Arab Culture Research Articles

The Existence of Bangsawan Theatre in Palembang Viewed From the Demographic Aspect

Teater Bangsawan has a long history and is an important part of Palembang's cultural heritage. Its existence reflects the continuity of culture and traditions passed down from generation to generation and becomes a symbol of the cultural identity of the local community. This performance includes various traditional elements such as music, dance, traditional clothing, and Palembang language . The existence of Bangsawan theater also plays an important role in education and learning. This performance is not only entertainment, but also a learning medium that teaches moral values, history, and art skills to the performers and audience. Bangsawan theater became a place to study culture and develop creativity in the realm of performing arts. Palembang as a multicultural city has a strong ethnic influence in the theater of nobility. The performance combines elements of Malay, Chinese, Arab, and Indian cultures, creating a wealth of diverse arts and representing the diversity of Palembang society. The Bangsawan theater is an important forum for the people of Palembang to convey and strengthen Palembang's cultural identity. This performance reflects the values, stories, and traditions cherished by the people of Palembang, thus becoming a means to maintain and bring cultural heritage to life. The demographic development of the population has influenced the existence of the aristocratic theater. Changes in age composition, increased urbanization, and shifts in cultural values have an impact on people's interest and participation in traditional performing arts. With the onset of significant demographic changes, aristocratic theater experienced a decline in popularity due to the younger generation being more interested in modern forms of entertainment.

Analisis Kata Serapan Bahasa Arab Dalam Tindak Tutur Masyarakat Melayu Bengkalis

This study aims to analyse the absorption of Arabic words in the speech acts of the Malay community in Bengkalis. The research method used is qualitative with a descriptive-analytical approach. Data were collected through interviews, and observations and then analysed using content analysis techniques. The results showed that Arabic absorption words have a significant role in the speech acts of the Bengkalis Malay community. The use of these absorption words reflects the influence of Arabic culture in the daily life and communication of the local community. In addition, Arabic absorption words also enrich the vocabulary and linguistic expressions in the daily language of the Bengkalis Malay community. This research provides an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the use of Arabic words in the language and culture of the Bengkalis Malay community. The implications of these findings can be an important contribution to the study of linguistics, language anthropology, and cultural studies, as well as provide a foundation for the preservation and development of cultural and linguistic heritage in this region.

A Semiotic Analysis of Cultural Differences Between Australian and Emirati E-commerce Websites

This study aimed to investigate cultural differences in the design of e-commerce websites by undertaking a semiotic analysis. The study utilized semiotic analysis methods to examine the relationships among signs, symbols and their meanings on e-commerce websites. Specifically, six popular e-commerce websites from two culturally distinct countries, Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were selected for analysis. The semiotic analysis of the e-commerce websites revealed significant differences in design attributes between the two countries. Specifically, the findings showed that UAE websites emphasize visual elements such as graphics and layout to engage users aesthetically, whereas Australian websites prioritize text-based content to ensure clear and direct communication. This divergence can be attributed to cultural disparities, with Arab culture valuing additional context and Australian culture favouring a more straightforward approach. This implies that different interface designs may be necessary to effectively communicate with and cater to the diverse cultural groups within each country.

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation Process and Pilot Testing of the Arabic Version of the Patient Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure (PRISM-Arabic)

Context: The Patient Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure (PRISM) is a self-reported questionnaire that is used to assess the impact of spasticity on the quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Its inclusion in the assessment process for patients living in a country such as Saudi Arabia, which has one of the highest incidences of SCI around the world, will be an integral addition. Aims: The aims for this study were to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRISM into Arabic and pilot test the Arabic version on Arabic speakers with SCI in Saudi Arabia. Settings and Design: Translation process was administered according to the recommended guidelines used for cross-cultural adaptation of healthcare measures. Methods and Material: Pilot testing of the PRISM-Arabic was administered to 35 individuals with SCI presenting with spasticity. Participants were interviewed to assess the relevance of the questionnaire to the Arabic language and culture. Face and content validity of the PRISM-Arabic as well as its floor and ceiling effects were assessed. Results: During the translation process, the expert committee made changes in 14 occasions due to cultural equivalence differences. Pilot-testing showed eight items that needed further adaptation. After all were made, the cross-culturally adapted PRISM-Arabic showed adequate face and content validity and did not have flooring and ceiling effects. Conclusions: The PRISM has been successfully translated and cross-culturally adapted into Arabic language. Further assessments of its psychometric properties are recommended. Implications for its use in clinical practice and research were presented.
 Key-words: Spinal cord injury, Spasticity, Patient Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure, PRISM
 Key Messages: The PRISM was successfully translated and cross-culturally adapted for Arabic speakers with SCI reporting spasticity. The introduction of such spasticity-specific self-reported outcome measure into clinics in Saudi Arabia is the first of its kind. The PRISM will introduce a new area of research and clinical assessment related to patients with SCI.

