Introduction to the Arabic World
The Middle East is the birthplace of three great religions:
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The region is composed of fifteen
nations and four major languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish and Farsi. It is a region
of many people, with extraordinary histories and cultures. However,
most of its habitants practice Islam and are Arabs. The word "Arab"
is applied to Muslims, Jews and Christians who speak the Arabic
language and identify themselves with the Arab way of life.
It was in the Arab world where the first known system of writing
was developed. Rich cultures like Ancient Egypt, Assyria and
Babylonia began in this region. Arab culture has had many
influences but Islam has shaped the culture like no other. The
message of Islam appeared for the first time in the Arabian
Peninsula in the early seventh century, and soon the faith expanded
across North Africa, the entire Middle East and extended to the
borders of China.
While most of Europe was in the dark ages, the Arabic/Islamic
civilisation was at its most glorious, making significant
contributions to science, the arts and the humanities.
There are various types of Arabic script, some more intricate
than others. The best known are "Kufic" and "Thuluth". Arabic
script is used for decorative purposes all over the Muslim world,
in mosques, houses and other buildings. This is because the writing
flows in a beautiful stylised fashion.
The Arab world straddles two continents, Asia and Africa, and
its long coastline gives it access to critical waterways. The
region offers a variety of climatic conditions from dry, to
seasonal rainfalls, in Morocco, Tunisia and the
mountains of Lebanon.
Agriculture is very important to the Arab world. The most import
products are wheat, dates, rice, and olive oil, which are main
ingredients in the Arab cuisine. Although there are differences
among the Arab people from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, Arab people
enjoy a common bond of history, culture and tradition.
Problems translating Arabic in the current world context?
The most important problem of translating Arabic in the current
world context relates to words and concepts with an emotional
content. We have all heard of words such as fatwa, which is
commonly mistranslated in the media as a death threat, but
is really a legal opinion; jihad, meaning a holy
war; and ansar meaning supporters, but with a long history
of meaning going back to the days of Mohamed. The ansar
were the people of Madina who supported Mohamed while he was still
living in Mecca before he migrated to Madina. Then there are the
muhajiroun who followed Mohamed from Mecca to Madina when he
migrated. The mujahidoun are holy warriors.
The problem for the West is that none of this is understood. The
whole historical and cultural background of the Arab and Islamic
world is simply not known by Western government policymakers. It
cannot be understood without knowledge of Arabic, and the people of
the Arab and Islamic world cannot be understood without knowing
Arabic.