The Arab World

 January 28, 2021

Hi, everyone! Today we will be answering a few of my questions about Arabic culture! Enjoy!


We’ve talked about the music, but what is dancing like in the Arab world?

When researching this question, I came upon an article on the art of belly dancing. I remember my sister’s and my futile attempt at learning how to belly dance when we were younger, as it requires a cultivation of skill and practice. Belly dancing has a false reputation of being sexual, but it is believed to have begun as a fertility dance to a female fertility god ages ago. In this time, it was believed that women knew the secrets of nature and that they would not be able to conceive if a fertility dance was not performed. If we fast-forward a few years, belly dancing (known as raks-sharki) was performed after dinner. The women would all go to a separate space (the dance could not be performed in front of men) and dance, rolling their hips and abdomens. The dance got the women’s muscles in shape for pregnancy and labor and also showed mothers of bachelors that the women were fertile and healthy. Click here to read more or click below to hear this young woman’s story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEb7k8OVVBg

Is there a young, well known, Arabic popstar today?

Okay, I went in search of a young artist and found this Egyptian, 56 year old, GAWGEOUS singer and writer. He mixes egyptian, arabic, and western styles to create his own music style called “mediteranean style”. I found his website which houses his tour dates, events, music, biography, etc. In his mid-twenties (1986), Amr earned his bachelor’s in Arabic Music. During this time he continued to record music and released several albums. By this time, his name was already known in the Arab world since he had sung at a festival at age 6 and was awarded with a guitar from the governor himself for his performance. 4 years after obtaining his degree, Amr sang at the Tournament of African Sports in 1990. He followed this up by dabbling in acting and then continued on with his music career releasing even more hit albums, one of them being “Amarain”! Amr has a long career in music. If you wish to hear more about him, check out his website! Click below for an early 2000’s throwback!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgmXTmj62ic

What are the male hijab traditions?

I found this article about the male hijab tradition and the changing attitude towards it. I, like many other people, was under the impression that hijabs were only worn by women. However, this article offers information on how both men and women can follow the tradition. Just like with the female tradition, male hijab-wearing varies across regions and people, and is about modesty at its core. The male hijab can consist of a short haircut, covered arms and legs (to the wrists and ankles), muted colors, and a longer beard. Of course this varies and depends on whether or not the male practices the tradition liberally, moderately, or conservatively. I really enjoyed the video below, which shares what a group of Muslim men did to support women who were being mistreated in their culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZetAFvW3vHs

Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your comments!