The Arabs made their presence known in the 600s when Mohammed and his armies stormed out of the Arabic Peninsula into the Middle East, North Africa and eventually into the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Arabs went from being mostly desert nomads to becoming the most powerful empire in the West. Their momentum continued until they were repelled at the gates of Vienna, Austria in 1683.
As the Arabs expanded, local peoples became Arabized. This meant they spoke Arabic and identified with Arab culture. A significant characteristic of the Arab Empire was its close association with Islam. Most of these new Arabs became Islamized, though the traditional Christian churches remained in parts of the Middle East such as Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. In the early 21st century Arabic was still the fifth most spoken language worldwide.
Though most Arabic speakers are in North Africa, the Middle East, and especially in the Arabian Peninsula where the language started, there is a large Arab diaspora. Their forms of Arabic differ.
Those from the Levant are from the Levant region. In simplistic terms, that includes Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Some have migrated to Algeria, a North African country with a different dialect of Arabic and a larger Berber population.
Muslim Arabs in the diaspora preserve cultural traditions such as how they name their children. It is customary for an Arab child's name to reflect the three dominant elements of Arab life: kin, home, and religion. Thus, a boy might have a name such as "Mohammad ibn Ibrahim al Hamza." "Mohammad" represents his religious name. "Ibn Ibrahim" is his father's name. "Al Hamza" means that he is from the village of Hamza. They give girls similar names, which they keep even after marriage. This reflects the Muslim Arab tradition that even though women are subservient to men, they retain their identities, separate legal rights, and family ties.
Though there is a higher percentage of Christians among Levant Arabs than there is among Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula or North Africa, they are still almost all Muslim, usually Sunni.
Most Levant Arabs are Muslim.
Levant Arab Christians in Algeria have retained their religion, which often focuses on ethnicity more than Christ. It's difficult to get traditional Christians to put all their faith in Jesus Christ rather than an institution. They need a work of the Holy Spirit to revive their churches before they are ready to become Christ's ambassadors to their Muslim neighbors.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in Arab families in Algeria, drawing them to the throne of grace.
Pray for Arab Muslims in Algeria to crave the forgiveness and unconditional love of the Lord.
Pray for Arab Muslims to have such a need for spiritual growth that they are willing to embrace Christ no matter what they face.
Pray for Arab disciplers who will disciple others.
Scripture Prayers for the Arab, Levantine in Algeria.
References
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
