Arab World

The Arab World, or Arab nation, consists of 22 nations and territories in the Arab League. Arabic is the official language of these nations, which are shown below in green.

Please note: this page makes generalizations about the culture of nations in the Arab League. This information may not apply to specfic cities or regions, and it may be beneficial to seek more information about a client's home country rather than relying on this general information.

Demographics of Arab-Americans

According to the American Arab Institute there are over 3.5 million people of Arab ancestry living in America. The 2000 U.S. Census reported that over 6,000 Arab-Americans live in Oregon, over 8,000 in Washington, and over 140,000 in California. The census stated that these numbers were likely under-reported and since 2000 have significantly increased. For example, a recent survey suggests that there are over 700,000 Arab Americans currently living in California.

Oregon Demographics

The number of Oregonians claiming Arab ancestry has more than doubled in the last 30 years; Oregon has one of the fastest-growing Arab populations in the country. Recent estimates put the population around 42,000, with the largest populations of new Arab immigrants arriving from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Portland Public Schools indicates that Arabic is one of the top ten languages represented within the school district. Over 100 children in PPS reported speaking Arabic in the home during the 2011-2012 school year. There is currently no information on dialectal differences amongst these students.

Arab American Education Rates

• with high school education: 85%

• with bachelor's degree: > 40% (compared to 24% of all Americans)

• with post-graduate degree: 17% (compared to 9% of all Americans)

Arab American Occupation and Income

* employed in managerial, professional, or technical fields: 73%

* employed in service industry: 12% (compared to 27% of all Americans)

* work in private sector: 88%

* median household income: $47,000 (compared to $42,000 for all of U.S.)

Religious and Political Views

The Arab World is composed mostly of people of the Islamic faith. However, according to the Arab American Institute (AAI), most Arab Americans are Christian. They reported the following: 63% Christian, 24% Muslim, and 13% Jewish/Other/No affiliation.

According to the AAI, Arab Americans tend to vote more Democratic than Republican. A recent poll found that 62% of Arab Americans vote Democratic, while only 25% vote Republican. As a group they backed John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. While some Arab Americans believe their values are more in line with the conservative Republican party, the AAI estimated that 52% of Arab Americans are pro-life, 74% support the death penalty, 76% are in favor of stricter gun control, and 86% want to see an independent Palestinian state.

Ramadan

Ramadan is during the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is a month-long period of praying, reading the Qur'an, fasting, celibacy, charity-giving, and self-accountability. The islamic calendar consists of 12 months and lasts for about 354 days. The month of Ramadam represents the first time the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The night the Qur'an was revealed is known as Lailut ul-Qadr (The Night of Power) and occurs during the last third of Ramadan, making this month the holiest season in the Islamic year. The month of Ramadan traditionally begins with a new moon sighting. Ramadan then ends when the first crescent of the new moon is sighted again. The end of Ramadan is marked with a celebration, known as 'Eid-ul-Fitr'. This celebration not only represents the end of fasting but aims to thank Allah for the help and strength that he gave them throughout the month in order for them to practice self-discipline. 'Eid-ul-Fitr' also represents forgiveness and making amends.

During Ramadan people of the Islamic faith are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an at least once. Many Muslims will also attended special services in which the Qur'an is recited through special prayers known as 'Tarawih'. These services are held every night of Ramadan.

Fasting during Ramadan occurs during daylight hours. It is common to have one meal just before sunrise, known as 'suhoor', and another meal just after sunset, known as 'iftar'. Fasting during Ramadan is not done by children, the sick, pregnant women, or the elderly. Once an individual reaches puberty they are expected to participate in the fasting process. Fasting during Ramadan is intended to help teach individuals self-discipline, self-restraint, and generosity. It is also practiced to remind them of the suffering that many poor individuals experienced.

