Arabic beyond Arabic

Arabic is the best and the most complicated language of all time!” Even though this statement seems like an exaggeration, it is what I grew up hearing; from my Arab parents as a child, my Arab teachers as a student, and my Arab customers as a salesperson. The Arabic language has a significant role in Arabs’ identity, yet most Arabs only scratch the surface and do not fully grasp the embedded meaning of the language. I have long been fascinated by the relationship between language and community as well as how it translates to design - specifically, the relationship between Arabs and Arabic. When it comes to designing with Arabic, most of the spotlight is directed towards Calligraphy; in a lot of cases the Arabic language is not considered a priority but is applied to a design as a secondary element. The inherited pride that Arabs have towards their language is immense, yet the design language does not match it in complexity. The strong connection that most Arabs have towards Arabic results in disagreements amongst each other regarding the linguistics of the language. This thesis aims to uncover these behaviors and connections with the language by taking a critical design approach using interaction design to reveal hidden and apparent features of Arabic. This research encourages questioning current design methods and proposes alternative approaches by taking Arabic beyond its stereotypical aesthetical value and over onto its linguistic and behavioral significance

Islam, the Arabs and Umayyad Rulers according to Theophanes the Confessor’s Chronography

Translated by Konrad FigatAs the Chronography of Theophanes the Confessor includes a lot of information about the foreign states and tribes which were connected with the Byzantine Empire. It is legitimate, in the Author’s view, to analyse the account concerning Islam and the Arabs by this Byzantine author. Theophanes possessed detailed knowledge of the Arabs, Islam and Umayyad caliphs. He used, although presumably indirectly, some Muslim sources in his work. The argument which strongly proves this hypothesis is his precise description of inner clashes between the members of the ruling house, as well as of Arab civil wars. The article discusses how Theophanes (and presumably his sources) depicted not only the Arabs as an entity, but also the prophet Muhammad and some of the Umayyad caliphs (Muawiya, Walid I, Umar II, Hisham, Marwan II)

The Arabs in Malta

The Islamic Era in the history of Malta is the ponasinorum of Maltese historiography. No other period of Maltese history is so fraught with admitted or hidden psychological complexes, with unconscious fears and hates that imaginary skeletons in the national cupboard should become common property to the delight and scorn of all. Much the same attitude once characterized other parts of the Mediterranean littoral which had lived for centuries under the hegemony of the Arabs during the High Middle Ages.peer-reviewe

Unveiling French Xenophobia: A Study of Prejudice Against Arabs in France

This paper reports on the socioeconomic status of Arabs and how attitudes toward them vary between France and the United States. It is intended to illuminate the French perspective toward Arabs to an American audience while comparing it to the American perspective. Arabs hold a lower socioeconomic status in France than in America. They are frequently target ed by French policy, which has formerly aimed to repatriate them but now focuses on assimilating them. In America, Arabs face less cultural oppression, but more political exclusion. Because Americans prize independence as opposed to community, Arabs have more freedom to retain their home cultures; however Americans are hostile to perceived opposition to government and fear an Arab link to terrorism. Thus, while the French and Americans both fear Arabs, the French perceive Arabs as symbolic threats to French culture, while Americans pe rceive Arabs as militant opponents

Racial Profiling and the War on Terror: Changing Trends and Perspectives

Minorities in the United States have often been treated unfairly by law enforcement agencies. Prior to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States, Blacks were the main victims of racial profiling. Since the terrorist attack, however, Arabs and Muslims are becoming the primary targets for profiling by law enforcement agencies. There are some remarkable similarities between the profiling of Blacks and the profiling of Arabs and Muslims. In both cases, the fundamental problems with racial profiling are that it violates the civil liberties of innocent people and denies minorities the equal protection of the law. The War on Terror has redefined racial profiling. It has not only led to a shift in the target population, but it has also changed the ways in which racial profiling is conducted

Civil Wrongs

The Bush administration promised not to single out Arabs and Muslims with measures, but in practice it did exactly that. These measures signaled to and non-citizens alike, that American legal protections did not really apply little in the way of fightin

Are you Charlie or Ahmed? Cultural pluralism in Charlie Hebdo response on Twitter