Acculturation of Palembang Songket Cloth Culture

This article discusses cultural acculturation related to Palembang songket fabric. The study reveals how Palembang songket cloth experiences cultural acculturation through interaction with various elements of local, regional, and global culture. Through this study, the authors identified various factors that influence acculturation of songket fabric, such as migration, trade, and cultural interaction. The approach used in this study is a qualitative approach. Qualitative approaches are often used in cultural studies to understand and analyze acculturation processes, cultural interactions, and the role of songket cloth in Palembang society. Qualitative research methods involve data collection through observation, interviews, and text analysis, as well as in-depth interpretation to understand complex cultural phenomena. The results of the study are in the context of acculturation; Palembang songket cloth has experienced the influence of Malay, Chinese, Arab, and Indian cultures, which is reflected in the patterns and motifs that exist on songket cloth. In addition, the acculturation of Palembang songket fabric culture also reflects adaptation to global market trends and demands. This article contributes to an understanding of how cultural acculturation can shape and influence a region’s distinctive textile traditions, with a case study of Palembang songket fabric as a relevant example.
 Keywords: cultural acculturation, Palembang songket cloth, cultural identity

An Analysis of Media Representation of Arab Female Athletes: The Case of Al-Jazeera

The coverage of female athletes in sports media has been claimed to exhibit prejudice in favor of male athletes. Therefore, they promote the dominance of traditional masculine hegemony. Accordingly, the present study examines Al-Jazeera's coverage of Arab female athletes participating in the Rio Olympics. The study, therefore, aims to identify Al-Jazeera's strategies for covering Arab female athletes in selected online stories and their ideological perspectives in terms of "Self" or public and "Other" or private dichotomy. Furthermore, it aims to examine the feminist critical discourse analysis perspective in the gendered social practices of the Eastern world. This study analyses two Al-Jazeera news stories using feminist critical discourse analysis. Feminist critical discourse analysis challenges social practices related to gender stereotypes. Occasionally, gender inequalities are manifested explicitly as well as implicitly. Patriarchy persists in many social institutions and among women (and men) globally. The researchers implement Lazar's (2018) Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis. Thus, sports news ideological methods are analyzed using positive "in-group" and negative "out-group" dichotomy. The current research findings indicate that the patriarchal society has been transformed with respect to women's empowerment. Arab female athletes take place in public life as their male counterparts. However, the analyzed data demonstrated Arab women's gender resistance to the stereotypical gender norms. However, the current research is essential for revealing the progress of gender-based hierarchal social norms. Deconstructing conventional unequal gender roles is a key component of this research project's contribution to developing and promoting gender equality in Arabic culture.

Empirical Analysis for Detecting Arabic Online Suicidal Ideation

Suicidal ideation is a serious social health problem influenced by personal, social, and negative life events. Suicide ideation expressed in social media can provide insights into suicidal attempts. Detecting and tracking people at risk of suicide is a critical task. A massive amount of Arabic content has become available on online social media. Early diagnosis of mental illness, including suicidal thoughts, is challenging, particularly within the Arabic culture, due to stigma and a lack of awareness. Few recent studies have investigated the automatic detection of Arabic suicidal thoughts either because of the lack of a dataset or difficulties in dealing with the Arabic language. Therefore, our study investigates the performance of using several deep classifiers with Arabic pre-trained language models to detect suicide ideation using deep learning on the largest available dataset. We selected Universal-Sentence-Encoder-multilingual (USE) and MARBERT models for conducting the experiment work. The experiment results show that the USE and deep dense model achieved 82.6% F1score. For MARBERT, the CNN+LSTM outperforms other presented deep models, which achieved an 80.8% F1score.

