Arab World Research Articles

Prevalence of substance use among a sample of patients attending an outpatient psychiatric clinic in Amman, Jordan.

The issue of substance use is increasingly being recognised as a significant global public health concern. In relation to its influence in the Arab world, scholarly investigation continues to be regarded as relatively constrained in scope. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of substance use among patients with psychiatric disorders, as well as the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of this patient population. This cross-sectional study included 671 patients with psychiatric disorders who attended an outpatient private psychiatric clinic in Amman, Jordan, between January and May 2023. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics of substance-using and non-substance-using patients. Bivariate and multiple binary logistic regression analyses were used to investigate factors associated with substance use. The patients were aged 20-80years, with a mean age of 32.45 ± 10.18years. Most patients were men, more than half were single and unemployed, and mood disorders were the most prevalent psychiatric disorder. Male sex, a younger age, lower educational attainment, current unemployment, and having a family history of substance use were associated with substance use. Substance users exhibited a higher propensity for engaging in self-harming behaviours, having medical conditions, and being subjected to emotional trauma. This study found that patients with psychiatric disorders are vulnerable to experiencing substance use. Clinicians should contemplate directing their attention towards patients as a strategy to proactively address the issue of emerging substance use and enhance overall treatment outcomes.

Towards Building Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Higher Education in the Arab Region

Towards Building Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Higher Education in the Arab Region

Riddelline from Tamarix articulate as a potential anti-bacterial lead compound for novel antibiotics discovery: A comprehensive computational and toxicological studies.

Tamarix articulate from the Tamaricaece family is a halophytic plant. This plant is commonly called Athal or Tamarix in different Arabic and Asian countries. Due to the high load of polyphenolic phytochemicals, the plant has been used as a therapeutic option against several diseases for decades. The plant is an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory. In this work, the 222 phytochemical compounds of T. articulate from our previous study are used in different bioinformatic and biophysics techniques to explore their biological potency against different anti-bacterial, anti-cancer and anti-viral targets. By doing so, it was found that Riddelline ranked as the best binding molecule of biological macromolecules selected herein in particular the bacterial targets. The binding energy value of the compound for the KdsA enzyme was -14.64 kcal/mol, KdsB (-13.09 kcal/mol), MurC (-13.67 kcal/mol), MurD (-13.54 kcal/mol), MurF (-14.20 kcal/mol), Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) (-12.34 kcal/mol), Bcl-2 protein (-13.39 kcal/mol), SARS-CoV-2 main protease enzyme (-12.67 kcal/mol), and Human T cell leukemia virus protease (-13.67 kcal/mol). The mean Rg value of KdsA-Riddelline complex and KdsA-FPE complex is 32.67 Å, and average RMSD of KdsA-Riddelline complex and KdsA-FPE complex is 2.31 Å, respectively. The binding energy complexes was found to be dominated by van der Waals (-71.98 kcal/mol for KdsA-Riddelline complex and -65.09 kcal/mol for KdsA-FPE complex). The lead compound was also unveiled to show favorable druglike properties and pharmacokinetics. Together, the data suggest the good anti-bacterial activities of the T. articulate phytochemicals and thus can be subjected to experimental in vitro and in vivo investigations.

Validity and Reliability of the Transcultural Arabic Adaptation of the Food-Mood Questionnaire Among College Students

A culturally adapted screening tool for mental health and dietary quality is needed to address the significant challenges in mental health and suboptimal diets among college students. The purpose of this study was to validate the Food-Mood Questionnaire (FMQ), originally developed in English, among Arab college students. Students attending the University of Sharjah were invited to complete the questionnaire (n = 224). Two weeks later, participants completed the same questionnaire again. An exploratory factor analysis revealed three main factors: mental distress, prudent and Western diets. Cronbach’s α was 0.86, 0.72, and 0.531 for the three factors, respectively. The Intra-Class-Correlation (ICC) for the test–retest reliability ranged from 0.67 to 0.87 (p < 0.001). The findings of this study showed that the Arabic version of the FMQ is a valid and reliable tool and could be used to screen for the mental distress and dietary intake of college students in the Arab world.

