Arab Muslims

{{See also|Spread of Islam}}

They are descended from the early Arab tribes of the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and Mesopotamia who embraced Islam in the 7th century.{{Cite book |last=Webb |first=Peter |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/964933606 |title=Imagining the Arabs : Arab identity and the rise of Islam |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-4744-0827-1 |location=Edinburgh, UK |oclc=964933606}} The Arab identity can have ethnic, linguistic, cultural, historical, and nationalist aspects.* {{cite book |last=Hourani |first=Albert |title=A history of the Arab peoples |date=2010 |publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-05819-4 |edition=1st Harvard Press paperback |location=Cambridge, Mass.}}

• {{Cite web |title=HISTORY OF MIGRATION |url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=bbv |access-date=18 December 2017 |website=Historyworld.net}}
• Power, Bethany G. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160903042434/http://people.umass.edu/educ613/WorldhistoryI/WHI.3.html The Emergence and Expansion of Islam to 1500]." Education 613: MTEL Guide. University of Massachusetts. Archived from the [http://people.umass.edu/educ613/WorldhistoryI/WHI.3.html original] on 3 September 2016.
• {{cite web |title=History of the Arabs (book) |url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=ebh |access-date=18 December 2017 |website=Historyworld.net}}

The word Mashriq refers to the eastern part of the Arab world.{{Cite web |title=Mashriq {{!}} geographical region, Middle East {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mashriq |access-date=2022-11-18 |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en}}

{{See also|Bedouin||}}

The seventh century saw the rise of Islam as the peninsula's dominant religion. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in about 570 (53 BH) and first began preaching in the city in 610, but migrated to Medina in 622. From there, he and his companions united the tribes of Arabia under the banner of Islam and created a single Arab Muslim religious polity in the Arabian peninsula.

Muhammad established a new unified polity which, under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates, saw a century of rapid expansion of Arab power well beyond the Arabian peninsula in the form of a vast Muslim Arab Empire.

{{See also|Levantines}}

The Arabs of the Levant are traditionally divided into Qays and Yaman tribes, back to the pre-Islamic era and was based on tribal affiliations and geographic locations. They include Banu Kalb, Kinda, Ghassanids, and Lakhmids.Hugh Kennedy The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State p.33 Routledge, 17 June 2013 {{ISBN|1-134-53113-3}} On the eve of the Rashidun Caliphate's conquest of the Levant in the 7th century, Arab tribes largely migrated to the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia with the Muslim armies in the mid-7th century.Hugh Kennedy The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State p.33 Routledge, 17 June 2013 {{ISBN|1-134-53113-3}}

{{See also|Egyptians}}

The Arabs have inhabited the eastern Egypt Desert and the Sinai Peninsula for thousands of years, and were a part of the Nabatean Kingdom.{{Citation|title=The nabataean in eastern desert in egypt|url=https://www.academia.edu/2602424/the_nabataean_in_eastern_desert_in_egypt|website=academia.com}}The Muslim caliphate also allowed the migration of Arab tribes to Egypt. The Muslim governor of Egypt encouraged the migration of tribes from the Arabian Peninsula to Egypt to increase the spread of Islam and to strengthen his regime by enlisting warrior tribesmen to his military forces, encouraging them to bring their families and entire clans. The Fatimid era was the peak of Bedouin Arab tribal migrations to Egypt.{{Cite book |last=Suwaed |first=Muhammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8yhCgAAQBAJ&dq=arab+tribe+migration+to+egypt&pg=PA77 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins |date=2015-10-30 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-5451-0 |pages=77 |language=en |access-date=2022-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826054222/https://books.google.com/books?id=P8yhCgAAQBAJ&dq=arab+tribe+migration+to+egypt&pg=PA77 |archive-date=2022-08-26 |url-status=live}}

{{See also|Sudanese Arabs}}

In the 12th century, the Arab Ja'alin tribe migrated into Nubia and Sudan and formerly occupied the country on both banks of the Nile from Khartoum to Abu Hamad. They trace their lineage to Abbas, uncle of Muhammad. They are of Arab origin, but now of mixed blood mostly with Nilo-Saharans and Nubians.{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Jā'alin|volume=15|page=103|short=1}}{{Cite book |last=Ireland |first=Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSDBkKgNgx8C&q=jaalin&pg=PA16 |title=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland |date=1888 |publisher=The Institute |pages=16 |language=en |access-date=2022-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530103830/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSDBkKgNgx8C&q=jaalin&pg=PA16 |archive-date=2022-05-30 |url-status=live}} Other Arab tribes migrated into Sudan in the 12th century and intermarried with the indigenous populations, forming the Sudanese Arabs.{{Cite book |last=Inc |first=IBP |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a1utDwAAQBAJ&dq=arab+tribes+migrated+to+sudan&pg=PA33 |title=Sudan (Republic of Sudan) Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments |date=2017-06-15 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4387-8540-0 |pages=33 |language=en |access-date=2022-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826054246/https://books.google.com/books?id=a1utDwAAQBAJ&dq=arab+tribes+migrated+to+sudan&pg=PA33 |archive-date=2022-08-26 |url-status=live}} In 1846, many Arab Rashaida migrated from Hejaz in present-day Saudi Arabia into what is now Eritrea and north-east Sudan after tribal warfare had broken out in their homeland. The Rashaida of Sudan and Eritrea live in close proximity with the Beja people. Large numbers of Bani Rasheed are also found on the Arabian Peninsula. They are related to the Banu Abs tribe.{{Cite web |last=Admin |title=Eritrea: The Rashaida People |url=http://www.madote.com/2010/02/eritrea-rashaida-people.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720050233/http://www.madote.com/2010/02/eritrea-rashaida-people.html |archive-date=2017-07-20 |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Madote}}

