Arab American Culture and Events

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Table of Contents

Research
Events
References

Research

Four Key Elements of the Culture

Inter-Group Characteristics and Intra-Group Characteristics

Modern Arabs are very fond of Western culture but remain true to their traditions and customs. Unlike Western cultures, the family is the center of honor, loyalty and reputation of the Arabs; men are always the head of the Arab family. Arab hospitality is like nothing else; the foundations of their morality, culture and social life are set out in the Sharia. Sharia obliges every Muslim to observe fasting, recite prayers, and perform rituals that western people usually do not do. Unlike people of other cultures, Muslim Arabs are forbidden to eat pork and meat without a halal sign; alcohol consumption and gambling are also prohibited for them. This is due to the fact that Sharia does not approve of enjoying earthly life, for example, eating viands. Islam requires a Muslim to be tidy; even among unorthodox Arabs, neatness is an important quality. Arab men like to dress up more nicely than western men.

The culture of the Arabs differs little within the group: there are no pronounced differences in language or traditions. As for clothing, only Arabian Arabs prefer traditional Muslim clothing. Women here generally wear an abaya – a wide black cape with a slit for the eyes, and men wear a dishdasha, which is a long shirt, and a kufiya scarf tied on their heads (Goforth et al., 2017). Other Muslims are less traditional in this matter and prefer the European style of clothing; differences in faith are also insignificant. Islamic doctrine allows for many approaches to the interpretation of the holy books, and therefore only countries from which Arabs rarely migrate are very conservative countries. People from Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon have quite moderate views on religion, for example, Sufism. As for traditional music, it is almost the same everywhere. For example, a popular musician from Egypt will cause the same enthusiasm and excitement in any Arab.

Common Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values

Historically, the values that are highly significant among Arabs include high material and social status. Higher education is also appreciated, especially legal education, which allows to take a high position in a company or get a job in the civil service; material values are important. Arabs have beliefs consistent with Sharia, which includes the practical duties of Muslims related to the worship of Allah and the relationship between people. Therefore, the beliefs of the Arabs are connected with religious practice and represent the knowledge that every Muslim believes in their soul. The attitude of the Arabs is respect for private property, formed by the centuries-old occupation of entrepreneurship. The Sharia Court severely punishes theft in cases of theft disclosure; therefore, the return of a thing accidentally left or lost by the Arabs is more a rule than an exception (Yamin et al., 2021). Among the virtues should be called charity, which is considered one of the most important duties of a Muslim.

Prominent Customs, Practices, and Behaviors

Arabs honor their traditions; they take their time slowly, not only in everyday life but also at business meetings. A philosophical attitude to life underlies this type of behavior. Arabs do not tolerate fuss, spontaneity, running around and hassle. The customs of the Arabs are connected with hospitality; visiting an Arab family will be quite cozy. The host greets the guests with cordiality, sits down at the table and offers fragrant coffee. In the Muslim world, it is customary to respect the interlocutor and try to make them feel as comfortable as possible in someone else’s house. Some Arabs still practice blood feuds; to protect their violated honor or loved ones, Arabs are not afraid to take up arms since honor is sacred for an Arab.

Spirituality and Religion

At present, the polytheism of the Arabs has disappeared, preserved only in a few superstitious religious practices. At the moment, Islam is the religion of most representatives of the Arab world. According to Muslim traditions, the Prophet Muhammad received revelations until the end of his life. In transcribed form, they make up the Koran, which is the sacred text of Muslims. Muslim law covers all spheres of life of believers, from social relations and everyday life, and ends with the field of politics. Finally, it should be noted the existence of a rich spiritual tradition in Islam. This is Sufism – a set of practices, all of which are aimed at establishing a direct connection between the believer and God. Adherents of Sufism usually practice meditation, but they can also find a way to God through music and dance.

Historical and Current Oppression

The historical oppression of Arabs is based on racism with a religious connotation. Arab children of slaves and prisoners of war became slaves only if they were non-Muslims. In the Arab world, some forms of chauvinism can be found much more clearly, but they are very specific since there is no single Arab nation (Gannam et al., 2020). Khaliji (Arabs from the Gulf) consider themselves more real Arabs and thus put themselves forward as a kind of dominant of the so-called Arab world, looking down on immigrants from other Arabic-speaking countries and oppressing them.