Yalla Nutbikh “Let's cook”: Negotiating emotions of belonging through food in heritage language classrooms

AbstractResearch on emotions and second language learning has recently expanded to heritage language education contexts. Influenced by a long tradition in psycholinguistics and second language acquisition, research on heritage language emotions has mainly focused on the statistical effects of emotions on language development rather than examining emotions that relate to social and interpersonal relations. This article responds to these research needs through a critical ethnographic exploration of how emotions of belonging are negotiated through the production and consumption of food at an Arabic heritage language school in the United States. Drawing on data from observations, interviews, and field notes collected during a 2‐year period, I argue that the production and consumption of Arabic food during cooking events and classes at the school afford students opportunities to negotiate emotions of belonging toward Arab culture as an embodied and nonessentialist practice, toward diverse religions and nationalities in the heritage school community, and toward the local majority community in the United States. This analysis foregrounds the affordances of occasions in which language learning and emotions are situated within the sociomaterial practices of heritage culture and highlights the need to establish interinstitutional connections with community schools to support the socioemotional well‐being and educational equity of immigrant and racialized youth.

Emigration of Greek Knowledge to the Arab World.

The period described in this chapter reflects activity prior to the establishment of surgical centers in Europe in the twelfth century. It is a kind of prologue to the reintroduction of high-quality surgical practice. Religious squabbles within Christianity led to European medicine and surgery, the principles of which were written in Greek, being transported eastwards into the region newly dominated by Islam. There the works were translated into Arabic and during three to four hundred years, the works were not only retained but were enriched by contributions from within Arab culture. This evolution naturally enough came to affect what happened next. However, one thing is clear and was even commented on as early as by Albucasis. The surgeon's respect and distinction within society had depreciated during the sojourn of medical science in the Islamic world, with physicians being regarded as distinctly superior beings. With regard to specific details related to opening the head there was broad consistency between the various authors all of whom seem to have been greatly influenced by Paul of Ægina. Thus, there is no mention of the crown trepan. Opening the skull was performed with the non-perforating trepans making small holes which were connected with chisels or lenticulars. The indication to do this was separation of the dura from the bone. Whether or not the sutures should be avoided when trepanning is not a topic mentioned in these writings. There was also no recommendation for prophylactic trepanation.

The Image of the Byzantines (the Rum) and the Franks (the Ifranj) in “The Thousand and One Nights”

The memory of the Crusades in the folk culture of the Levant and Egypt remains an under-researched topic. The stories of “The Thousand and One Nights”, which feature the Rum and the Ifranj, form part of the overall narrative of 12th—15th-century Arabic folk culture about Christian attacks on the Muslim world. In these stories, the Ifranj are portrayed as a more aggressive and principled opponent than the Rum, who, unlike the Ifranj, are also mentioned in neutral and occasionally positive contexts, being portrayed as a more civilised entity. The key patterns in the depiction of the Ifranj and the Rum, such as the in-depth study of Islam by the Christian villains in order to gain the trust of the Muslims, the unanimous gathering of Franks from all lands with the aim of attacking the Muslims, and the desire of the leaders of the Ifranj and the Rum to conquer the entire Islamic world while converting all Muslims to Christianity, coincide with similar images in the Arabic folk epics that emerged during the Crusades. This supports the attribution of the stories to the indicated period and strengthens the arguments of linguistic and anthropological analysis, according to which the stories date from the time of the anti-crusader struggle.

Van Dijk’s ideological square in sourcing: was the Arab silenced or quoted in the Western media’s coverage of the 2011 revolution in Egypt?

This paper examines the Western media's coverage of the 2011 revolution in Egypt and its sourcing patterns using Van Dijk's ideological square framework. The study implements the research tools provided by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to investigate the representation of Arab voices and analyzes whether they were silenced or adequately quoted. The findings reveal that the selected media outlets perpetuated power imbalances and social inequalities through their sourcing practices. The media over-quoted statements that supported Western narratives and marginalized or excluded statements that challenged these narratives or portrayed positive aspects of Arab culture and religion. This bias in sourcing patterns reflects a reproduction of dominant ideologies and reinforces the classical Orientalist discourse that positions Islam and Islamists as inferior entities. Furthermore, the study highlights the creation of dichotomous divisions between the Westerner and the Arab. The Westerner is portrayed as powerful and authoritative, while the Arab is depicted as subservient and in need of instruction.

Minority social workers permanently leaving the profession: extent, motivations and implications

The research investigated the scope, motivations and implications of Palestinian minority social workers permanently leaving the profession. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with ten former social workers. It was found that leaving their social work posts, either temporarily or permanently, was a rare occurrence in Palestinian society. The few who abandoned the profession explained that two factors hindered their proper functioning and provision of appropriate services: a severe lack of essential resources; and inappropriate intervention programmes for the unique nature of Arab culture. Those who left the profession expressed satisfaction with their new careers, working as self-employed or senior employees, explaining that their new work compensated for the deficiencies endured in social work. Their departure seems to be a direct result of the socio-political context in which Palestinian social work develops, in particular, Israeli government policies that do not adequately address the needs of Palestinian society’s welfare services.

