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Afro-Arab
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Afro-Arab (sometimes referred to as African Arab) refers to people who possess both black African and Arab ancestry.It may in addition refer to Arabs who are not descended from recent African ancestry but who live on the African continent. There are large communities of Afro-Arabs in East Africa, North Africa and the Middle Eastern countries as well as, through recent migrations, Western Europe.
The phrase "Afro-Arab" may also refer to African Union efforts to improve co-operation between Africa and countries of the Arab world.
Arabs of the Middle East have very old connections to the African continent, and in addition more than half the Arab world now exists in Africa (in terms of area, and possibly population too), i.e.
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Afro-Arab (sometimes referred to as African Arab) refers to people who possess both black African and Arab ancestry.It may in addition refer to Arabs who are not descended from recent African ancestry but who live on the African continent. There are large communities of Afro-Arabs in East Africa, North Africa and the Middle Eastern countries as well as, through recent migrations, Western Europe.
The phrase "Afro-Arab" may also refer to African Union efforts to improve co-operation between Africa and countries of the Arab world.
History
The Arabs of the Middle East have very old connections to the African continent, and in addition more than half the Arab world now exists in Africa (in terms of area, and possibly population too), i.e. from Egypt and Sudan in the east to Mauritania in the west, although much of the North African population are Berbers (a separate, native ethnic group speaking an Afro-Asiatic language) or Arabized Berbers. The Islamic world covers even more area, ie. Nigeria in the west and many other West African nations too. So this intermingling of peoples from the African continent, along with the spread of Islam, has resulted in large populations of African Arab peoples covering a vast area of Africa. Present-day Sudan is home to millions of Arabs, with 40% of the population identifying themselves under the ethnic group of 'Arabs' even though the option of 'Afro-Arabs' is also available. Afro-Arabs within the Middle East itself are for the most part descendants of Black African slaves who were brought there during the Arab slave trade.
Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar as well East Africa hosts a significant Afro-Arab population along the Swahili Coast, such as in Zanzibar, Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi, the Comoros, Bagamoyo, and Ujiji.
Culture
In the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, descendants of East Africans from Tanzania and Zanzibar perform Liwa and Fann At-Tanbura music and dance . Mizmar (dance) is performed in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia
In Classical Literature
One of the most famous Afro Arabs of ancient times was the pre islamic hero like figure Antar Ibn Shadded. Antar was born in Laiwa, He was the son of Shaddad, a well respected member of the Arabian tribe of Banu Abs, and of Zabaibah, an Ethiopian female, whom Shaddad had enslaved after a tribal war. The tribe neglected Antar at first, and he grew up in servitude. Although it was fairly obvious that Shaddad was his father, his dark skin made it easier to classify him among the African slaves. Antara claimed attention and respect for himself by his remarkable personal qualities and courage in battle, excelling as an accomplished poet and a mighty warrior.
The Zanj Revolt
The Zanj Rebellions took place near the city of Basra, located in southern Iraq over a period of fifteen years (869-883 AD). They grew to involve over 500,000 slaves who were imported from across the Muslim empire and claimed over “tens of thousands of lives in lower Iraq” . The major revolt is said to have been led by Ali ibn Muhammad, who claimed to be a descendent of Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib.Not all part takers in the Zanj revolt where of Black African descent, many where slaves of Indian and slavic ancestry. The majority that where forced to work in the Iraqi salt marshes where however of Zanj (East African Bantu) ancestry because the East European Slavs would simply die in the humid heat of the salt marshes. It is believed that many of today's Basra area "Afro Arabs" are descending from one of these Zanj groups though many may have settled that area under different circumstances via the Arab-African sea trade routes.
See also
External links
- ", "http://www.colorq.org/Meltin..')") -a cited essay
- -a cited essay
- Prof. Helmi Sharawy, , paper extracted from the book The Dialogue between the Arab culture and other cultures, Arab League, Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), Tunis, 1999.
- , Afropop Worldwide
- of The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, 23, February 23-28, 1987.
- , Addis Ababa: 10 – 12 May 2005.
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