Arabization

Arabization or Arabisation (Arabic:تعريب‎ taʻrīb) describes either the conquest of a non-Arab area and the migration of Arab settlers into the new domain or a growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing their gradual adoption of the Arabic language and/or their incorporation of Arab culture and Arab identity. It was most prominently achieved during the 7th century Arabian Muslim conquests, in which Arab armies were followed by massive Arab tribal migrations into hitherto largely non-Arab and non-Muslim-occupied territories across the Middle East and North Africa, spreading the Arabic culture, language, and in some cases Arab identity upon conquered nations and peoples. Arabian Muslims, as opposed to Arab Christians, brought the religion of Islam to the lands they conquered. The result: some elements of Arabian origin were combined in various forms and degrees with elements taken from conquered civilizations and ultimately denominated "Arab". Arabization also continued in modern times, being aggressively enforced by the Ba'athist regimes of Iraq and Syria, Sudan, Mauritania, Algeria and Libya, enforcing policies which include expanding colonial Arab settlements, expulsion of non-Arab minorities and in some cases enforcement of Arab identity and culture upon non-Arab populations. Some also claim that the aggressive persecution of non-Arab minorities such as Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, Turcomans, Shabaks and Yezidis by the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is forced Arabization.