Islamic Art

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Human Geography and Religion
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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• As a cultural trait, religion helps to define
  people and how they understand the world around
  them.
• There are essentially two major types of
  religions, universalizing and ethnic.

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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Universalizing religions appeal to people of many
  cultures, regardless of where they live in the
  world. Nearly 60 of the worlds population
  adheres to a universalizing religion.
• Ethnic religions appeal primarily to one group of
  people living in one place. About 25 of the
  worlds population follows an ethnic religion.
• Some religions are monotheistic, believing in one
  god, whereas other religions are polytheistic,
  believing in many gods.

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• Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam are the three
  major universalizing or global religions.
• Each is divided into branches, denominations, and
  sects.
• A branch is a fundamental division within a
  religion.
• A denomination is a division of a branch this
  term is most commonly used to describe the
  Protestant denominations of Christianity.
• A sect is a group that is smaller than a
  denomination.

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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Universalizing religions
• Buddhism
• About 400 million adherents (difficult to
  quantify)
• Significant clusters in China, Southeast Asia
• The Four Noble Truths
• Three branches
• Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea)
• Theravada (Southeast Asia)
• Tantrayana (Tibet, Mongolia)

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• Buddhism is the oldest of the worlds
  universalizing religions, with 300-400 million
  adherents, mostly in China and Southeast Asia.
• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the sixth
  century B.C., Buddhism teaches that suffering
  originates from our attachment to the material
  world.
• Buddhism split into two main branches, Theravada
  and Mahayana, as followers disagreed on
  interpreting statements by Siddhartha Gautama.
  Theravadists cite Buddhas wisdom, Mahayanists
  cite Buddhas compassion.
• Unlike Christians and Muslims, most Buddhists
  also follow an ethnic religion, too.

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Holy places in Buddhism. Note how most are
located in northeastern India and southern Nepal
because they were sites of important events in
Buddhas life.
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Angkor Wat
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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Universalizing religions
• Christianity
• The largest world religion (about 2 billion
  adherents)
• Many adherents in Europe, the Americas
• Three major branches
• Roman Catholicism (51 percent)
• Protestant Christianity (24 percent)
• Eastern Orthodox (11 percent)
• Other, smaller branches of Christianity comprise
  14 percent of all Christians

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• Christianity has about 2 billion adherents and is
  the worlds most geographically widespread
  religion.
• Christians believe in one God and his son, Jesus,
  was the Messiah.
• The Roman Catholic Church, with its hearth at
  Vatican City in Rome, is the most important
  religion in large parts of Europe and North
  America, and is dominant in Latin America.
• Catholicism also exists on other continents. The
  Protestantism began in the 1500s with Martin
  Luthers protests against the abuses of the
  Catholic Church.
• It is the most important religion in large parts
  of northern Europe as well as the regions of
  North America to which many people from northern
  Europe migrated.
• The Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity is
  only dominant in Eastern Europe and Russia, but
  also has adherents in smaller populations
  throughout the world.

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Distribution of Christians in the United States
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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Universalizing religions
• Islam
• The second-largest world religion (about 1.3
  billion adherents)
• Significant clusters in the Middle East, North
  Africa, and South Asia
• Core of Islamic belief the five pillars
• Two significant branches
• Sunnis (83 percent)
• Shias or Shiites (16 percent)

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• Islam, with more than one billion followers, is
  the dominant religion in North Africa and the
  Middle East, as well as Bangladesh and Indonesia.
• Islam is a monotheistic religion, based on the
  belief that there is one God, Allah, and that
  Mohammed was Allahs prophet.
• The word Islam in Arabic means submission to the
  will of God, and an adherent is a Muslim or one
  who surrenders to God.
• Islam is divided into two branches Sunni and
  Shiite.
• In recent years there has been a rise in radical
  fundamentalism that has caused more division and
  conflict in the Muslim world.
• Most fundamentalists accept the holy book of
  Islam, the Koran, as the unquestioned guide on
  both religious and secular matters.
• Generally Islamic fundamentalism avoids Western
  influence and can contribute to intense conflict.

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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Ethnic religions
• Hinduism
• The third-largest religion in the world
• 97 percent of Hindus are found in India
• Many paths to spirituality.
• Caste System (based on reincarnation principle)
• Many followers tend to worship Vishnu or Shiva or
  Krishna.

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• Ethnic religions have much more clustered
  distributions than universalizing religions the
  vast majority of Hindus live on the Indian
  subcontinent.
• For thousands of years Hindus in India have
  developed a unique society that integrates
  spiritual practices with daily life.
• Hindus believe that there is more than one path
  to reach God there are thousands of deities in
  the Hindu belief system and thus the religion is
  polytheistic.