We study the response to the Charlie Hebdo shootings of January 7, 2015 on Twitter across the globe. We ask whether the stances on the issue of freedom of speech can be modeled using established sociological theories, including Huntington's culturalist Clash of Civilizations, and those taking into consideration social context, including Density and Interdependence theories. We find support for Huntington's culturalist explanation, in that the established traditions and norms of one's "civilization" predetermine some of one's opinion. However, at an individual level, we also find social context to play a significant role, with non-Arabs living in Arab countries using #JeSuisAhmed ("I am Ahmed") five times more often when they are embedded in a mixed Arab/non-Arab (mention) network. Among Arabs living in the West, we find a great variety of responses, not altogether associated with the size of their expatriate community, suggesting other variables to be at play.Comment: International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM), 201

Arabophobia and Arab-Conscious Hip-Hop

Designation of Arabs as the quintessential Other in America is considered in response to events witnessed on September 11, 2001. Cowardly, menacing, violent – are words used to describe 9/11. American popular culture, not surprisingly, has used the same words to describe Arabs for decades. American popular culture has always undermined Arabs’ existence. Distorted images of Arabs have become a part of the American visual psyche, influencing education, politics and policies. Therefore 9/11 to an extent provided the framework for systemic discrimination against Arabs and those assumed to be Arabs. My essay advances a definition of Arabophobia, calling for differentiation between racial discrimination and religious discrimination, i.e., Arabophobia and Islamophobia. Arab hip-hop artists in response to criminalisation of Arabs and wars in the Middle East, I argue, have taken up a quintessential American medium to enter the popular discourse surrounding Arabs and counter the dominant narrative dictating Arab lives. Arab-conscious hip-hop is the actualisation of a cultural protest by Arabs for better representation. Instead of being portrayed by apathetic popular culture, Arab artists challenge the same culture and create conditions and possibilities for social change. Arab-conscious hip-hop counters Arab stereotypes with potential to educate audiences and (re)construct the Arab identity. In the essay I discuss the song “P.H.A.T.W.A.” by The Narcicyst. Elements of the song I present reconstructs the Arab identity by reclaiming symbols of discrimination, the same way African Americans did with hip-hop in the 80’s, and berating American for using 9/11 as an excuse for fascist wars and institutional discrimination. The Narcicyst, through “P.H.A.T.W.A.,” creates a sense of consciousness for socio-political transformation

The impact of September 11th, 2001 on the job prospects of foreigners with Arab background - Evidence from German labor market data

This paper examines whether the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001 have influence on the job prospects of Arabs in the German labor market. Using a large, representative database of the German working population, the attacks are treated as a natural experiment that may have caused an exogenous shift in attitudes toward persons who are perceived to be Arabs. Evidence from regression-adjusted difference-in-differences-estimates indicates the 9/11 did not cause a severe decline in job prospects. This result is robust over a wide range of control groups and several definitions of the sample and the observation period. Several explanations for this result, which is in line with prior evidence from Sweden, are offered.

Ethnic differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among Middle Eastern Arabs and North African populations living in Qatar

Aims: There are very few studies comparing epidemiology and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in different ethnic groups. Previous ethnicity studies have mostly determined OHCA differences between African American and Caucasian populations. The aim of this study was to compare epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcomes of OHCA between the local Middle Eastern Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab and the migrant North African populations living in Qatar. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of Middle Eastern GCC Arabs and migrant North African patients with presumed cardiac origin OHCA resuscitated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Qatar, between June 2012 and May 2015. Results: There were 285 Middle Eastern GCC Arabs and 112 North African OHCA patients enrolled during the study period. Compared with the local GCC Arabs, univariate analysis showed that the migrant North African OHCA patients were younger and had higher odds of initial shockable rhythm, pre-hospital interventions (defibrillation and amioderone), pre-hospital scene time, and decreased odds of risk factors (hypertension, respiratory disease, and diabetes) and pre-hospital response time. The survival to hospital discharge had greater odds for North African OHCA patients which did not persist after adjustment. Multivariable logistic regression showed that North Africans were associated with lower odds of diabetes (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.25–0.91, p = 0.03), and higher odds of initial shockable rhythm (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.30–6.33, p = 0.01) and greater scene time (OR 1.02 95% CI 1.0–1.04, p = 0.02). Conclusions: North African migrant OHCA patients were younger, had decreased risk factors and favourable OHCA rhythm and received greater ACLS interventions with shorter pre-hospital response times and longer scene times leading to better survival.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio