Arab identity

Artistic rendering of pre-Islamic costumes of Arab men and Arab women between fourth to sixth century

Arab identity (Arabic: الهوية العربية) is the objective or subjective conception of perceiving somebody as an Arab and as relating to being Arab. Like other cultural identities, it relies on a common culture, a traditional lineage, the common land in history, shared experiences including underlying conflicts and confrontations. These commonalities are regional and in historical contexts often tribal.

Arab identity is defined independently of religious identity, and pre-dates the spread of Islam and the earlier spread of Judaism and Christianity, with historically attested Arab Muslim tribes, Arab Christian tribes and Arab Jewish tribes. Arabs are a diverse group in terms of religious affiliations and practices. Most Arabs are Muslims, with a minority adhering to other faiths, largely Christianity, but also Druze and Baháʼí.

Arab identity can also be seen through a lens of national, regional or local identity. Throughout Arab history, there have been several major national trends in the Arab world. Pan-Arabism, for example, rejects the individual Arab states' existing sovereignty as artificial creations and calls for full Arab unity.

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