Maghrebis
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Greater Maghreb : | |
 Algeria
|
40,400,000 |
 Morocco
|
35,968,361 |
 Tunisia
|
10,982,754 |
 Europe (mostly  France) |
~10 million |
 Libya
|
6,244,174 |
 Mauritania
|
3,537,368 |
 Canada (mostly  Quebec) |
141,660 |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Islam (Sunni; also Shi'a, Ibadi); minority Judaism, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arab, Tuareg, Sahrawi, Andalusians, other Berbers | |
|
Population statistics from the world factbook (July 2011 pop est.) |
|
Maghrebis or Maghrebians are the native inhabitants of the Maghreb in Northwest Africa.
Maghrebis were known in medieval times as Moors. This ethnocultural group was autochthonous to the Greater Maghreb and the western part of the Islamic world, an area stretching from Tunisia to Spain. The term Moor is derived from Mauri, the name given by the Romans to the Berber inhabitants of northern Morocco and Algeria.
Historic records of religion in the Maghreb region show its gradual inclusion in the Classical World, with coastal colonies established first by Phoenicians, some Greeks, and later extensive conquest and colonization by the Romans. By the 2nd century common era, the area had become a center of Latin-speaking Christianity. Both Roman settlers and Romanized populations converted to Christianity. The region produced figures such as Christian Church writer Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 202); and Christian Church martyrs or leading figures such as St Cyprian of Carthage (+ 258); Saint Monica; her son the philosopher Augustine of Hippo (+ 430) (1); and Julia of Corsica (5th century). The region was a birthplace of many Christians movements like arianism and donatism, now casted-off.
The domination of Christianity ended when Arab invasions brought Islam in 647. Carthage fell in 698 and the remainder of the region followed in subsequent decades. Gradual Islamization proceeded, although surviving letters showed correspondence from regional Christians to Rome up until the 9th century. Christianity was still a living faith. Christian bishoprics and dioceses continued to be active, with relations continuing with Rome. As late as Pope Benedict VII (974-983) reign, a new Archbishop of Carthage was consecrated. Evidence of Christianity in the region then faded through the 10th century.
During the seventh century, the region's peoples began their nearly total conversion to Islam. There is a small but thriving Jewish community, as well as a small Christian community. Most Muslims follow the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Small Ibadi communities remain in some areas. A strong tradition of venerating marabouts and saints' tombs is found throughout regions inhabited by Berbers. Any map of the region demonstrates the tradition by the proliferation of "sidi"s, showing places named after the marabouts. Like some other religious traditions, this has substantially decreased over the 20th century. A network of zawiyas traditionally helped proliferate basic literacy and knowledge of Islam in rural regions.
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Wikipedia