The Middle East. Arabs. What are they? Who are they? And are they really that different?

Well, like any other group of people, you cannot bunch them up into one homogeneous group that encompasses all differences. One thing that is important to remember about Arabs is that they are not a race; Arabs are peoples who speak Arabic, meaning that the Arab peoples encompass various races and religions, ranging from regional beliefs, to Islam and from Christianity to Judaism (and everything in between). And the cultures are just as diverse as the peoples themselves.

Much like South America, there is a common assumption that all Arabs are the same and see eye to eye on all the issues when in reality, the Arab world can be a unified, or many-a-times, a divided community. Political grievances that date back to the colonial era continue to shape the politics of the region; from Syria and Lebanon to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, this dynamic atmosphere makes the region both complex and beautiful.