הצנזורה על סרטי קולנוע ערביים במדינת ישראל, 1967-1948

This article examines government censorship of Arab films in the first two decades of the State of Israel, through extensive archival use of documents of the Israeli Film and Theater Censorship Board. The state authorities had wanted to ban altogether the import of films made in Egypt, where the majority of Arab films were produced, but this was impossible due to the entertainment needs of the Arab minority in Israel, and of Jewish immigrants from Arab countries. The article sheds light on the government's efforts to restrict as much as possible the showing of Arab films and censor their content. The censorship's dual purpose was to prevent Arab films from awakening the national and political consciousness of the Arabs living in Israel, and to distance Jewish immigrants from their Arab culture, in order to promote their assimilation into hegemonic Israeli culture. However, the censorship's attempts at political control over Arabs and cultural control over Jews was doomed to failure due to the emergence of a new means of communication and entertainment in the Middle East – television. This ended the cinema theaters' monopoly over the consumption of Arab films, and thus the Film and Theater Censorship Board's ability to censor them.

Filistinli Arapların Sultan II. Abdülhamid Döneminde ve Sonrasında Yahudi Siyonistlere Yönelik Tutumları

With the end of the Ottoman Empire in Bayt al-Maqdis a new page in history was being turned, ending centuries of peace in the Holy Land. This study concentrates on Palestinian Arabs and their attitudes towards Jewish Zionist settlement and their land purchase activities in Palestine, particularly under the British occupation. There are two divergent ideas concerning Palestinian and Jewish Zionists relations. While some scholars claim that Arab Muslims were passive and submissive towards Jewish Zionists and they did not put forward reactionary attitude towards Jewish Zionists and they even further state that those Arabs sold their lands to them willingly and earned huge sums of profit and hence they were contented with Zionist settlement. However, contrary to this claim evidence shows Arab Palestinians helped and supported the Ottomans against Jewish Zionism in restricting Zionist settlement and land purchase activities in Palestine. In this respect, this study argues that Palestinian Arab Muslims from the outset foresaw expansionist Zionists and put forward their resistance in different means. They clearly did their best to stop the Zionist influx and thus altered the attitude of the British Mandate. Therefore, throughout the study it can be clearly seen that even after the end of the Ottoman rule in the region, Palestinian Arabs tried their best to preserve their presence and status in Palestine against the British and Jewish Zionists.

PEMBACAAN DEKONSTRUKTIF ATAS RELASI AL-QUR’AN DAN BUDAYA

Naṣr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd and Aksin Wijaya argued that the textuality of the Qur'an in the sense that the Qur'an, like other texts, cannot be separated from the cultural situation in which it was revealed. Just as the text certainly contains cultural content, the Qur'an also contains Arab cultural content from the 7th century AD. This idea triggers pro and contra responses, but it is rare – if not to say not – to find an accurate critical response. Researchers who support this do not balance their appreciation with criticism. On the other hand, researchers who reject this idea submit inaccurate responses, because they use a theological approach, even though the argument of these two thinkers have a philosophical-linguistic nuance. This article aims to fill the gap in accurate criticism of the idea of the textuality of the Qur'an. This article criticizes the thinking of the two figures in advance with the same knife, namely the philosophy of language. We will use Derrida's deconstruction as a critical knife for both of their thoughts. Therefore, this article has two problem formulations as an agenda. First, what do the two figures above think about Qur'an? Second, what is the ambiguous point in their thinking regarding the Qur'an? This article will culminate in two conclusion. First, recognize quasi-objectively their thinking by basing understanding on the philosophical linguistic arguments they offer. Second, philosophically emphasizing that Arab culture has not infiltrated the Qur'an.

The Role of Historical Reconstruction of Context and Historical Transformation of the Lexicon in the Understanding of Islamic Holy Traditions: A Case Study ‘Burying Girls Alive is the Sign of Honourʼ (Dafn al-Banāt min al-Makrumāt)

The phenomenon of Hadith fabrication in Islam is an issue that has led to questioning the authenticity of every individual Hadith. It becomes more critical when a hadith appears ambiguous or contradicts rational judgment. However, to achieve the narrator's true meaning, we should pay attention to evidence, such as the semantic evolution of a word over time and the historical reconstruction of the context. The present study, with an analytical-descriptive method, aimed to show the impact of the evidence mentioned above on understanding the permissible burying girls alive that, regarding the inconsistency of its content with religious and rational findings, is fabricated. Based on the results, a different reading of the narrative text and a new understanding of words contradict the possibility of its fabrication. Regarding the reported historical events and the difference between the literal meaning of the term burying (dafn) and burying alive (wa’d) among the early Arabs, it does not imply a permissible burying of girls alive, instead emphasises father’s presence in the girl’s burial, struggling along with the false culture of ignorant Arabs.