Algorithmic experiences of Netflix’s users in the Arab world: Implications for agency and social practice

Netflix has significantly reshaped the global production, distribution, and consumption of audiovisual content. While Netflix claims its algorithm-driven platform provides superior services and limitless choices, it raises concerns about human agency, autonomy, and data justice. These concerns are especially pressing in the Global South, where predatory data extraction practices are prevalent. Research on this issue faces challenges, including a dichotomy between algorithmic power and human agency, limited exploration of user perspectives, and a lack of studies in non-Western contexts. This paper addresses these gaps using a socio-constructivist lens, centering users’ experiences in understanding algorithms as sociotechnical systems. Through reflexive in-depth interviews, it examines Netflix users in Egypt, UAE, Morocco, and Jordan. Drawing on Domestication Theory and a relational view of agency, it explores how users engage with, interpret, and resist algorithmic impacts. The paper argues that while users interact with these systems, their engagement is shaped by asymmetrical power, where algorithms control the parameters of user agency. It highlights the often-overlooked relational nature of agency, co-constructed through everyday interactions with these systems.

Barriers to opioid use in the Arab world.

The Arab world consists of 22 countries, representing 5.5% of the world's population. Morphine consumption accounts for less than 1% of the world's consumption. This is the first study to identify barriers to opioid use in the Arab world. This study aimed to investigate the barriers to opioid use in pain management in the Arab world. Online survey was developed to investigate barriers to governance, prescribing, distributing, dispensing and administering, as well as educational barriers in the Arab world. The questionnaire was sent via email and a mobile app to one expert physician in pain management and one licensed pharmacist from each Arab country. With the exception of Tunisia, Djibouti and Comoros, 34(77%) participants from 19 Arab countries answered the survey. Most countries lack local opioid production, necessitate special licenses for physicians, and restrict opioid prescribing to medical specialists. Special prescription forms are mandated, and pharmacists lack the authority to correct prescription errors or accept refill or verbal orders on opioids. Storage requirements for empty ampoules and prescriptions are enforced. Nurses are not allowed to carry opioids during home visits, and only first degree relatives can collect opioids for patients. Furthermore, the integration of palliative care and pain management curricula into pharmacies and medical schools is lacking. There is a wide range of regulatory and other barriers to opioid use in the Arab world. There is a substantial need for regulatory review and reform, as well as for educational initiatives, in most Arab countries.

Gaza Crisis and the Arabic Press: A Discourse Analysis

The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, and the Israeli military response have been widely covered in the Arabic press, reinforcing the popular narrative of a strong and aggressive Israeli state and the victimized Palestinians. The coverage underlines the wide support for Palestinians in the Arabic press. Broadly, one can divide the Arabic press into state-aligned and independent media, with the former’s coverage reflecting the opinions of the respective governments, while the latter showcases the views of non-state actors. A key trend that emerges is the strong anti-Israel sentiments prevailing in the Arab countries and the increased support for Palestinian statehood. Notably, there are serious discussions about the possibility of a two-state solution and the role Arab governments can play in convincing the two warring sides. There are some nuanced and veiled criticisms of Hamas’s actions that triggered the current spate of violence. A closer reading of select international Arabic-language media (print and online) reveals the nuanced shifts in their coverage toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Educational Mobile Apps Enhancing Communication Skills in Children With Autism in Arab Countries

This exploratory literature review investigates the landscape of educational mobile applications designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Arab countries, with a specific focus on their efficacy in improving communication skills. After a comprehensive search of academic databases and digital libraries, nine studies were reviewed. These studies discussed seven Arabic-language applications designed for ASD children. Consistent with previous research findings, these applications were found to be effective in enhancing communication skills among ASD individuals. By shedding light on the few existing Arabic-language educational mobile applications for ASD children in Arab countries, this comprehensive review contributes significantly to the discourse surrounding ASD interventions. Additionally, it highlights the immediate need for linguistically and culturally sensitive educational applications, designed for a specific population of Arab children with ASD.

Analysis of the Arab singer Shadia’s lyrics

AbstractIn this work, we analyze the lyrics of one of the most famous and influential Arab artists in the twentieth century, namely "Image missing" (Shadia). Lyrics analysis provides a deep insight into the artist’s career evolution and her interactions with the surrounding environment including the social, political, and economic conditions. In order to perform such analysis, we had to collect and compile the lyrics of Shadia accompanied with the necessary meta-data into an organized and structured form. The data are preprocessed by removing stop words and doing some normalization operations over the songs prose. We did not perform any lemmatization or stemming as the original form of the tokens conveys much more information than the source words. We performed a lexical analysis in order to study both the lexical diversity and density over the course of Shadia’s career life. We have as well studied the most significant words, idioms, and terms played in the songs using tools such as word clouds and more quantitative measures such as term frequency–inverse document frequency. We have divided the career life of Shadia into sub-decades of length 5 years, and all analyses are done both in a yearly fashion and more coarsely over such sub-decades. Our quantitative analyses show strong correlations between the artistic lyrical work of Shadia and the state of affairs in Egypt and the Arab World during her time. In particular, Shadia’s lyrics reflect the radical changes in all aspects of the social, political, and economic conditions. This is especially relevant knowing that Shadia is very much truly considered the daughter of the generation of the 1952 revolution in Egypt. The significance of Shadia and her lyrics stem essentially from being contemporaneous to radical changes in Egypt across all sectors including political (support of liberation movements across the world and the conflict with Israel) and socioeconomic (especially changing the social class structure in Egypt). We also investigated the potential effectiveness of PoS (Part-of-Speech) tagging in genre analysis and classification.