The word Maghreb refers to the western part of the Arab world, including a large portion of the Sahara Desert, but excluding Egypt and Sudan, which are considered to be located in the Mashriq — the eastern part of the Arab world.{{Cite web |title=Maghreb {{!}} History, Languages, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Maghreb |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

Following the death of Muhammad in 632 (11 AH), Arabs aimed at geographically expanding their empire. They started conquering North Africa in 647, and by 709, all of North Africa was under Arab Muslim rule from Egypt to Morocco.{{cite web |last1=Gharba |first1=Mahdi |title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF ISLAM IN NORTH AFRICA |url=https://themuslimvibe.com/faith-islam/in-history/a-brief-history-of-islam-in-north-africa |website=The Muslim Vibe|date=8 December 2020 }} North Africa was then divided into three main areas: Egypt with its governing center being Al-Fustat, Ifriqiya in Tunisia with its governing center being Kairouan, and the Maghreb (modern-day Algeria and Morocco), with its governing center being located in Fez.{{cite web |last1=Chakra |first1=Hayden |title=Arab Conquest of North Africa |url=https://about-history.com/arab-conquest-of-north-africa/ |website=About History|date=11 January 2022 }} North Africa experienced three distinct invasions leading to the establishment of not only a new religion (Islam) but also a new language and norms that differed significantly from what was established by the indigenous inhabitants.{{cite web |last1=Gearon |first1=Eamonn |title=Arab Invasions: The First Islamic Empire |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/arab-invasions-first-islamic-empire |website=History Today}}

Arabic is the main language of the region, though each country (Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria) has its own dialects of the Tamazight languages and Arabic.{{cite web |title=What Languages Are Spoken In Africa? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-africa.html |website=World Atlas|date=30 July 2018 }} Sunni Islam is the region’s main religion, and the Maliki Madhhab is the main Islamic school of thought followed by North Africans.{{cite web |title=Islam: Islam in North Africa |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/islam-islam-north-africa |website=Encyclopedia}} The vast majority of North Africans identify as Arabs or Arab Muslims. Therefore, North Africans perceive themselves as part of the Mediterranean and the Middle East rather than Africa where they are geographically located.{{cite web |title=How 'African' is Northern Africa? |url=https://globalvoices.org/2018/05/28/how-african-is-northern-africa/ |website=Global Voices|date=28 May 2018 }}

{{See also|Arab-Berber}}Before the Arab-Islamic conquest took place, North Africa was mainly inhabited by Berbers.{{cite journal |last1=Budjaj |first1=Aymane |last2=Benítez |first2=Guillermo |last3=Pleguezuelos |first3=Juan Manuel |date=2021 |title=Ethnozoology among the Berbers: pre-Islamic practices survive in the Rif (northwestern Africa) |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine|volume=17 |issue=1 |page=43 |doi=10.1186/s13002-021-00466-9 |pmid=34256776 |pmc=8278736 |doi-access=free }} The Berbers were largely animists until Islam reached North Africa and they were thus coerced into converting to Islam in a process known as Arabization and Islamization.{{cite web |last1=Cartwright |first1=Mark |title=The Spread of Islam in Ancient Africa |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1382/the-spread-of-islam-in-ancient-africa/ |website=World History Encyclopedia}} Arabization refers to the process of acculturation in which the peoples of North Africa adopted the Arabic language in addition to various other aspects of Arab culture. Islamization refers to the process by which North Africans converted to Islam and thus became Muslims by faith. Though the majority of North Africans identify as Arabs today, a considerable number of the population perceive themselves as Berbers.{{cite journal |last1=Kokole |first1=Omari H |date=1984 |title=The Islamic Factor in African-Arab Relations |journal=Third World Quarterly |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=687–702|doi=10.1080/01436598408419793 }}

A substantial number of Arab Muslims live outside their countries of origin. Arab Muslims comprise the majority of the Arab populations in Belgium, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, whilst Arab Christians are the majority of the Arab populations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Greece, Haiti, Mexico, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Around a quarter of Arab Americans identify as Arab Muslims.{{cite web |date=2006 |title=Arab Americans: Demographics |url=http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060601221810/http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/22/demographics |archivedate=1 June 2006 |accessdate=22 August 2020 |publisher=Arab American Institute}}

• Arab Christians
• Arab Jews
• Druze
• Qahtanite
• Baháʼí Faith
• Berbers

{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==

• {{cite book|last=Ankerl|first=Guy|title=Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western|place=Geneva|publisher=INU Press|year=2000|isbn=2-88155-004-5}}