the large fields of oil in the middle east have had an enormous effect on life in that region, which did not result from increased oil production

One effect or event that has affected the lives of people in the Middle East, and that did not result from increased oil production is sectarian violence.

The origin of sectarian violence can be traced in two moments:

The first, is local rivalries that go back to the Middle Ages, for example, the rivalry between Shia Islam and Sunni Islam, or the conflict between the Kurds and the Turks. The second moment is the arbitrary borders that were drawn by European Powers in the first decades of the twentieth century. For example, countries such as Iraq and Syria are artificial European creations that do not respect ethnic or religious boundaries.

In a country like Syria, ethnic and religious conflict has led to a civil war that has lasted for almost a decade. Even if increased oil production might be a factor for the war, it is not the main cause, the main causes are those two described above.