Glossary • 479Ibrahim (ib-rah-HEEM): Mehmet Ali's son, conqueror and governor of Syria
(1832-1840), also viceroy of Egypt (1848)
Id al-Adha (EED el-OD-hah): Arabic term for "Feast of the Sacrifice," annual
Muslim holiday commemorating Abraham's obedience to God's command by
offering to sacrifice his son, Ishmael (Isma'il); tenth day of the pilgrimage
month
Id al-Fitr (EED el-FITr): Arabic term for "Feast of the Fast-Breaking," annual
Muslim holiday following the Ramadan fast
ijtihad (ij-tee-HAD): Use of reasoning to determine a specific rule in Islamic law
Ikhwan (ikh-WAHN): (1) Sedentarized bedouin soldiers for Ibn Sa'ud; (2) mem¬
bers of the Society of the Muslim Brothers
Il-Khanid (il-KHAW-nid): Mongol successor dynasty in Persia (1256-1349)
imam (ee-MAWM): (1) Muslim religious or political leader; (2) one of the suc¬
cession of leaders, beginning with Ali, viewed by Shi'is as legitimate; (3) leader
of Muslim congregational worship
Imperial Rescript: Ottoman promise in 1856 of equal rights and status to all sub¬
jects, regardless of religion, sometimes called the Hatt-i-Humayun
Inonu (ee-nuh-NIEW): (1) Site of two Turkish victories over Greeks in western
Anatolia (1921); (2) surname taken by Ismet, Turkish leader in those battles
intifada (in-tee-FAW-duh): (1) Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation
(1987-1990); (2) Palestinian rebellion that followed Ariel Sharon's visit to al-
Aqsa Mosque in 2000
iqta' (ik-TAH): Land grant from a ruler for military or administrative services by
a client
Iran (ee-RAWN): Preferred name since 1935 for what was Persia
Iran-Contra Affair: Reagan administration's arms sales to Iran to secure release of
American hostages in Lebanon and donation of the proceeds to aid Contra in¬
surgents in Nicaragua (1986)
Iran-Iraq War: Ideological and territorial conflict between Iran and Iraq
(1980-1988)
Iraq (ee-ROCK): Arabic name for Mesopotamia
Iraqi National Congress: Organization, led by Ahmad Chalabi, which advocated
US invasion of Iraq in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Husayn's government
Irgun Tzvei Le'umi (ear-GOON TSVAY le-oo-MEE): Right-wing Zionist guerrilla
group, commanded by Begin and active up to 1948
Isfahan (iss-fa-HAWN): City in central Iran and Safavid capital (1597-1736)
Ishmael (ISH-mayl): Mythic ancestor of the Arabs
Islam (iss-LAM): The religion, now prevalent in the Middle East and many other
parts of Asia and Africa, believing in one God revealed to a series of prophets,
ending with Muhammad, to whom the Quran was entrusted
Islamic Group: Egyptian underground Islamist movement
Islamic Republican Party: Revolutionary Iran's main political movement
(1979-1987)