Arab ethnicity
The history of Arabs can be traced back to as early as mid-ninth century BCE inhabiting the regions of Syria and the Arabian Peninsula. They existed during the time of Neo-Assyrian Empire and even the Neo-Babylonians that succeeded them. However, a closer history of my family lineage traces its roots to the Arabs inhabiting the 22 Arab League (Webb, 2016). I come from the region of Nasiriya in Southern Iraq and a Shia Muslim. If going under the general definition of the term Arab, I am a national of the Arab State, can speak fluent Arab and also quite familiar with the Arabian tradition. Growing up in an Arab community, I got acquainted to the customs, practices, politics, manners and social systems that make up the Arabian culture. While I was brought up in a community that exercised free will, I believe that my culture has had a significant impact on the type of person I grew up to become.
Unlike most ethnicities that are formed depending on one distinct characteristic, the Arab identity is a product of various factors that are combined to give a basic description of an Arab. Arab identity is formed by a combination the people’s common culture; sharing roots to a common land in history; a traditional lineage; and other regional and tribal factors that unite the people as Arabs (Sabry, 2012). Although the Arab identity has little to do with the religion that Arabs follow, the Islamic religion is often associated with people of my culture. The idea that Arabs are also Muslim is further intensified by the fact that most Arabs follow the Islamic religion with only a small number belonging to other religions such as Christianity and Baha’i.
Similar to other ethnicities, my culture is defined by various characteristics that people in society use to generalize people sharing common traits. Although the characteristics mostly originated from falsified stereotypes and beliefs shared by a majority, some of them are factual as they are based on the influence that a regions customs and traditions had on an individual (Sabry, 2012). In my case, most of the characteristics used to define the Arab ethnicity hold a great deal of truth as they are experiences I have went through in my daily activities not just in my home, but also in environments that have people from different ethnic backgrounds.
One of the characteristics used to define Arab ethnicity is the position that family holds in a person’s life and how it impacts how Arabs live their lives. It is part of Arab culture to regard family as an integral aspect and most families maintain strong loyalties to each other and they extend even to tribes and clans. The generalized characteristic is true in my family as we hold each other in high regards. The relationships are not only limited to immediate family as we meet together as an extended family to celebrate holidays such as Eid al-Fitr (Betts, 2018). I grew up in a home made up of a big family and was taught the importance of family and respect for each other. Other than my immediate family, I also met my cousins and other relatives on a regular basis and this gave me the opportunity to get to know even distant relatives. From a young age, I was taught to always have the best interest of my family members and act accordingly, something I intend to pass on even to my children.
Family roles are also used as a distinct characteristic to define Arabs. Each individual in the family is expected to play a specific role. Men in Arab families have a patriarchal role whereby the financial needs of the family are the father’s responsibility (Betts, 2018). The belief that taking care of the family is the husband’s responsibility is borrowed from teachings from the Quran and those fail to fulfil this responsibility feel shame. Since men are described by the holy book as protectors of women, the responsibility of looking after the family’s needs is expected of men. Growing up, my father took on the responsibility of ensuring that our needs were met. Although the family chipped in different ways, I was brought up knowing that my father was responsible for ensuring our needs were met. The characteristic has however become somewhat outdated with time as the role of families continues to evolve. In my family, as is the case with other Arab families, my mother played a similar role and would often help out to ensure that the family’s needs were met. Although my father help the final say, he would often discuss with my mother, and even consult us and the needs of the family were addressed by all our efforts combined.
Similarly, women had their own role to play even if it meant staying home and looking after the family. Women are believed to be mainly responsible for raising children and managing house chores (Barakat, 2012). Although the responsibilities for women were not only restricted to house chores and raising children, the belief is something I did not witness in my home while growing up. Like my father, my mother went to work and contributed to the family’s financial needs. She would also look after us, help with house chores and took on other responsibilities in the house. Children’s role in Arab families entail picking the examples set by parents and helping out in some of the responsibilities at home. Since I was brought up in a house that valued equality, I learnt to aspire to possess the traits from both my parents. Rather than desiring to be more like my father or mother, I tend to try and be the best for both my parents and follow their teachings equally.
The generalized characteristics used to define the Arab have impacted my life and continue to influence the decisions I make even today. My parents brought me up knowing that privacy was important for all members of the family. Most of the challenges that we encountered and other information was restricted to only family members and our concerns were hardly ever discussed among non-family members (Gualtri, 2009). Since any person who talked ill of their family in Arab culture was looked down upon, I learnt the important value of privacy not just on family matters but also on personal issues. I find it difficult to open up to people and often prefer to resolve issues on my own. Although I am more than willing to listen to my friends’ grievances and problems they face, I tend to be better at listening than I am at sharing. When I encounter an issue that requires the intervention of a third party, I often prefer to get assistance from my siblings or my parents rather than someone outside of my family.
