Editing Arab world (section)

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the Arab world}}
In the Arab world, [[Modern Standard Arabic]], derived from [[Classical Arabic]] (symptomatic of Arabic [[diglossia]]), serves as an official language in the Arab League states, and [[varieties of Arabic|Arabic dialects]] are used as lingua franca. Various indigenous languages are also spoken, which predate the spread of the Arabic language. This contrasts with the situation in the wider [[Islamic world]], where, in contiguous Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the [[Perso-Arabic script]] is used and Arabic is the primary liturgical language, but the tongue is not official at the state level or spoken as a [[vernacular]]. [[Arabs]] constitute around one quarter of the 1.5 billion [[Muslim]]s in the Islamic world.<ref>{{cite web|title=How Many Muslims Are There in the World?|url=http://islam.about.com/od/muslimcountries/a/population.htm|website=About.com Religion & Spirituality|access-date=28 November 2016|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226143553/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1809?_hi=1&_pos=1%20|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Update|type=section|date=June 2019|reason=Relating to the Arab world survey conducted by the BBC. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48703377)}}
[[File:Eid in Morocco.JPG|thumb|[[Eid al-Fitr]] mass prayer in [[Morocco]]]]
[[File:Orthodox_Easter_celebrations_in_As-Suwayda.jpg|thumb|[[Easter]] celebrations in Syria]]
The majority of people in the Arab world adhere to [[Islam]], and the religion has official status in most countries. [[Shariah]] law exists partially in the legal system in some countries (especially in the [[Arabian Peninsula]]), while others are legislatively [[secularism|secular]]. The majority of the Arab countries adhere to [[Sunni Islam]]. [[Iraq]] and [[Bahrain]], however, are [[Shia Islam|Shia]] majority countries, while [[Lebanon]], [[Yemen]], and [[Kuwait]] have large Shia minorities. In [[Saudi Arabia]], Ismailite pockets are also found in the eastern Al-Hasa region and the southern city of Najran. [[Ibadi]] Islam is practiced in [[Oman]], where Ibadis constitute around 75% of Muslims.

There are also [[Christianity|Christian]] adherents in the Arab world, particularly in [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], [[Lebanon]], [[Iraq]], [[Jordan]], and [[Palestine]]. Small native Christian communities can be found also throughout the [[Arabian Peninsula]] and [[North Africa]].<ref name="PharesIntro">*{{cite web|first=Walid|last=Phares|author-link=Walid Phares|url=https://www.arabicbible.com/for-christians/christians/1396-arab-christians-introduction.html|title=Arab Christians: An Introduction|publisher=Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry|year=2001}}
* {{cite web|title=Majority and Minorities in the Arab World: The Lack of a Unifying Narrative|url=http://jcpa.org/article/majority-and-minorities-in-the-arab-world-the-lack-of-a-unifying-narrative/|website=Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs}}</ref> [[Coptic Church|Coptic]], [[Maronite Church|Maronite]] and [[Assyrian Christian]] enclaves exist in the Nile Valley, Levant and northern Iraq respectively. There are also [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]], [[Armenians|Armenian]] and [[Arab Christians]] throughout Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, with [[Arameans|Aramean]] communities in [[Maaloula]] and [[Jubb'adin]] in Syria. There are also native Arab Christian communities in Algeria,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/826846/download|title=Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada|date=30 June 2015|publisher=Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada|quote=there is an estimated 20,000 to 100,000 evangelical Christians in Algeria, who practice their faith in mainly unregistered churches in the Kabyle region|access-date=17 January 2022|archive-date=15 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715132018/https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/826846/download|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bahrain,<ref name="2010Census">{{cite web|url=http://www.census2010.gov.bh/results_en.php|title=2010 Census Results|access-date=15 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320104234/http://www.census2010.gov.bh/results_en.php|archive-date=20 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Morocco,<ref>{{cite book|title=Al-Maghred, the Barbary Lion: A Look at Islam| first=Nat |last= Carnes|year= 2012| isbn= 9781475903423| page =253|publisher=University of Cambridge Press|quote=. In all an estimated 40,000 Moroccans have converted to Christianity}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/house-churches-and-silent-masses-the-converted-christians-of-morocco-are-praying-in-secret/|title='House-Churches' and Silent Masses —The Converted Christians of Morocco Are Praying in Secret – VICE News|date=23 March 2015|quote=Converted Moroccans — most of them secret worshippers, of whom there are estimated to be anywhere between 5,000 and 40,000 —}}</ref> Kuwait<ref name="num">{{cite web|last=Sharaf|first=Nihal|year=2012|title='Christians Enjoy Religious Freedom': Church-State ties excellent|url=http://www.arabtimesonline.com/RSS/tabid/69/smid/414/ArticleID/147658/Default.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125518/http://www.arabtimesonline.com/RSS/tabid/69/smid/414/ArticleID/147658/Default.aspx|archive-date=2 April 2015|work=Arabia Times}}</ref> and Tunisia.<ref>{{cite book|title=Religion and Contemporary Politics: A Global Encyclopedia [2 volumes]| first=Jeffrey M.|last=Shaw |year= 2019| isbn= 9781440839337| page =200|publisher=ABC-CLIO|quote=}}</ref>

