Neither all Arabs are Muslims, nor all Muslims are Arabs.

This a very controversial topic, as sometimes it seems difficult to distinguish two things we did not even know had a separate meaning. When traveling to Lebanon, for instance, many people make the mistake to comment “how much they love traveling in Muslim countries.. oh wait.. Arab countries”.

This is an innocent mistake but it may disturb some certain individuals (mostly radical people with whom, believe me, you will not want to keep on hanging out with in case of overreaction). In any case, it is always convenient to talk from the knowledge and be aware of where we’re actually traveling to.

Where is this confusion coming from? Aren’t Muslims Arabs? Aren’t Arabs Muslims? This might work for a big majority, but not for everyone.

Originally, “Arabs” were synonymous with the tribes of Arabia, until the Arabization of people outside the Arabian peninsula took place. Therefore, before the spread of the Islam (which fostered the process of Arabization through the Caliphate), Arabs referred to people exclusively inhabiting the northern and central Arabian Peninsula and speaking Arabic. Arabs were and still are individuals native to the Arab world. Today, we define the Arab world as the Middle East (Western Asia), the North and some specific parts of Africa (the Arab world or Arab nation is the ensemble of the 22 Arabic speaking countries conforming the Arab League). Arabs are, therefore, an ethnicity or pan ethnicity (a group of related ethnicities) with a linguistic, cultural and sometimes political linkage.

What about muslims? Well, Muslims are individuals embracing Islam, being part of a religious sect, either Arabs or not. This means we will find Muslims inhabiting in the Arab world, but also anywhere else in the world. Funny fact to acquiesce: top three countries with the largest Muslim population in the world? 1. Indonesia 2. India 3. Pakistan. Arabs? It does not look like. 

Yes, the Arab region is the cradle of Islam, and that’s the reason why this association is made. In fact, the Arab region is the cradle of every monotheistic religion, comprising Judaism and Christianity, but Islam was the last one the raise, as the prophet Mohammed was born and preached in the area.

But not all Arabs are muslims. Many of them are, like in Saudi Arabia. But if we take Lebanon as an example, we will find up to 18 different religious sects, all of them chosen by Arabs. You might be surprised to discover almost half of the population in Lebanon is Christian. 

We have, therefore, Muslim Arabs (Muslim population living in the Arab world), Christian Arabs (christian population living in the Arab world), and even Jewish Arabs (Jewish population living in the Arab world); as well as we have Muslims in Asia, Africa, America or Europe (not all of them descendants of ancient Arab inhabitants). 

Photo: churches and mosques share their space in the streets of Tripoli, Lebanon (July 2016).