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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Ethnic religions
• Other ethnic religions
• Confucianism (China)
• Daoism (China)
• Shinto (Japan)
• Judaism (today the United States, Israel)
• Considered first monotheistic religion
• Ethnic African religions
• Animism

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• The other major ethnic religion is Judaism, which
  was the first major monotheistic religion.
• Both Christianity and Islam have some of their
  roots in Judaism Jesus was born a Jew, and
  Mohammed traced his ancestry to Abraham.
• Judaism is based on a sense of ethnic identity in
  the lands bordering the eastern Mediterranean.
• Jewish people have been returning to this land
  since the end of the 19th century, and in 1948
  the Jewish state of Israel was created.
• Today most Jews live in Israel and the United
  States.

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Where Are Religions Distributed?

• Animist Religions
• Native American
• System based upon belief of in a supreme or Great
  Spirit that oversees the universe. It is
  interpreted by shamans.
• Diffusion by migration diffusion north to south
  through the Americas.
• Voodoun (Voodoo)
• West African, Afro-Brazilian, Afro Caribbean
  descendents
• Multiple deities that control different parts of
  the lived world.
• Diffusion by relocation diffusion as West
  Africans were forced to migrate under European
  directed slavery.

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Buddhism
Hinduism
Figure 6-5
Hindus bathe in the Ganges River
Figure 6-4
Locals meet with Monks and present them with food.
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Religions of the United States
How would having approx. 30 million citizens who
are atheist or nonreligious affect the nation?
How could you explain why such a strong number
exists in the United States?
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Why do religions have different distributions?

• Origin of religions
• Universalizing precise origins, tied to a
  specific founder
• Christianity
• Founder Jesus
• Islam
• Prophet of Islam Muhammad
• Buddhism
• Founder Siddhartha Gautama

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Why do religions have different distributions?

• Origin of religions
• Ethnic unclear or unknown origins, not tied to a
  specific founder
• Hinduism
• No clear founder
• Earliest use of Hinduism sixth century B.C.
• Archaeological evidence dating from 2500 B.C.

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Why do religions have different distributions?

• Diffusion of religions
• Universalizing religions
• Christianity
• Diffuses via relocation and expansion diffusion
• Islam
• Diffuses to North Africa, South and Southeast
  Asia
• Buddhism
• Slow diffusion from the core

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• Christianity diffused through relocation
  diffusion, with missionaries carrying the
  teachings of Jesus around the Mediterranean
  world.
• Expansion diffusion was also important as pagans,
  followers of ancient polytheistic religions, were
  converted to Christianity.
• It diffused beyond the European realm during the
  age of colonialism beginning in the early 1500s.
• Islam diffused from its hearth at Mecca through
  military conquest across North Africa, Southern
  Europe, and other parts of Southwest Asia. Arab
  traders brought the religion to Sub-Saharan
  Africa and later Indonesia.
• Buddhism diffused from its hearth in northern
  India to the island of Ceylon (present day Sri
  Lanka) and eastward into East and Southeast Asia
  as a result of missionary activity and trade.

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Diffusion of Universalizing Religions
Church of the Holy Selpuchre, Jerusalem
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Why do religions have different distributions?

• Limited diffusion of ethnic religions
• Universal religions usually compete with ethnic
  religions
• Examples of mingling
• Christianity with African ethnic religions
• Buddhism with Confucianism in China and with
  Shinto in Japan
• Ethnic religions can diffuse with migration
• Judaism exception

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Why do religions have different distributions?

• Holy places
• In universalizing religions
• Buddhist shrines
• Holy places in Islam associated with the life
  of Muhammad
• In ethnic religions
• Holy places in Hinduism closely tied to the
  physical geography of India

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Read the key at the bottom. Take a sampling of
the sites and note the main deity or form of
worship.
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Why do religions have different distributions?

• The calendar
• In ethnic religions celebration of the seasons
• The Jewish calendar
• The solstice
• In universalizing religions celebration of the
  founders life

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Why Do Religions Organize Space in Distinctive
Ways?

• Places of worship
• Many types Christian churches, Muslim mosques,
  Hindu temples, Buddhist and Shinto pagodas,
  Baháí houses of worship

Figure 6-19
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Why Do Religions Organize Space in Distinctive
Ways?

• Sacred space
• Disposing of the dead
• Burial
• Other ways of disposing of the dead
• Religious settlements
• Religious place names

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Why Do Religions Organize Space in Distinctive
Ways?