Features and problems of teaching Russian medical lexis to Arabic-speaking medical students and their solution with the help of mnemonics

The article identifies the main problems that arise when teaching Russian to Arabic-speaking medical students. The purpose of our research is to consider typical features and errors in the perception of medical lexis by Arab medical students and identify ways of solving them using mnemonics. In the theory and methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language, there is a constant search for effective methods to solve the following problems of spelling: “mirror writing” among Arab medical students, as well as errors arising from the interfering influence of English and French, the replacement of letters and the omission of certain letters in medical terms. The article also focuses on the problems of Arabic-speaking students’ perception related to their native Arabic culture, namely right-to-left writing, known in linguistics as “Semitic writing”, and the perception of the chronology of events, which is also directly related to the right-hand Semitic writing. We suggest our own special mnemonics for Arab medical students. The obtained results showed that our mnemonic techniques contribute not only to the elimination of the abovementioned spelling errors and perception problems, but also activate the mechanism of hemispheric interaction and neural connections in the brain; consequently, Arabic-speaking students actively memorize and consolidate professional medical lexis in Russian in the classes of Russian as a foreign language.

Cultural Perceptions of Santri on Arabic Language Learning

The study delves into the perceptions of santri concerning Arabic cultural elements in the teaching of the Arabic language within Salafi Pesantren. Employing a qualitative approach, the research investigates how santri perceive the significance of Arabic cultural values in the learning process and the broader implications for multicultural understanding. Data were gathered through interviews and questionnaires distributed to 42 respondents across 16 Salafi pesantren institutions in various regions of Indonesia, including Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. The findings reveal that santri generally recognize the importance of incorporating Arabic cultural elements into the language-learning process, as it aids in comprehending both the Arabic language and its cultural nuances. Some aspects of Arabic culture are perceived by santri as integral to Islamic teachings, influencing distinctive practices in their clothing and physical appearance. Despite these unique practices, the santri, living in a multicultural society, choose to integrate their daily lives with other communities, fostering harmony and embracing the multicultural diversity present in Indonesia. This study contributes valuable insights into the intersection of language learning, cultural values, and multicultural coexistence in the context of Salafi Pesantren education.

The عربی اور پنجابی کا لسانی تعلق: تاثیر اور تاثر کے آئینے میں

The geographical ceremonies of Punjabi and Arabic cultures are not hidden from anyone. These two civilizations had been in close relationship in the past and even in the present day there are deep values among them. The economic and trade relations of these two regions also exist for centuries. The love of the people of Punjab for the Arabic language, the Arabic writings of Punjabi scholars and the Arabic poetry of the scholars belonging to this region also played an important role in creating the appreciation of this region in the hearts of the Arabs. It is clear from the research that in modern time, Arabic civilization has also been influenced by Punjabi civilization. Arabs are not only aware of Punjabi scholars but also appreciate them. In this article, the linguistic relations of Punjabi and Arabic languages have been made a topic and attention has been drawn to the fact that these two languages and these two civilizations are not alien to each other.

سائنس اور اسلام کے تعلق پر مذہبی فکرکی تنقیح :برصغیر کے مسلم متکلمین کی آراء کاتجزیاتی مطالعہ

The geographical ceremonies of Punjabi and Arabic cultures are not hidden from anyone. These two civilizations had been in close relationship in the past and even in the present day there are deep values among them. The economic and trade relations of these two regions also exist for centuries. The love of the people of Punjab for the Arabic language, the Arabic writings of Punjabi scholars and the Arabic poetry of the scholars belonging to this region also played an important role in creating the appreciation of this region in the hearts of the Arabs. It is clear from the research that in modern time, Arabic civilization has also been influenced by Punjabi civilization. Arabs are not only aware of Punjabi scholars but also appreciate them. In this article, the linguistic relations of Punjabi and Arabic languages have been made a topic and attention has been drawn to the fact that these two languages and these two civilizations are not alien to each other.