1. For each of the 3 countries, give the following information:

1. capital
2. location/the countries that share its borders
3. the religious breakdown of the population
4. the type of government
5. the chief of state (and head of government if different) If monarch or dictator, since what date has he/she ruled? – include name of heir apparent for monarch
6. the population

Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country, answers can be found under the “Geography” “People” and “Government” headings.
Or, go to Wikipedia – search there for “Religion in ___” or “Politics of ____” for the leaders.  Or do an internet search for “Population of ___.”

NOTE to students: Before answering the questions below, read the information under “Background.”

2. For TAJIKISTAN:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) President Rahmon is an authoritarian leader. He is a Sunni Muslim. He heads a secular government. Do you think his attempts to “push back against Islamic traditions it claims are being imported from Afghanistan” will be successful? Explain your answer.

3. For GERMANY:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What are German police asking British ‘super-recognizers’ to help them to do?
c) Who do German police say are responsible for the New Years Eve attacks in Cologne and other German cities?

4. For FRANCE:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why has there been such a drastic increase in the number of French Jews moving to Israel?
c) What did a 2013 EU study determine about how comfortable French Jews feel about identifying as Jewish in public in France?
d) Read the “Background” under the questions. Do you think Jews in France should hide their Jewish identity as a way to protect themselves from Islamic fanatics? Explain your answer.
e) What do you think French authorities should do to protect French Jews from anti-semitic attacks (to make them feel safe in their own country)?