Smaller ethno-religious minorities across the Arab League include the [[Yezidis]], [[Yarsan]] and [[Shabak people|Shabaks]] (mainly in Iraq), the [[Druze]]s (mainly in Syria and also in Lebanon, Jordan)<ref>{{cite book|title=Middle East Patterns: Places, People, and Politics| first=Colbert C. |last= Held|year= 2008| isbn= 9780429962004| page =109|publisher=Routledge|quote= Worldwide, they number 1 million or so, with about 45 to 50 percent in Syria, 35 to 40 percent in Lebanon, and less than 10 percent in Israel. Recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora.}}</ref> and [[Mandaeans]] (in Iraq). Formerly, there were significant minorities of [[Jews]] throughout the Arab World. However, the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] prompted their mass [[Jewish exodus from Arab countries|exodus]] between 1948 and 1972. Today small Jewish communities remain, ranging anywhere from just 10 in [[Bahrain]], to more than 400 in Iraq and Syria, 1,000 in [[Tunisia]] and some 3,000 in [[Morocco]].

===Education===
{{Main|Higher education in the Arab world}}
[[File:Girls lining up for class - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|thumb|[[Palestinians|Palestinian]] schoolgirls in [[Gaza City|Gaza]] lining up for class, 2009]]
According to [[UNESCO]], the average rate of [[adult literacy]] (ages 15 and older) in this region [[List of countries by literacy rate|is 78%]]. In Mauritania the rate is lower than the average, at less than 50%. [[Bahrain]], [[Palestine]], [[Kuwait]], [[Qatar]],  and [[Jordan]] record a high adult literacy rate of over 95%.<ref>{{cite report |author=Global Education Monitoring Report Team |date=2015 |title=Regional overview: Arab States |url= https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000232576|publisher=UNESCO |page= |docket= ED/EFA/MRT/2015/RO/02 REV 2|access-date=23 November 2023 |quote=}}</ref> The average rate of adult literacy shows steady improvement, and the absolute number of adult illiterates fell from 64 million to around 58&nbsp;million between 1990 and 2000–2004.<ref name="UNESCO2007">{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001489/148972E.pdf | title=Regional overview: Arab States | publisher=UNESCO | year=2007 | access-date=6 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605065202/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001489/148972E.pdf | archive-date=5 June 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Overall, the gender disparity in adult literacy is high in this region, and of the illiteracy rate, women account for two-thirds, with only 69 literate women for every 100 literate men. The average GPI (Gender Parity Index) for adult literacy is 0.72, and gender disparity can be observed in Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen. Above all, the GPI of Yemen is only 0.46 in a 53% adult literacy rate.<ref name="UNESCO2007"/>

Literacy rate is higher among the [[Youth in the Arab world|youth]] than adults. Youth literacy rate (ages 15–24) in the Arab region increased from 63.9 to 76.3% from 1990 to 2002. The average rate of [[Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)|GCC states]] was 94%, followed by the [[Maghreb]] at 83.2% and the [[Mashriq]] at 73.6%.<ref>{{cite web |title=السعودية ترحب بتقرير اللجنة الوطنية اليمنية |url=http://arabwindow.net/cat/gulf/ |website=arabwindow.net |access-date=11 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004140510/http://arabwindow.net/cat/gulf/ |archive-date=4 October 2016 |language=ar |date=4 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[United Nations]] published an [[Arab human development report]] in 2002, 2003 and 2004. These reports, written by researchers from the Arab world, address some sensitive issues in the development of Arab countries: women empowerment, availability of education and information among others.