To date, American Arabs face oppression on a daily basis. First of all, it includes discrimination in employment, which arises on such grounds as race, nationality, origin, language, and attitude to religion. The overwhelming majority of Americans profess Catholicism, while the relationship between Catholics and representatives of another religion is not assumed. During the birth of children, household issues trips to district polyclinics and in ordinary urban life, American Arabs face oppression on this basis.

Recently, the number of strictly believers and adherents to the rules and traditions of their religion has been growing in America. However, the Muslim Arabs turned out to be the most oppressed and wounded in their rights. And most of all, it concerns children from Muslim families who adhere to Sharia, who strive to avoid Haram and perform five prayers daily. Every day, Arab schoolgirls face a negative reaction from students and teachers to their traditional wearing of a headscarf. Due to a complete misunderstanding of the traditions of Islam, wearing a headscarf is perceived as a desire to stand out from everyone, as an aggressive attitude toward others, and adults even see political meaning in this.

Events

Attended Events

The first event I attended was the holiday of Quiram Bayram in the Arab community of the city of A, which is the main holiday of the Islamic calendar. After ablution and putting on new clothes, we went to the mosque for morning prayer. After the prayer was completed, we returned to the community building, where we sang the praises of Allah in chorus. Then the Muslims went to a special platform where the mullah preached a sermon. After that, the participants visited the cemetery, where they prayed for the deceased. Returning to the community, we began the ritual of sacrifice, which for Muslims on this day symbolizes the manifestation of true faith. Then we cooked traditional food and made a festive meal.

The second event I attended was the celebration of the Day of Arab culture in a shelter for the elderly. Four thematic workshops were held in the lobby of the shelter. These were “Traditional Arabic costume”, “Traditional Arabic architecture”, “Arabic calligraphy”, and “Mehendi Painting”. Workshops were held with the participation of masters who created real works of art based on ethnographic sources. The heroes of Oriental fairy tales – the Queen of the East, the Vizier, as well as representatives of the Arab diaspora held interactive games “Learning Arabic” and “Oriental proverbs”. Exhibitions of paintings by modern Arabic artists and national Arab souvenirs were also organized. In the end, the participants of the event had a wonderful opportunity to taste Arabic sweets and national dishes.

Emotional Impact

Being in the Arab community, I felt welcomed because the members of the community surrounded me with attention and care. I was amazed by the atmosphere of general friendliness and goodwill prevailing there. Arabs are always welcome to guests, regardless of what nationality they are and for what purpose they came. Such an atmosphere is strikingly different from the West, where I would be perceived as a stranger and would be viewed with suspicion. I was very touched by the fact that everyone said words of greeting to me, and gave me a brotherly kiss or a handshake. At first, I tried to be very polite and gentle in my treatment, I was afraid to offend these kind people. Then I relaxed and completely immersed myself in the fascinating oriental atmosphere. I was also very impressed by certain elements of culture. Acquaintance with Arabic painting and majestic architecture caused me a whole range of very different emotions. In general, I was interested in learning more about Arabic culture, so I asked a lot of questions when the time was right for this.

I think I felt so at ease and relaxed, and I also was not afraid to ask questions, thanks to the famous Arab hospitality. The traditions of Arab hospitality date back to the time when the Arabs led a mostly nomadic life. A traveler walking through the desert has nowhere to find shelter, except in an outstretched tent. Only mutual hospitality helped the Bedouins avoid death among the sand or dried grass. The hospitality of the host was elevated to the category of the highest virtue: they were mentioned by the Koran and the Sunnah (legends about the life of the Prophet Muhammad), boasted of, sung in verses and proverbs (Holmes et al., 2021). The guest should be received without questions, fed and watered for three days, and only after that asked who they are and where are they going. Generous hospitality was prescribed regardless of wealth. Therefore, there was a special attitude towards me as a guest, which allowed me to feel like a part of what was happening, a large and friendly diaspora.

Significant Elements for the Culture

The first key element of culture that I did not mention in my research is the coffee-drinking ceremony; it is important because it is inextricably linked with Oriental hospitality. It is impossible to talk about Arabic cuisine in general: different dishes are prepared in different regions, but coffee will be served to the guest everywhere. Coffee is prepared in a dalla – a vessel similar to a metal jug with a sharp curved spout and lid (Selim, 2021). Dalla can be of a large volume: it is customary to pour coffee until the guest turns the cup over. At the same time, an unwritten rule applies: drink no more than three cups. If you drink less, it means to offend the hospitable host, to drink more — to be greedy.