The nature of relationships between men and women in Arab families has also made it difficult for me to associate with those of the opposite gender. The design for Arab homes is done in such a way that limits interaction between men and women (Gualteri, 2009). To begin with there are rooms designated for visitors and also those that guests should not venture into. In addition, the house is designed in such a way that male friends can easily visit and meet without interacting with the women in the house and vice versa. In the case of small houses, meetings are timed in such a way to limit interaction between people of opposite genders. Although such divisions were not as common in my house, I got to experience them when visiting my friends. The limited interaction with the female gender has made me rather anxious when talking to women. Despite having sisters and being close with my mother, I still experience a great deal of difficulty when talking to a girl, something that has made my dating life quite challenging.
Whatever challenges I experienced as a result of relationship between different genders as part of Arab culture were overcome by the emphasis placed on hospitality. Arabs are regarded as hospitable and generous individuals that always try to establish good relationships with others. My ability to engage others with respect makes it easier to interact with all types of people regardless of the differences that separate us as humans. Although I still find it challenging to engage with women, I find it relatively easier when I try to be hospitable as it is seen as a sign of good conduct.
The most significant impact that my culture has on my life even today has to do with my religion. I belong to the percentage of Arabs who also belong to the Islamic faith. Most of the values and ethics that govern the type of life I live are as a result of the religious teachings I follow. As a Muslim, the Quran forms the foundation of my religious beliefs as well as some of the laws that I try to uphold. The Quran is also responsible for the Islamic laws referred to as Sharia and they greatly influence how I interact with Muslims and also people that follow other religions (Betts, 2018). As part of my religious teachings and practices, I am required to pray five times every day and most of the activities I engage in revolve around my prayer times. When planning my schedules, I have to plan myself in such a way that whatever activity I undertake does not prevent me from engaging in prayers as required. I have faced some challenges especially in my pursuit for education. While most schools try to factor in my needs as a Muslim, exams tend to be a bit tricky because I have had to choose between prayers and sitting for an exam.
In addition, some aspects of my culture that differ from others have made it quite challenging to engage with people from diverse backgrounds. A good example is the case with eating etiquette where my customs require me to turn down snacks and edibles the first time they are offered. While such a custom is easily implemented in places dominated by Arabs, it gets complicated when dealing with people that are governed by different customs (Betts, 2018). In some cultures, the offer for food is supposed to be accepted the first time. In such an instance, the decision to turn down food on the first offer could see me going hungry is the person offering it is not Arab. Other than food, there is also the issue with leaving after eating which is often interpreted as having an interest only in the food offered. However, in my culture, leaving after a meal is seen as a sign of someone who does not want to overstay their welcome.
My personal identity is greatly influenced by my religion and the traditions that I follow. Since Arab culture is greatly influenced by Islamic teachings, I have learnt to merge the religious teachings with what is expected of me as an Arab. People in society have formed a set of beliefs and perceptions concerning how people belonging to the Arab ethnic group associate with one another and also with people from different cultural backgrounds. Since I was brought up to also respect other people’s cultures and hold their practices with in the same regard I hold mine I find it easier to interact with people regardless of their cultural backgrounds. I have learnt that respecting my culture also means giving other people a chance to show me their customs and traditions. In order to co-exist, I have to learn other people’s culture and then teach them something about my customs and beliefs. By doing so, I help them to better understand how to carry themselves around me and this has the same effect on their side. Regardless of what new culture I learn, I still remain deeply rooted to the customs and traditions of the Arab ethnicity as it best defines by beliefs and personal identity.
References
Barakat, H. I. (2012). The Arab world: Society, culture, and state. University of California Press
Betts J, (2018) “Arab culture values” Lifestyle Magazine, retrieved from, https://family.lovetoknow.com/arabic-culture-values
Gualtieri, S. (2009). Between Arab and White: Race and Ethnicity in the Early Syrian-American Diaspora. CA: University of California Press.
Sabry, T. (2012). Arab cultural studies: Mapping the field. London: I.B. Tauris.
Webb P, (2016) “The origin of Arabs: Middle Eastern ethnicity and myth making” The British Academy, retrieved from, https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/BAR27-10-Webb-reduced_0.pdf
