Arab

Arabs are Semitic people who originated on the Arabian Peninsula. The 19 Arab countries on the west part of the Asian continent and the northern part of the African continent are: Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Qatar, Mauritania, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates (Joanna Kadi, Food for Our Grandmothers). The word Arab (pronouncing it "AY-rab" is a slur) is not interchangeable with "Arab American," "Arab Canadian," or "Muslim." Not all Arabs are Muslims nor are all Muslims Arabs. Iranians are Persians, not Arabs. Afghans are not Arabs. Watch for stereotypes: Arab women tend to be seen as either veiled or belly dancers; men are billionaires or bombers. See also anti-Arabism, Arab American, Islam, Middle East.