The Arabs are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world. In modern usage the term refers to those who originate from an Arab country, whose native language is Arabic; this contrasts with the narrower traditional definition which referred to the descendants of the Tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. The term can encompass all Arabic-speaking peoples living from the Atlantic Coast of Mauritania, to the Ahwaz region of Iran, including the Arab states in Western Asia, Northern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Indian Ocean islands, and Southern Europe. They also live, in significant numbers, in the Americas, Western Europe, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, India and Iran. The Arab diaspora is established around the world. Though Islam started in Arabia, Arabic is the language of Islamic scripture, and most Arabs are Muslims. However, only about 20% of Muslims are Arabs.