===Film industry===
{{Main|Arab cinema}}
There is no single description of [[Arab cinema]] since it includes films from various countries and cultures of the Arab world and therefore does not have one form, structure, or style.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Ghareeb|first=Shirin|date=September 1997|title=An overview of Arab cinema|journal=Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies|volume=6|issue=11|pages=119–127|doi=10.1080/10669929708720114|issn=1066-9922}}</ref> In its inception, Arab cinema was mostly an imitation of Western cinema. However, it has and continues to constantly change and evolve.<ref name=":7" /> It mostly includes films made in [[Egypt]], [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], [[Iraq]], [[Kuwait]], [[Algeria]], [[Morocco]], and [[Tunisia]].<ref name=":7" /> Egypt is a pioneer in the field,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Elgamal|first=Amal|date=2014-04-03|title=Cinema and its image|journal=Contemporary Arab Affairs|volume=7|issue=2|pages=225–245|doi=10.1080/17550912.2014.918320|issn=1755-0912}}</ref> but each country in the region has its own unique cinema.<ref name=":7" />

Elsewhere in [[North Africa]] and the [[Middle East]], film production was scarce until the late 1960s and early 1970s when filmmakers began to receive funding and financial assistance from state organizations.<ref name=":7" /> This was during the post-independence and is when most Arab cinema took root.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=Roots of the New Arab Film|last=Armes|first=Roy|date=2018-03-08|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=9780253031730|doi = 10.2307/j.ctt22p7j4k}}</ref> Most films produced at that time were funded by the state and contained a nationalistic dimension. These films helped to advance certain social causes such as independence, and other social, economic and political agendas.<ref name=":6" />

A sustained film industry was able to emerge in [[Egypt]] when other parts of the Arab world had only been able to sporadically produce feature-length films due to limited financing.<ref name=":7" />

Arabic cinema is dominated by films from [[Egypt]]. Three quarters of all Arab movies are produced in Egypt.  According to film critic and historian Roy Armes, the [[cinema of Lebanon]] is the only other in the Arabic-speaking region, beside Egypt's, that could amount to a national cinema.<ref name="Armes, Roy page 26">Armes, Roy. ''Arab Filmmakers of the Middle East: a Dictionary'', page 26</ref>

While Egyptian and Lebanese cinema have a long history of production, most other Arab countries did not witness film production until after independence, and even today, the majority of film production in countries like Bahrain, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates is limited to television or short films.<ref name=":3">{{cite book|last=Shafik|first=Viola|title=Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MSPTF7wPv_QC|access-date=2 February 2013|year=2007|publisher=American Univ in Cairo Press|isbn=978-977-416-065-3}}</ref>

There is increased interest in films originating in the Arab world. For example, films from [[Cinema of Algeria|Algeria]], [[Cinema of Lebanon|Lebanon]], [[Cinema of Morocco|Morocco]], [[Cinema of Palestine|Palestine]], [[Cinema of Syria|Syria]] and [[Cinema of Tunisia|Tunisia]] are making wider and more frequent rounds than ever before in local film festivals and repertoire theaters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2501/is_1-2_27/ai_n15694703|title=FindArticles.com {{!}} CBSi|via=Find Articles|access-date=5 February 2018}}</ref>

Arab cinema has explored many topics from politics, colonialism, tradition, modernity and social taboos.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Hennebelle|first=Guy|date=November 1976|title=Arab Cinema|journal=MERIP Reports|issue=52|pages=4–12|doi=10.2307/3010963|jstor=3010963|issn=0047-7265}}</ref> It has also attempted to escape from its earlier tendency to mimic and rely on Western film devices.<ref name=":5" /> In fact, colonization did not only influence Arab films, but it also had an impact on Arab movies theaters.<ref name=":10">{{cite book|last1=Shafik|first1=Viola|title=Arab cinema : history and cultural identity|date=2007|publisher=The American University in Cairo Press|location=Cairo, Egypt|isbn=978-9774160653|edition=New rev.}}</ref> Apart from the history of Arab cinema, recently the portrayal of women became an important aspect in the production of Arab cinema. Arab women shaped a great portion of the film industry in the Arab world by employing their cinematic talents in improving the production of Arab films.<ref name=":10" />

The production of Arab cinema has declined in the last decades and many filmmakers in the [[Middle East]] gathered to hold a meeting and discuss the current state of Arab cinema.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Asfour|first=Nana|title=The Politics of Arab Cinema: Middle Eastern Filmmakers Face up to Their Reality|year=2000|journal=Cinéaste|volume=26|issue=1|pages=46–48|issn=0009-7004|jstor=41689317}}</ref>

===Gender equality and women's rights===
{{Main|Women in the Arab world}}

[[File:International Women's Day in Egypt - Flickr - Al Jazeera English (97).jpg|thumb|A women's rights protest in [[Egypt]], 2011]]
[[Women in the Arab world]] are still denied [[gender equality|equality of opportunity]], although their disenfranchisement is a critical factor crippling the Arab nations' quest to return to the first rank of global leaders in commerce, learning and culture, according to a [[United Nations]]-sponsored report in 2008.<ref>[http://www.e-joussour.net/en/node/1511 Gender equality in Arab world critical for progress and prosperity, UN report warns] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906120412/http://www.e-joussour.net/en/node/1511 |date=6 September 2015 }}, E-joussour (21 October 2008)</ref>

