about two different conflicts and made a connection between the two. I also read Angela's Ashes, and it discussed the same religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Both of these issues signify the importance or meaning of territory to a religion, especially universal religions because of the hearth or birthplace. They have expanded and now try to return to the hearth which creates conflict as there are already people who have inhabited the area.

This article is about the Palestinian conflict we have been discussing in class, and how it seems to be turning from a racial to a religious war, changing from bad to worse. How much longer can this region go before full-out war begins? What other countries may be dragged into a possible war?

I think because of the histories of the two places and the fact that what is happening now is because of years of increasing tensions and dangerous conditions, this conflict will not be solved soon, and because of that, it will only get worse. Both groups want the territory, but one group was placed there (the Jewish people by the British) so they spread and began to dominate, claiming it as theirs.

I agree with Alex, the tension in this region is historic and recently rekindled with the insertion of Israel back into this area. The conflict there is essentially a time bomb on its final countdown and is not likely to be dismantled before it goes off. From my perspective there is no way to stop it unless one religion is removed which is even more impossible.

A Taliban group attacked a Pakistan school. Many children and teachers were killed. These groups were opposed because they had different views on education. What was the Taliban seeking to accomplish by this action and how did they justify it?

I'm asking the same question and I struggle to understand how these actions will solve the Taliban's problems. I don't get how killing the people they disagree with is the resolution they fall upon. Even other Muslims disagree with their way of dealing with these things.

Israel and Palestine have been in a religious conflict for many years, fighting for the same land. Do you think these events could have any impact in resolving the conflict?

Although most people see this as a big joke of a comedy, it may develop into a very serious issue. The movie is racist toward the North Koreans,and mocks their culture.

I agree that the movie mocks their culture, but due to the high firewall of North Korea, I do not see the uprising among their people, but rather their government. The government is drawing more attention to the issue.

I agree with Peyton. Do you think that the general public is aware of the movie and the controversy that it is bringing? If so, to what extent?

Since the Communist takeover of the region in 1949, the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China, have gotten a lot of religious and cultural persecution by Han Chinese. Similar to convicted communists during The Red Scare, Uyghurs have been prosecuted under false circumstances for separatist activities. While this isn't necessarily a dispute over territory, it's certainly an ethnic conflict and because of these hostilities, Uyghurs have a hard time finding migrant work within China. How does this relate to other ethnic conflicts like in Russia or Palestine?

I agree with Alexander about the similarity to Native Americans. Not only is China helping these people with jobs, but they are also making them go through the training programs which includes learning Mandarin, to the point where the minorities are in fear of losing their own identities. The Native Americans were forced to go through similar programs in order to "help them".

One of the cities that we will be traveling to in China is Xian. This city has a large Muslim minority. Do ethnic groups form enclaves as a refuge?

The Swedes refuse Jews to become Swedes if they do not abandon their Jewish identity. How will Jews from other countries react to this resolution to decrease immigrant migration?

Wow. Interesting article. Why do you think this political party has a policy such as this? Does the US have any third parties with similar beliefs?

The extremist Islamic group Taliban has attacked a Pakistani school for religious purposes. These conflicts occur because of strong religious opposition to modern government.Why would they target children of all people.

I also agree with Alec, people are racist to those who look middle eastern, just because of the horrible terrorists out there. It doesn't even matter if they are Islam, let alone extremists.

Nice thread of discussion. How are stereotypes formed?

According to this article, the land reserved specifically for the indigenous people of Brazil is being threatened to be taken away from them for industrial uses. Apparently, the reserves have been a source of multiple conflicts concerning who the land should belong to. While reading this article all I could think about was how this is similar to the depleting reserves of the Native Americans in the United States.

This does not seem to be so much a conflict of religions themselves but rather the conflict of beliefs of one with the modernizing world. Perhaps, in the case of the natives of Brazil and Native Americans as you mentioned, the conflicts are needed to protect the environment and almost play devil's advocate in order to keep some of the world alive for future generations.