Religion
Many aspects of Middle Eastern culture are defined or heavily influenced by religion. Religion is tightly integrated into the cultural institutions of Middle Eastern countries. Islam is the predominant religion in the area, and there are two sects of Islam, Shi'a and Sunni. The two sects have theological and philosophical differences, but they hold the same essential beliefs. A few countries in the Middle East, such as Iran and Iraq, are majority Shi'a, but most others are majority Sunni. There have been conflicts, both historical and contemporary, between followers of Sunni and Shi'a Islam.
Israel is a Jewish stronghold. Israeli culture differs greatly from other Middle Eastern countries because of the Jewish influence, which is not felt in any other Middle Eastern country.
The Middle East also has communities of Christians and practitioners of religions found only in the regiont. Examples of these are the Druze and Alawites, which started as subtypes of Islam but have developed their own theologies after centuries of adaptation.