*Shami Countries/Levantine Region

I live in England, but I am a fully Syrian girl, which is a small country in a selection of places in Asia, called the Middle East. The Middle East consists of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq, to list a few. We are called this because these countries are literally found in the Middle East of the world. I will be outlining some common stereotypes, how to avoid them, and other helpful info on writing Middle Eastern characters.

1) Religion

Religion is very important in any Middle Eastern's life. A common stereotype is that all Arabic/Middle Eastern people are Muslim. That is wrong; I myself, am a Christian. However, it is true that the majority are Muslim, followed closely by Christian. In Palestine, you will (obviously) find Jews, but other religions are rare. What is rarer, is a secular (non-religious) person in the Middle East. I am not saying it is impossible, but even if you are a secular Middle Eastern, you will know that this is very rare.

I would like to emphasise that most (99%) of Middle Eastern people love their religion, and are happy about it- so don't think that we are forced to love or even have a religion.

2) Names

NOT ALL ARABIC PEOPLE ARE CALLED MOHAMMED!

This is a very common, and very annoying, stereotype. Yes, there are some people called Mohammed, and a few Muslims name children Mohammed, but not every Middle Eastern person is called this! Of course, naming someone this in your story is fine, but try to be a bit more creative. Religious naming is popular in Middle Eastern countries, but other names are given. It is also common to name the child after their father.

Some common Arabic names are: Khadija - female(M), Hassan (M), Abdullah (M and C), George (C), Elias (C), Nawal -female, Amal -female and Hussam - male.

(M stood for Muslim, C stood for Christian)

3) Lifestyle

Arabic people are very social. We love to get together with all our friends, and have big parties. There is a lot of food, usually prepared by the female, but we get through it quickly. I will be talking about food later.

At weddings and engagement parties, there is always a lot of upbeat and fun Arabic dancing- especially in Syria, a style of dance called 'debke' is very popular.

Something that all adults do at any gathering is that they smoke Shisha, which is a flavoured tobacco. Despite being incredibly bad for you, everyone smokes it!

4) Fashion

Everyone seems to think that the only thing Arabic people wear are abayehs.

NO

Yes, these are obviously items that are worn, but we still wear 'Western' clothing! A pair of skinny jeans and a crop is my best friend!

5) Food

Food is an extremely important part of Middle Eastern lifestyle! No, rice is not the only thing we eat, but it is featured in many different dishes. We love to cook and eat! At parties, there is food galore! At an Arabic household, you will never be hungry!

Sweet Arabic food is delicious, such as Baklava and Basbouseh- if you haven't tried these, you have missed out! These, and other Arabic delicacies, have an Arabic type of syrup, which has rosewater, and is incredibly sweet.

We also love to put nuts, especially pistachios, on hand-made ice-cream.

Other Info:

-CAMELS ARE NOT OUR TRANSPORT- Contrary to popular belief, cars exist in the Middle East.

-It is rare for any Middle Eastern to have any pets.

-We drink BLACK tea, and an incredibly strong BLACK coffee, known as Turkish coffee. This is something completely different from espresso!

-We love to play backgammon!

-When a man asks for a woman's hand in marriage, he and his parents always go over to the woman's parents, so he can officially ask for her hand.

-Middle Eastern people usually live with their parents until marriage.

That is all I can think of right now! If you need any extra help, please PM me!

SIDE NOTE FROM @talkthepoc: I would just like to mention that there is a territorial dispute about Israel versus Palestine that has been going on for years, and I understand that it is a highly controversial topic.