arabs peoples

in many areas familial & tribal connections remain very important. Some Arabs still hold strict opinions about the roles of men & women. Men are seen as leaders, but women are thought of as the property of their fathers or husb&s. Females in many areas are expected to dress in dark robes & to cover their face with a veil when in public. Parents often choose whom their child will marry.Although some w&erers still exist, most Arabs are farmers or live & work in cities. Residents of urban areas tend to have less traditional attitudes than those who live in small villages, & both men & women have more educational & employment opportunities in cities. The oil industry is a major factor in Arab life, providing jobs & wealth for many.All but about 5 percent of modern Arabs continue to practice Islam. The religion is looked at as a bond between Arabs living in different regions. Arab countries, however, do not always get along. For instance, the Persian Gulf War—sparked by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990—caused great division as nations chose to support one side or the other. Groups such as the Arab League (founded in 1945) have tried to foster unity among Arabs.Early Arabian society was made up of families that came together to form tribes. Tribes traced their heritage back many centuries to one of two branches of Arabs. True Arabs are the offspring of a man named Qahtan. Arabized Arabs are the offspring of a man named Ishmael. The people of some tribes were w&erers who herded animals through deserts. Other tribes settled & farmed.A religion called Islam brought all Arabs together in the early 7th century. Since Islam's holy book (the Koran) is written in Arabic, that language soon was used by all who practiced the religion.An Arab is someone whose native language is Arabic. The term was first used to describe people who live in Arabia (also known as the Arabian Peninsula), a stretch of l& in Southwest Asia that today is made up of the independent countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, & Bahrain. The peninsula also includes portions of Jordan, Iraq, & a neutral zone that is shared by Iraq & Saudi Arabia.The word Arab has come to include people who live in other regions or countries but trace their heritage back to Arabia. In the early 21st century there were more than 100 million Arabs in the world.