Zarabe (variants: Zarab or Z'arabe) is the name given to the Muslim community of Réunion, who migrated in the mid-19th century. Zarabes are mostly South Asian, specifically from the modern state of Gujarat in India.[citation needed]
Etymology
editThe name is a Réunion Creole word derived from the French words les arabes meaning "the Arabs" (cf. Zoreilles derived from French les oreilles meaning "the ears"). These South Asian Muslims were not Arabs, but were described as such likely because of their liturgical use of the Arabic language.