Ethnic and Religious Problems of Iraq in XXI Century

Iraq is a specific ethno-religious mosaic. By except Arabs and Kurds there are a lot of minorities which since ancient times were present on this territory. Among them are: Yazidis, Mandaneans, Shabaks, Assyrians, Turkmen and Marsh Arabs. After the collapse of Saddam Husein regime the U.S., British and allied troops began to control Iraq. In the face of such a situation many different radical Muslim groups has evolved and started to fight foreign soldiers. In result, Iraq plunged into instability and chaos and many minorities became a main victims of political and military conflict. Such societies like Yazidis, Mandaneans, Shabaks were persecuted, forced to flee and killed. by now Iraqi state has no any capabilities to protect such minorities which still feel insecure in their own country

About the political past of Azerbaijan – From ancient times to Russian conquest and the land divide

The political past of the area of Azerbaijan from ancient times to the first half of the 19th century formed part of the history of the Middle East. It was its integral part and people who have lived there partly shaped the culture and civilization of the region. Just like the other of its inhabitants, they experienced the invasion and conquest carried out by the army of Alexander the Great, the Persians, Arabs, Seljuk Turks and Mongols. Russian occupation of the northern part of Azerbaijan in the first half of nineteenth century was the beginning of separation of the country from the area which its created its identity.

Jordan is an Arab state that commenced its existence in 1921 as the Emirate of Transjordan. Its establishment resulted from a political game between the British and prince Abdullah from the House of Hashemite. The only justification for a separate state with the capital in Amman was the reign of the Hashemites in this area. In 1991, during democratization of the kingdom’s political system, the Jordanian National Charter was proclaimed. This document summarized the postulates and opinions of the Jordanian society. The analysis of selected passages from the Charter indicates complete dominance of pan-Arab thought among the authors of the text. It is also necessary to indicate frailty of Jordanian identity, despite several decades of the state’s existence. The article indicates the abovementioned dependencies and the fact that the dynasty authority remains the primary aspect of distinctiveness.

Image of Bedouin Communities in the Works of Wacław Seweryn Rzewuski

This article attempts to reconstruct the image of Bedouin communities in the works of Wacław Seweryn Rzewuski. During his excursion in the Middle East, Rzewuski acquainted with Bedouins, gaining their trust and respect, which allowed him to get detailed knowledge of their culture and traditions, which he later described in his manuscript Concerning the horses of the Orient and those originating from oriental breeds. The analysis focuses on three issues: the way Rzewuski perceived Bedouin communities and interpersonal relations in the Arab world, his personal experiences and acquaintances with Bedouins, and the comparisons between Europe and the Arab world in terms of social life. The analysis is presented in a broader context – how Arabs were perceived in Europe and Poland in Rzewuski’s times and the fascination with the Orient in the Romanticism era.

“Allah Has Not Sent Any Disease but with Medicine, so Heal Yourself” – About the History of Medicine in the Islamic World at the Turn of the 7th–13th Centuries

This article concerns the medicine of the Arab world during its heyday from the Prophet Muhammad to the beginning of the 13th century and the emergence of European research centers. During the golden age of Islam, the medicine of this period developed rapidly. At that time, many therapies and drugs were created, used in a slightly changed form to this day. Without them, there would not be many discoveries in diseases, epidemics, surgeries, anatomy, dietetics, ophthalmology, or therapies. The article aims to show a cross-sectional division of medicine in the Islamic world from the 7th to the 13th century, outlining the most important achievements in this field.