Baghdad Jewish cemetery where … The Arab World stretches across more than 13,000,000 square kilometres (5,000,000 sq mi) of North Africa and the part of North-East Africa and South-West Asia. The 32-letter alphabet used today includes four letters nonexistent in Arabic: p, ch, g (like golf), and zhe (like the j in déjà vu). Arab, one whose native language is Arabic. In modern usage, it embraces any of the Arabic-speaking peoples living in the vast region from Mauritania, on the Atlantic coast of Africa, to southwestern Iran, including the entire Maghrib of North Africa, Egypt and Sudan, the Arabian Peninsula, and Syria and Iraq. Under the Islamic caliphate, Arabic became the language of scripture, government, law, literature, and science. Most Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world.The most populous countries in the region are Egypt, Iran, and Turkey, while Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area. A group of Arab leaders once stated that “whoever lives in our country, speaks our language, is brought up in our culture and takes pride in our glory is one of us.” The scholar Sir Hamilton Gibb put it this way: “All those are Arabs for whom the central fact of history is the mission of Muhammad and the memory of the Arab Empire and who in addition cherish the Arab tongue and its cultural heritage as their common possession.”, Both of those definitions encompass more than just language. NOVEMBER 26, 2020 10:12. So Iran fails most of the four-part test of language, ancestry, religion, and culture. In Iran, Shia Muslims make up the majority, with 92.2% of all Muslim population in the country belonging to this sect. By ASHLEY PERRY . So as the country of Swiss is not French just because they share Christianity and a part of its population speak French, Iran is not an Arab country. Lewis cites two broader definitions as more accurate. Riyadh: Arab Countries Must Be Included In New Nuclear Deal With Iran During the Manama Security Conference in Bahrain, Bin Farhan told AFP: “Primarily what we expect is that we are fully consulted, that we and our other regional friends are fully consulted in what goes on vis a vis the negotiations with Iran." Iran is escalating threats toward the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain after the United States helped broker peace deals between Israel and the two Gulf states.. The eastern part of the Arab world is called the Mashriq. Although only a minority of Zoroastrians currently live in Iran, ancient Persians were Zoroastrian, a religion based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster that exalted Ahura Mazda as the supreme God. Historian Bernard Lewis devotes 14 pages to the subject in his introduction to The Arabs in History. Source(s): Iran is indeed not an arab country. By joining Slate Plus you support our work and get exclusive content. If you value our work, please disable your ad blocker. In addition, the majority of Iranians are Shiite Muslims while most Arabs are Sunni Muslims. The Arab League includes Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, the Palestine Liberation Organization, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Who are the Arabs, and is Iran an Arab country? The Islamic conquest during Persia’s Sasanian Empire, however, caused the gradual decline and eventual displacement of Zoroastrianism by Islam. Click here for a glossary of Islam, or here for the origins of –istan. Ethnic Persians make up 60 percent of modern Iran, and modern Persian is the official language. Who are the Arabs? You can cancel anytime. Despite the introduction of Islam, Iran has retained its language, identity, and traditions, thereby distinguishing it from neighboring Arab countries. Given its location in the Middle East, Muslim majority, and language which resembles Arabic, Iran is often mislabeled as an Arab nation. It … The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, with the geopolitical importance of the region being recognized for millennia. All contents © 2020 The Slate Group LLC. In Iraq, the country with the most extensive border with Iran, only one case has been detected so far: that of a 22-year-old Iranian religious student in Najaf, Suhail Mohammad Ali. Speaking of Arab countries, one mistake that the international community is likely to repeat is the exclusion of Arab representation in upcoming talks between the five permanent members of the all-powerful United Nations Security Council and Germany on the one side and Iran on the other. Today marks the Day of Commemoration for Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries and Iran. With the exception of various minority ethnic groups in Iran (one of which is Arab), Iranians are Persian. 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