===Largest cities===
{{Main|List of largest cities in the Arab world}}
Table of largest cities in the Arab world by official [[city proper]]s:<ref>{{cite web|title=Demographia World Urban Areas|url=http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf|publisher=Demographia|access-date=20 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040330085700/http://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf|archive-date=30 March 2004|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Rank
!Country
!City
!Population
!Founding date
!Image
|-
| 1
| {{Flag|Egypt}}
| [[Cairo]]
| 22,623,874
| 968 [[Common Era|CE]]
| [[File:مصر العظيمة.jpg|150px]]
|-
| 2
| {{Flag|Iraq}}
| [[Baghdad]]
| 8,126,755
| 762 CE<ref>{{cite book|last=Corzine|first=Phyllis|title=The Islamic Empire|year=2005|publisher=Thomson Gale|pages=68–69}}</ref>
| [[File:5628442718 b10fc2c47f o.jpg|150x150px]]
|-
| 3
 |{{Flag|Saudi Arabia}}
|[[Riyadh]]
| 7,676,654
| 1746 CE<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Impact of Planning on Growth and Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1970-1990 |author1= Saud Al-Oteibi |author2=Allen G. Noble |author3=Frank J. Costa |journal= GeoJournal |volume=29 |date=February 1993|issue= 2 |page= 163 |doi= 10.1007/BF00812813 |bibcode= 1993GeoJo..29..163A }}</ref>
|[[File:Masmak castle.jpg|150px]]
|-
| 4
| {{Flag|Egypt}}
| [[Alexandria]]
| 5,381,000
| 332 BCE<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Alexandria |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |last=Reimer |first=Michael |date=2016 |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Alexandria-Egypt}}</ref>
| [[File:Citadel of Qaitbay - Sea View.jpg|150px]]
|-
| 5
| {{Flag|Jordan}}
| [[Amman]]
| 4,642,000
| 7250 [[BCE]]<ref name="Docslide">{{cite web|url=https://docslide.us/documents/prehistoric-settlements-of-the-middle-east.html|title=Prehistoric Settlements of the Middle East|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=17 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617132924/https://docslide.us/documents/prehistoric-settlements-of-the-middle-east.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_testament.html|access-date=2015-10-10|title=The Old Testament Kingdoms of Jordan|work=kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref>
| [[File:New_Abdali_2024.png|150px]]
|-
| 6
| {{Flag|Algeria}}
| [[Algiers]]
| 4,515,000
| 944 CE<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Algiers |volume=24 |pages=653&ndash;655}}</ref>
|[[File:Alger Grande-Poste IMG 0875.JPG|150x150px]]
|-
| 7
| {{Flag|Saudi Arabia}}
| [[Jeddah]]
| 4,276,000
| 522 [[BCE]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.okaz.com.sa/okaz/osf/20060510/Con2006051016179.htm |title=صحيفة عكاظ - جدة اليوم.. والعم وهيب |publisher=Okaz.com.sa |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234958/http://www.okaz.com.sa/okaz/osf/20060510/Con2006051016179.htm |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| [[File:Historical Jeddah.jpg|150px]]
|-
| 8
| {{Flag|Morocco}}
| [[Casablanca]]
| 3,359,818
| 7th century<ref name=JVL>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/casablanca-morocco-jewish-history-tour |title=Virtual Jewish World: Casablanca, Morocco |publisher=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |access-date=17 April 2011}}</ref>
| [[File:Old Medina, Casablanca, a view from United Nations square.JPG|150px]]
|-
| 9
| {{Flag|Yemen}}
| [[Sana'a]]
| 3,292,497<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanaa Population 2023 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/sanaa-population |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref>
| ~500 BCE (possibly earlier)<ref name="EB">{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Sana |volume=24 |pages=125&ndash;126}}</ref>
| [[File:Sana'a, Yemen (14667934933).jpg|150px]]
|-
| 10
| {{Flag|United Arab Emirates}}
| [[Dubai]]
| 3,287,007
| 1833 CE<ref>{{cite web|title=تاريخ دبي|url=http://www.dubai.ae/ar/aboutdubai/Pages/DubaiHistory.aspx|website=حكومة دبي|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>
| [[File:DubaiSkyline.JPG|150x150px]]
|}