Arabs in Serbia ( sr, italic=yes, Арапи у Србији/Arapi u Srbiji) are mostly

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

s from a range of

Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

, particularly

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, Syria, Palestine,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

; and also small groups from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, and Sudan. Lebanese and Syrian citizens were the first Arabs to arrive in modern Serbia. In the 1970s and 1980s, many students from Iraq and Syria were enrolled at the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-ba ...

. More recently, as a result of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...

and the Syrian Civil War, large numbers of Arabs are transiting Serbia as refugees, trying to immigrate to

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

Libyan citizens

There is a small community of Libyans in Serbia, mainly residing in Belgrade. There has been a Libyan School in Belgrade since 1997, which has since expanded in 2012 to cater to the community.

Iraqi citizens

Most of the Iraqis in Serbia are educated people, and they view Serbia as a "friendly and brotherly" country.

Syrian citizens

By the first half of 2013, 432 citizens of Syria had requested asylum in Serbia.

Culture

Community members adhere to Islam (see also

Islam in Serbia Serbia is a Christian majority country, with Islam being a minority faith representing around 3% of the total population. Islam spread to Serbia during the three centuries of Ottoman rule. The Muslims in Serbia are mostly ethnic Bosniak ...

) and Eastern Christianity.

People

*Muhamed Jusufspahić, mufti, born in Belgrade; Bosniak father and

ian mother *Josif Al Said, MMA fighter, born in Belgrade; Jordanian father and Serbian mother * Amjad Migati, Serbian Politician and Member of the

Serbian Radical Party The Serbian Radical Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска радикална странка, Srpska radikalna stranka, ''SRS'') is an ultranationalist political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1991, and its founder and current leader is Vojislav � ...

; Jordanian *Nedal Halil, Businessman and CEO of Aman; Jordanian *

Mohammed Dahlan Mohammad Yusuf Dahlan ( ar, محمد دحلان) born on September 29, 1961 in Khan Yunis Refugee Camp, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip also known by the kunya Abu Fadi () is a Palestinian politician, the former leader of Fatah in Gaza. Dahlan was ...

, Politician and former leader of Fatah in Gaza, Palestinian * Jawad Aldroubi, a doctor born in Syria. Studied Medicine in University of Novi Sad. Specializing in Paediatrics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arabs In Serbia Ethnic groups in Serbia

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...