Helpful Ramadan resources for individuals and professionals:

• Ramadan Begins

• Ramadan Guidelines

Family Structure

Loyalty to family and the extended clan is a strong value in Arab culture. The family structure is patriarchal and hierarchical. Boys are favored over girls and are expected to care for their parents in their old age. Women are subordinate to their husbands and male relatives. Some Arab American families expect their members to strictly adhere to these traditional gender roles, while others allow for more equality between the sexes. The month of Ramadan it is a period of praying, reading the Qur'an, fasting, charity-giving, and self-accountability.

Social Etiquette

The Arab concept of personal space is very different from that of mainstream US culture. People of the same sex stand close together, and it is considered rude to step or lean away. Men who are friends or colleagues may hold hands as they walk together. Much greater distance is expected between the sexes, however, and a man should not stand too close, stare at, or touch a woman.

It takes time to establish mutual respect and trust. Social niceties should not be rushed, particularly when meeting for the first time.

Food and drink are offered to guests, and it is customary to accept at least a small amount of the offered refreshment. When serving or passing food and beverages, use the right hand only. It is customary to leave a little something on the plate.

Considerations for Speech-Language Pathologists

• Useful Clinical Phrases in Arabic for SLPs

• The Arab-speaking world encompasses people with a wide range of religious beliefs, ethnicities, and lifestyles. Don't make assumptions about people based solely on their native language.

• When assessing an Arabic speaker it is important to keep in mind that there are many dialects in Arabic and many phonological variations exist between them.

• Male clinicians should be particularly sensitive to an Arab woman's expectation of privacy and personal space - for example, it may be considered highly inappropriate for a man to initiate shaking hands with a woman.

• While syntactical rules for spoken Arabic are similar to those of English, rules are different for written Arabic.

• Arabic script is written from right to left. This could result in some confusion when asking a child to point to the "first" item on a page. Because of this difference in script direction, the front and back covers are switched on books written in Arabic when compared to those written in English.

• Arabic contains some different consonants than English as well as fewer vowels. This will affect pronunciation of English words. For example, Arabic speakers typically will substitute b for p; s for voiceless th; z or d for voiced th; and sh for ch.

• Phonemes in English that are not found in Arabic include: /p/, /v/, /ɹ/, /ʒ/, /g/, and /ŋ/. Because of the influence of loanwords, /p/ and /v/ exist in some dialects.

• In Standard Arabic, word stress is not phonemically contrastive. English language learners whose L1 is Arabic may need explicit instruction in correct usage of word stress in English.

• In Arab culture, words have power and talking about unpleasant things is thus avoided. Clients and families may be uncomfortable talking about a diagnosis of a disorder.

• Admitting ignorance is frowned on in Arab culture. Clients and family members may be reluctant to say "I don't know" in response to a question.(Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, US Army Training and Doctrine Command.

• An Arabic version of the Bilingual Aphasia Test

Arabic Healthcare: Important Things to Remember

• "Each individual needs to be assessed along a scale of acculturation and change. We also must avoid jumping to assumptions. Just because a person wears traditional ethnic dress may not mean that they lack English language skills or if a women wears traditional clothing that she does not work outside the home. And the converse may be true of someone wearing typical western clothing. We have to evaluate each person using a number of cultural clues and when in doubt learn to ask questions in a culturally sensitive fashion. We also have to be ready to reevaluate them as they undergo change."

• "An outside health professional should seek to establish a relationship of trust with the entire family, not just the patient. A common attitude within hospitals is that the family is an obstructive burden to the patients’ care. For Arab patients, it should be understood that the family’s presence is highly emotionally supportive and important. Therefore, the health professional should make efforts to address both the patient and the family in interactions and should seek to develop their trust. Such a trust is not readily developed, but generally withheld from Arabs until they view the outsider’s character. Once this trust is developed, however, the family can play an important supportive role in health therapy and place much weight on the physician’s opinion. "

Original Contributors: Claire Barnes, Katy Brandt, & Devin Dolan; Winter 2010. Additional Informartion was added by Sarah Crowder, Stephanie Gaslin, & Kristín Ragnarsson; Spring 2013