• Administration of space
• Hierarchical religions
• Latter-day Saints
• Roman Catholics
• Locally autonomous religions
• Islam
• Protestant denominations

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Religion Vs. Religion

• Religious conflict continues in many parts of the
  world, especially at the boundaries between
  different religions, branches, and denominations.
• These conflicts have complex historical, social,
  and ethnic roots and must be also understood in
  the context of political geography.
• For example, there has been longstanding conflict
  in the Middle East. The city of Jerusalem
  contains sites that are sacred to Judaism,
  Christianity, and Islam.
• There have been religious wars in Ireland between
  Catholics and Protestants that have their origins
  in the English conquest of Ireland centuries ago.

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Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise?

• Religions versus government policies
• Religion versus social change
• Religion versus communism

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• Religion and Conflict Case Studies
• 1- Afghanistan

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• Religions versus government policies
• Religion versus social change
• Taliban
• Afghanistan 1996
• Taliban government takes over with support within
  the country and from abroad.

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• 1979 The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
  Mujahedeen Islamic fighters from across the
  globe, including Osama bin Laden, come to fight
  Soviet forces.
• 1989 Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan.
• 1996 The Taliban take control of Afghanistan,
  imposing fundamentalist Islamic law. Osama bin
  Laden takes refuge in the country.

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• Religions versus government policies
• Religion versus social change
• Once the Taliban is in power things change
• Banning of western non-Islamic activities
• Watching tv
• Going on the internet
• Flying kites
• Listening to music

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• Religions versus government policies
• Religion versus social change
• Soccer stadiums were converted
• Executions and floggings
• Physical Violence
• Men could be stoned for adultery
• Homosexuals were sometimes buried alive
• Prostitutes were hanged in front of large
  audiences
• Thieves had their hands cut off

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• Religions versus government policies

Taliban Islamic Scholars
Believed they were called upon by Allah to cleanse Afghanistan, purge it of sins and make it pure. Taliban are poorly educated in Islamic law and history Misinterpret the Quran
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• Religion and Conflict Case Studies
• 2- India

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• Religions versus government policies
• Hinduism and Social Equality
• Mid 20th Century discrimination against the
  Dalits (untouchables) is made illegal.
• Narayanan became Indias first Dalit president
• Indian government considering quota system to
  ensure there is no discrimination against Dalits

http//travel.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/international
/asia/10narayanan.html?_r0
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• Religion and Conflict Case Studies
• 3- Ireland

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Distribution of Protestants in Ireland
Ireland was a colony of England for a long time.
Figure 6-23
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Distribution of Protestants in Ireland
Northern Ireland Protestant Majority
Ireland was a colony of England for a long time.
Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic Majority
Figure 6-23
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Distribution of Protestants in Ireland
Northern Ireland Protestant Majority
How could problems arise from this arrangement?
Republic of Ireland Roman Catholic Majority
Figure 6-23
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• Discrimination in Northern Ireland
• Roman Catholics are denied employment at high
  paying jobs
• Roman Catholics are denied admission to certain
  schools
• Formation of the IRA (Irish Republican Army)
• Formation of the Ulster Defense Force (UDF)

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• Religion and Conflict Case Studies
• 4- Southeast Asia

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Diffusion of Universalizing Religions
Originally a Hindu Temple Complex in Cambodia,
now a Buddhist location of pilgrimage
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• Religion and Conflict Case Studies
• 5- Soviet Union

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• Soviet Union and Communism
• Marxism became official doctrine of the Soviet
  Union in 1917
• Karl Marx said religion is the opium of the
  people
• Religion was believed to threaten the revolution.
• Religious artifacts were seized from both
  religious groups.
• Places of worship were closed.

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Field Study Soviet Union
Why let them collapse? Why not tear them down?
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Divide and diminish plan
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• Religion and Conflict Case Studies
• 6- Israeli/ Palestinian Conflict

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Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise?

• Religion versus religion
• Fundamentalism
• Religious wars in the Middle East
• Crusades (Christians in Muslim lands)
• Jews and Muslims in Palestine

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Israels Separation Fence
Figure 6-27
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Voodoo Shrine in New Oreleans
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Vatican City
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Religious Toponyms

• Compare religious toponyms within Quebecs
  boundaries with that of Ontarios, New Yorks,
  and Vermonts.
• Quebec has a predominantly Roman Catholic
  population and a large number of settlements are
  named after saints.

Figure 6-21
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Mughal gardens are a group of gardens built by
the Mughals in the Islamic style of architecture.
This style was influenced by Persian gardens and
Timurid gardens. Significant use of rectilinear
layouts are made within the walled enclosures.
Some of the typical features include pools,
fountains and canals inside the gardens.
Mughal gardens at Taj Mahal
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Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan
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http//www.mughalgardens.org
The Emperor Shah Jahan Standing on a Globe
Flower Detail from Shahdara Garden