The second key element of Arab culture that I learned about are genies. Before that, I perceived Genie exclusively as a character from the “One thousand and one nights” fairy tales; it is part of the Muslim religion and Arab folk culture. In Islam, it is believed that God created three types of beings: humans, genies and angels. Genies are spirits invisible to man; they can take different forms; there are male and female individuals among them, and they create families and produce offspring. In the Qur’an, a whole surah (chapter) is dedicated to genies, from which it follows that the prophet was sent to both people and genies (Hardan-Khalil, 2020). They are an important element of culture because they are the most popular characters in Arab superstitions, fears, stories and films.

The third key element, which is important for Arab culture, as it accompanies the Arabs in all joyful events, are the traditional cries. I heard them while participating in a religious holiday, but they are also used at weddings, engagements, dances and when music is playing, after the birth of a child, as well as during other joyful events. It is believed that this tradition dates back to pre-Islamic pagan rituals. Usually, screams are made by women, covering their mouths with an open palms. The originality of the sound is obtained due to the rapid movement of the tongue left and right and a loud exclamation at the end.

Effective Theories

First of all, the theory of family systems was empirically confirmed. It contains two main variables: the level of anxiety (or emotional tension) and the degree of differentiation of the Ego. All organisms are able to adapt to severe anxiety and cope with short bouts of anxiety. However, when anxiety increases and becomes chronic, the tension in the body increases (within itself or in the system of relationships). Tension leads to symptoms of physical, emotional, or social dysfunctions.

The characteristics of the theory of family systems that make it effective are related to the phenomenon of infection with anxiety. Since the family plays a very important role in Arab culture, the ties between relatives are very strong, and anxiety can quickly spread in the family or in society. Anyone can have different levels of chronic anxiety at different times, and look normal at one level of anxiety and abnormal at another, higher level.

The second theory that applies to this group of people is cognitive behavioral theory. In their sessions, CBT psychologists, depending on the key problem, use a variety of techniques to help identify, analyze and correct a person’s anxious perception of the situation. Often, a person is afraid in advance of what they have prophesied to themselves; on a subconscious level, they expect bad things associated with entrenched religious and cultural values. With the help of CBT techniques, a person changes their habitual thinking and significantly reduces the effect of negativity on their psychoemotional state.

Cognition is the ability of a person to perceive and mentally process external events in accordance with their beliefs. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a field of psychology based on the principle that thinking and behavior depend on a person’s habitual reaction. Representatives of Arab culture from childhood acquire a number of rules and habits related to their religion and culture – both healthy and harmful, interfering with life. Therefore, this method of therapy will be effective in this case.

References

Gannam, C., & Sciarcon, J. (2020). “Don’t forget”: The life and role of Arab American women in the early 20th century. DU Undergraduate Research Journal, 1(4), 26-35. doi:10.1007/s10826-014-0046-x

Goforth, A. N., Nichols, L. M., Stanick, C. F., Shindorf, Z. R., & Holter, O. (2017). School-based considerations for supporting Arab American youths’ mental health. Contemporary School Psychology, 21(5), 191-200. doi: 10.1007/s10464-011-9424-3

Hardan-Khalil, K. (2020). Factors affecting health-promoting lifestyle behaviors among Arab American women. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31(3), 138-167.doi: 10.1177/1043659619859056

Holmes, H. J., Yamin, J. B., Krohner, S., Rapport, L. J., Grekin, E. L.., Schubiner, H., & Lumley, M. A. (2021). Effects of a sexual health interview among Arab American women: An experimental disclosure study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(19), 373-384. doi: 10.1007/s10508-020-01678-y

Selim, Y. F. (2021). Narrating Arab American transnational identity in Leila Buck’s Hkeelee. Modern Drama, 64(3), 329-349.doi: 10.3138/md-64-3-1146

Yamin, J. B., Holmes, H. J., Krohner, S., & Lumley, M. A. (2021). Arab American women’s health following sexual victimization: An exploratory study of the moderating effects of bicultural identity harmony and social constraints. Psychology of Violence, 11(5), 455–464. doi: 10.1037/vio0000368

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