Arabization

thumb|262x262px|Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan|Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705) established Arabic as the sole official language of the [[Umayyad Caliphate in 686 CE.]]

Arabization or Arabicization () is a sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Arab society becomes Arab, meaning it either directly adopts, is forced to accept, or becomes strongly influenced by the Arabic language, culture, literature, art, music, and ethnic identity as well as other socio-cultural factors. It is a specific form of cultural assimilation that often includes a language shift or linguistic imperialism. The term applies not only to cultures, but also to individuals, as they acclimate to Arab culture and become "Arabized". Arabization took place after the Muslim conquest of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as during the more recent Arab nationalist policies toward non-Arabic speaking minorities in modern Arab states, such as Algeria, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, and Sudan.