Reassessing Peace: The Implications of the Abraham Accords for Conflict Resolution in the Gulf Region

Established in 2020, the Abraham accords marked a remarkable step towards the normalisation of relations between Gulf Arab states and Israel. They have been hailed as a potential turning point for peace and regional cooperation. However, the recent Israeli military operations since the end of 2023 raise critical questions about the durability and impact of these accords. This paper proposes an in-depth examination of the implications of the Israel/Gaza war on the Abraham Accords and their dynamics in peace-building. It will explore how the war has potentially reshaped (or not) alliances, influenced public opinion, and altered the strategic calculations of Gulf states, particularly in their approaches to conflict resolution and engagement with external actors. This research aims to contribute to the understanding of the complex interplay between regional conflicts and their broader implications for peace and stability in the Gulf, offering insights into the future trajectory of Gulf states in the realm of conflict resolution and peace-building combined with self-interested dynamics. The comparative analysis will delve into two case studies: the United Arab Emirates, which signed the Abraham Accords, and Qatar, which did not, highlighting how similar conflicts have historically altered political alignments, economic dependencies, and social narratives within the Gulf.

A scoping review of the literature on computational thinking in education in the Arab world

This study aims to identify the nature and the extent of recent research studies on computational thinking in the Arab educational systems. The analyzed studies were gathered from English and Arabic educational sources. The selected publications were peer-reviewed journal articles over the past ten years that dealt with computational thinking in education in the Arab world. The selected studies were analyzed based on language, publication date, educational setting, educational discipline, site, primary purpose, research method, sample, and adopted definition of computational thinking. Twenty-eight research articles were selected for the investigation. The analysis revealed that the majority of the examined research studies were published in the Arabic language after the year 2020 in K-12 educational settings. The majority of the examined studies were conducted in programming and computer science in a few Arab countries. In addition, the majority of the examined studies focused on how to develop students’ computational thinking levels using various interventions. The majority of the studies employed a limited number of participants and used different forms of experimental research designs. The studies adopted different forms of the definition of computational thinking. Based on the findings, recommendations for future studies were presented.

The Carter Administration's Attempt To Reconvene The Geneva Middle East Peace Conference

When the Carter administration assumed power in 1977, it prioritized the achievement of Middle East peace as its foremost task. It endeavored to facilitate a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace by reconvening the Geneva Middle East Peace Conference and inviting representatives from Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine to negotiate a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict in Geneva. However, the Carter administration encountered challenges in its Arab-Israeli diplomacy, particularly regarding substantive and procedural issues related to restarting the conference. It struggled to reconcile differences between the Arab and Israeli sides on crucial peace-related matters such as borders and the inclusion of Palestinian delegates. Additionally, it faced difficulties in assisting Arab countries in resolving internal contradictions regarding their participation format. Ultimately, the Carter administration’s efforts to reconvene the Geneva Peace Conference fell short. This failure was attributed to several factors, including the deep-seated psychological divide between Arabs and Israelis, internal contradictions among Arab nations, the significant influence of pro-Israel forces in the United States constraining pressure on Israel, and President Carter’s limited experience in international affairs, coupled with underestimations of the complexities inherent in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Objectification of Women in Alhamad’s Novels: A Question of De-Humanization or Empowerment in a Post-Islamic Awakening Narrative

This paper reviews the work of the Saudi novelist, Turki Alhamad, who published in a post-Islamic Awakening in Saudi Arabia. The paper contextualizes his writing by defining the concept of sexual objectification in various theorizations of the term including several texts that represent the discourse of the Islamic Awakening movement. His work can be perceived to be de-humanizing of women particularly during the time of its publication in the 1990s and early 2000s when the movement was popular. However, a close reading of his work suggests a multiplicity of discourses in his representation of women. His work can be empowering women taking into consideration Alhamad’s non-fictional writings that promote social change in Arab and Muslim countries. Branded as a challenge of social values at the time of its publication, his work can also be interpreted as a precursor to the social shift towards women’s empowerment that took place in Saudi Arabia in recent years.

