This article presents a brief history of the Arab religions and highlights the differences between them. The article also examines the various communities of Christians, and Jews. It concludes by assessing the importance of anthropological sensibility when interpreting Arabic texts. It also discusses historical and anthropological methods of research. It is designed to encourage appreciation of the diversity and religious beliefs of Arabs.
Islam
Islam is one the major religions of the Arab region. Islam was established in Syria and Arabia in the 7th century. The religion is very similar to Jewish and Christian predecessors. It has its roots in pre-Islamic Arab poetry. Prophet Muhammad encouraged the Arab past through his writings, glorifying it and restoring the language of Arabs. A verse in the Koran describes Allah's eternal language as lisan alarab.
Assyrian religions
The Assyrian religion is based in Christianity and closely associates with Easter, one among the most important Christian holidays. The Gregorian year is used by the Assyrian Church of the East. Many Assyrians, however, still use the Julian calendar. Assyrians observe Lent without meat or other animal products and fast during it.
Christian communities in Lebanon
Four denominations make up Lebanon's Christian community: the Orthodox Church (Maronite Catholic Church), Maronite Catholic Church (Maronite Apostolic Church), and the Greek Orthodox Church (Greek Orthodox Church). The Maronite Church is the largest denomination and is in full communion with the Catholic Church. The Orthodox Church, however, is the second largest. The number of its members is about one-third of the country's total. Christians hold 64 seats in Lebanon's parliament. Maronites own 34 seats, while the Eastern Orthodox Church of Armenia and Armenian Apostolic Church each have about five seats. In addition, the Protestant Church holds one seat.
Jews
Pew Research Center conducted a survey in Israel about religious affiliations. It included 5,601 Jewish-Arab respondents, who were all residents of Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Respondents who were not affiliated with any religion were also included in the survey.
Dualists
Dualists of arab religions support both one God and a divine Being. Dualists believe that the soul is not impervious to destruction, but rather a metaphysical substance which interacts with the body. In medieval heresy, the Devil was considered a fallen angel who created the human body. Bogomils Dualism and qualified Dualism are examples of this approach.
Sabians
The Sabians are an ancient, historical Arab religion. They existed before Muhammad and could read the Zabur. They fell under Islamic authority in 639 AD. They are considered a protected religion but were brought under the control of Islam through the pact with Umar.