Loading ...A New Form of Communication for Arab Americans: Arab Emojis and Stickers
Randa Necola/Arab America Contributor Writer
Stickers and Emojis became very popular for smartphones. However, Arabs pioneered creating Arab stickers and emojis to give the chats and message an Arab and fun twist or as we say, SPICE! The Arab emojis and stickers are about countries, religions, and dialects in the Arab world. They have become so popular that even Viber offers special Arab stickers. Here is an overview of how the Arab emojis and stickers have become popular among Arabs and Arab American smartphone users.
Funny Arab Stickers
Arabs are known for their high sense of humor which they like to share with each other all the time. Each Arab country has its own jokes and funny idioms, but some of the jokes are common in all the Arab countries. The funny stickers and emojis use typical funny lines from a specific country’s culture and associate it with a funny illustration that resembles its culture too. There are so many of them that are offered for IOS and Android smartphones.
Religious Emojis
Because Arabs are super religious and they care about following their faith, they created religious emojis to install to smartphones that can express religion which is a huge part of their life. However, Muslim emojis are becoming famous by having Arabic religious words like Allah (God) and girls wearing hijab emojis. Not to mention, there are specific emoji applications for Ramadan which is a holy 30 day month that Muslims fast until sunset; it’s one of the most popular seasons in the Arab world.
Arab Women Emojis
Feminism is a big deal in the Arab world and women are taking a huge role in every aspect of life. Arabs created emojis that would represent the true Arab woman in chat and texts. The emojis applications show women with Arab skin and hair common colors and there are applications for women who wear the hijab only. Also, there are emoji applications for women who wear fully covered outfits for specific cultures that require a dress code. The emojis include a variety of things that women do, including activities such as work, shopping, makeup, …etc. There are applications that show the Arab women’s strength in general and how they progress at work and home.
Viber Stickers
Viber provides some of the best stickers, offering almost everything in life. They also provide religious, funny, and social Arab stickers. Some of the stickers move and some of them do not. However, those stickers are ahead of the sticker and emojis game because they have very good graphic design and connect deeply with many Arab cultures. Further, Arabs use Viber more often because it is a free application that has chat, call, and video options, and connects family and friends nationally and internationally.
Arab Countries Emojis
Arabs love their cultures and they learn to respect and stick with it throughout their life. Additionally, Arab Americans who did not grow up in Arab countries or speak Arabic are exposed to the Arab culture because of their parents and grandparents. So, application makers offer Arabs and Arab Americans stickers and emojis regarding Arab cultures such as food or specific sayings. In addition, there are some applications that have only flags of the Arab countries.
Arabic Language Emojis and Stickers
One of the most important aspects of Arab culture is the rich Arabic language. Arabic is a language which includes meaningful expressions which can explain feelings better than any language. Arabs and Arab Americans use Arab emojis with the Arabic keyboard because they have creative graphics and cursive Arabic language words.