Unlocking Opportunities: How Women Navigate Informal Networks in Saudi Arabia's Evolving Workplace

ABSTRACTIn the context of the Arab countries of the Middle East, Wasta informal networks predominate in the business environment. While historically women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had limited access to informal networks, recent socio‐economic changes have had a positive impact on women's participation in the workplace. This research explores the use of Wasta informal networks by women in the context of the new Saudi workplace based on 26 interviews conducted with Saudi professional women. The findings highlight that, due to the changes in the formal institutions, which in turn impact informal institutions, women are generally afforded more direct access to networks, enabling them to attain jobs and progress their careers. The research also contributes to informal network literature by distinguishing between Wasta (negative practice) and other forms of informal networks (positive/beneficial practice). Suggestions are offered to policymakers, managers, and women practitioners to navigate the use of informal networks and Wasta.

Social inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders and mothers’ mental health in two Arabic-speaking countries: a mediational model of culture and resilience

Objectives Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been reported to be more likely to experience lower levels of mental health as a result of the increased challenges associated with care provision and social inclusion of their children. Social inclusion in Arab countries differs in terms of quality and practices due to ecological and cultural variations. Based on an expected impact of culture and resilience, this study investigated the relationship between social inclusion practices and mothers’ mental health in two Arabic-speaking countries. Methods A total sample of 660 mothers of children with ASD from Oman and Egypt participated in the study and were administered measures of perceived social inclusion practices, mental health, and resilience. Results Multi-group path analyses showed that culture and resilience have an impact on the association between social inclusion practices and mothers’ mental health. Conclusions Our findings have significant implications for social inclusion practices. They underscore the need to build mothers’ resilience to improve their mental health. Additionally, social inclusion practices need to be prioritized by policy makers and professionals in Arab countries in order to develop a model of best practices of social inclusion across Arab countries.

Molecular characterization of rabies virus from wild and domestic animals in the Sultanate of Oman.

Rabies virus (RV) is endemic in some Arabian countries. However, it is difficult to control RV without understanding the epidemiological evolution of endemic RV isolates. The current study aimed to characterize RV from domestic and wild animal clinical cases in Oman. Twelve brain samples from domestic (Five camels, three goats and one cattle) and wild animals (Two foxes and one honey badger) were investigated from different locations in Oman between 2017 and 2020. All samples were confirmed by RV nucleoprotein (N) gene-specific primers. Seven out of the 12 amplified samples were successfully sequenced and subjected to sequence and phylogenetic analysis. The detected RVs shared an in-between 96.8%-98.7% and 96.9%-99% nucleotide and amino acid identities, respectively. However, the wild animal RVs shared only 92.6%-93.9% and 95.9% nucleotide and amino acid identities with the domestic animal RVs, respectively. Negri bodies were detected histologically in six brain samples from camels (n = 3), goats (n = 1) and foxes (n = 2). The RVs from domestic animals shared 97%-98.7% and 98%-100% nucleotide and amino acid identities with the previously published fox RVs from Oman and Gulf countries. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that all RV sequences belong to a distinct clade confined to the previously reported clade V within the Middle Eastern Cluster. As indicated by the analysis of RVs from different locations between 2017 and 2020, a genetic variant isolated to the Gulf region may exist within the Middle East clade. Moreover, it appears that new RV lineages are emerging rapidly within this region. Therefore, a comprehensive genomic and phylogenetic analysis of the circulating RV is important for the development of future prevention and control strategies.

A systematic review on the prevalence of a silent female disorder in Arabic-speaking countries and the Middle East: sexual dysfunctions and the role of culture.

