The Short Answer. The short answer is no, Afghanistan is not in the Middle-East. Afghanistan is most commonly referred to as being a part of the region of Central Asia; a group of countries that occupies the area between China, India, Russia and Iran.

Southwest Asia, subregion of Asia, bounded on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Red Sea and on the south and southeast by the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamia consists of the Tigris and Euphrates floodplains and also the deltas from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf.

The second region, Southwest Asia, includes Turkey, Iran, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula. Technically, the term Middle East only includes the five countries of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, but in common practice Middle East refers to all of Southwest Asia.

India

Southwest Asia was the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Today, these three religions continue to attract believers and influence world events.

Converting to Islam requires the shahada, the Muslim profession of faith (“I bear witness that there is no deity but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.”). Islam teaches that everyone is Muslim at birth but the parents or society can cause them to deviate from the straight path.

In general, Islam allows for marriage between a man and woman as “believers”. Culturally, it is accepted that marriage between a follower of Islam (Muslim) and a Christian or Jew does not require conversion.

Muslims must pray as though they are in the presence of God, and therefore must be in a state of concentration. While moving into the upright position, Muslims recite ‘God listens to the one who praises Him’ and while in the standing position, ‘To God belongs all praise’ then is recited.