Teach the Middle East: Great Resources

The Middle East Policy Council has some terrific educational resources. It's educational outreach program, "Teach the Middle East," includes a digital textbook with chapters that align with parts of the AP World curriculum. In fact, AP World History teacher, Bram Hubbell wrote two of the chapters I particularly like, one called "The Roots of Modern Islamism," and the other called "Legacies: The Ottomans."

In "The Roots of Modern Islam," Hubbell outlines the rise of Arab nationalism and the Muslim Brotherhood after Britain granted limited independence to Egypt in the early 1920's. And in his chapter on the Ottomans, Hubbell analyzes the last fifty years of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of of the Young Turks.  He takes issue with the idea that the Ottoman Empire was the "Sick Man of Europe" at the dawn of the 20th century.

You can download the individual chapters and print them out. They include reading and discussion questions as well as short primary sources. For example,  the Roots of Modern Islam includes an excerpt from the World Islamic Front's "Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders" and an excerpt from Sayyid Qutb's book, "Milestones." (Qutb was an Egptian nationalist "who promoted a more Islamist view of the world" and tried to assassinate Egypt's President Nasser in 1966).