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) remains a silent problem, especially in Arabic-speaking countries and the Middle East and most of the data are from Western countries. Sociocultural determinants haven't been getting the same attention as biological and psychological factors when studying sexual health. To assess the prevalence of FSD in the Arab and Middle Eastern world and understand the sociocultural determinants related. On January 13, 2024, we searched electronic databases including Pubmed, Scielo, PsycArticles, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, Middle East Current Psychiatry, and Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, following PRISMA guidelines. Female participants, aged at least 16years old from Middle East or Arabic-speaking countries, including North Africa, and cross-sectional studies in Arabic, English, and/or French were included. After careful screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts, ineligible articles were excluded. A total of 19 papers were included in the present review. The most common FSD in each country were as follows: in Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, and Jordan, desire problems. In Iran, orgasm problems, and pain. In Palestine, pain. In Saudi Arabia, arousal. Sociocultural determinants such as language, poor sexual education, poor sexual self-awareness-and of partners-, lack of training, and help-seeking were related to FSD. FSD is prevalent in Arabic-speaking countries and the Middle East, yet little to no attention is given to this matter. Causes for FSD are mainly cultural, and Arab and Middle Eastern healthcare professionals lack training. Culturally sensitive, evidence-based studies regarding sexual health need to be conducted.

Balancing power and prosperity: China’s geo-economic engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council

Since the 1990s, China’s engagement beyond its geographical periphery, especially with Asian regions, has grown exceptionally, which is best evident in the Gulf sub-region and Western Asian nations. Indeed, energy-based interactions were the first to be established with Gulf Arab countries, and today, more than two decades after the Cold War, such relationships have evolved into tighter partnerships and engagement networks. Thus, in the last decade, China has increased its economic and political footprint in the Gulf region, as it has become one of the region’s largest external investors and trade partners. In its relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, China faces varying challenges as each country pursues its interests, making the Chinese strategy in the region more complex. The Gulf countries have had to balance their relationship between the US as a security guarantor and China as an important economic partner. They strive to maximize their political and economic interests in the process. The main contention of this paper is that the GCC should not be viewed as a homogenous entity and that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a flexible approach designed to bolster China’s economic objectives in each Gulf country. Our research scrutinizes China’s geo-economic strategy and geopolitical aims about the Gulf States’ aspirations to maximize their economic ties with China. Against this background, this paper discusses the political and economic relationships between the People’s Republic of China and the Gulf Arab states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Institutional Agents: A Significant Facilitator of the Advancement of Women Leaders

Research on women's employment in the Arab world has highlighted a scarcity of women in senior leadership positions, often suggesting cultural conservatism and embedded gender-segregation within organizational structures. While these perspectives are not unfounded, these views may not fully capture the varied lived experiences of women leaders in the Arabian Gulf, particularly in the UAE. This study examined the influence of institutional agents on the career advancement of women leaders. The authors employed a phenomenological approach to explore the professional experiences of highly educated, women Arab leaders. The focus was specifically on their perceptions of gender discrimination, networking opportunities, and access to institutional agents. A sample population was purposefully identified; as such these findings may not be generalizable to the broader population. Data were collected via open-ended interviews and analyzed through multiple stages of coding stages using Atlas.ti. The results of this study present certain contradictory evidence to the existing literature. Notably, the women in this sample reported that gender discrimination was not a significant barrier to their career advancement. Further, the institutional agents most frequently identified by this sample of women were men. These findings suggest emerging narratives of a more gender-inclusive work culture. Moreover, these results offer a unique perspective that UAE professional environments may be more inclusive than previously reported. The findings of this study suggest that a more educated and diverse workforce could be contributing to a more inclusive atmosphere, challenging traditional views of workplace dynamics in the region.

JAMAL ASSADI: A VOICE OF CULTURAL BELONGING IN MODERN ARAB POETRY

This article explores the poetry of Jamal Assadi, a prominent Palestinian poet whose works delve into themes of identity, displacement, and cultural belonging. Using a biographical approach, the study analyzes how Assadis personal experiences, particularly as a Palestinian Arab living in Israel, inform his poetic voice. By drawing on Assadis own words from interviews and his body of work, the article examines key poems to highlight his reflection on time, memory, and the socio-political struggles of the Arab world. Assadis use of both classical Arabic poetic forms and modern free verse techniques enriches the Arab literary tradition, blending the old with the new to address contemporary concerns.The critical method employed in this article focuses on the relationship between Assadis life and his literary creations, emphasizing how his poetry acts as a mirror of personal and collective experiences of exile and cultural fragmentation. Additionally, the article explores Assadis engagement with global literary traditions, showing how intertextuality plays a role in his political critique. Ultimately, this article affirms Assadis significant contribution to modern Arab literature, arguing that his poetry serves as both a continuation of classical Arabic traditions and a platform for innovation. By addressing themes of cultural resilience and political critique, Assadis work provides a nuanced and powerful voice within the broader landscape of Arab poetry, making it an essential subject of literary study.