Middle East History Quiz

The primary cause of the first Gulf War (1990-1991) was

• the Iraqi army's sudden invasion of Kuwait.

• Iraqi possession of weapons of mass destruction.

• repeated attacks by the Iraqi navy on civilian targets within Israel

• Iraq’s testing of a nuclear device as part of a test of its weapons program.

"Shari'a" refers to

• Holy War.

• Islamic law

• Holy prayer.

• Buddhist prayer.

What is the MAIN difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims?

• The Sunni believe in the idea of Monotheism.

• The Shia pray towards Mecca five times every day.

• The Shia wanted a family member of Muhammad to succeed him.

• The Sunni fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.

What was the MAIN cause of the first Gulf War (1990-1991)?

• Iraq's army invaded Kuwait.

• Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

• Iraq repeatedly attacked civilian targets within Israel.

• Iraq's testing of a nuclear weapon along the border of Iran.

What was Osama bin Laden BEST known for?

• founding an Islamic extremist terrorist group

• destroying the oil rigs of Kuwait in the 1990s

• organizing the Taliban to resist Soviet occupation

• running the largest dictatorship in the Middle East

Saddam Hussein was the leader of what country from 1979 to 2003?

• Afghanistan

• Iran

• Iraq

• Pakistan

Which of these actions caused the United Nations and the international community to condemn Iraq in August 1990?

• Iraqi forces invaded and occupied the country of Kuwait.

• Iraq ordered attacks on American embassies around the world.

• Saddam Hussein ordered attacks on Kurdish forces within Iraq.

• Saddam Hussein claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks in the U.S.

President George H. Bush was able to convince U.N. forces to invade Iraq in a military effort known as "Operation Desert Storm" because nations feared

• Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein planned to invade Saudi Arabia next, which was an important U.S. ally.

• Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait was an attempt to control the oil in the Persian Gulf.

• Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein threatened to join forces with Iran and create a militant Islamic federation.

• Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein was working with the terrorist group Al Qaeda to develop biological weapons of mass destruction.

What is the chief source of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East?

• the creation of the State of Israel, which displaced the Palestinian majority

• the influx of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust to the Holy Land

• the desire of Zionist Jews to return to their biblical roots

• the persecution of Palestinians by the Jewish majority

The dispute that the successor to Muhammad needed to be a blood relative led to what split in Islam?

• Sufi/Shia

• Sunni/Quranism

• Sunni/Shia

• Sunni/Sufi