Vegan Arabs: How Real-World People Have Integrated an Ethical Lifestyle with Culture and Identity

posted on: Jun 24, 2026

By Jahnvi Chopra / Arab American Contributing Writer

Defining Veganism

Veganism is the ethical principle stating that animals are individuals with autonomy and deserve to have their will to live respected. Often confused with a plant-based diet, veganism is the ideology that believes animals’ physical selves as well as their byproducts are not resources for human consumption, convenience, or pleasure.

Vegans avoid buying or eating animal products, and opt for plant-based food instead. They abstain from clothing and fabrics that are derived from animal products, like leather and wool. For cosmetics, they choose options that both don’t contain animal products and are cruelty-free. There are many other areas where animal products and exploitation are present, like zoos, building materials, hygiene items, alcohol, medications and supplements, etc. Vegans do their best to avoid the items and food they know contain animal products to the best of their ability. They recognize the relevance of supply and demand in relation to their ethics, and strive to spend on things that align with them.

Relevance

Central to many movements such as environmentalism, workers’ rights and human wellness, veganism stands at the intersection of the solutions to these issues. Though primarily focused on animal welfare and liberation, the lifestyle offers meaningful improvements to the problems that arise within these interconnected spheres. 

Climate change and carbon emissions, for example, can be greatly reduced by swapping out animal-based products with plant-based alternatives. By not purchasing animal products, it deincentivizes the existence of slaughterhouses and factory farms. The conditions of these places are traumatizing for animals, but also workers, whom have among the highest rates of injury and suicide in the workforce.¹ It has been noted across countless studies on human wellbeing that adopting a plant-based or plant-forward diet can drastically improve health outcomes.

These are all real-world issues that have a vital impact on how we navigate the world we live in, and how we understand practical problem-solving on an individual level.

Arab Trailblazers

Many find making the switch to a vegan lifestyle a daunting or hopeless task, whether it’s giving up an animal product-based comfort food, not buying a cool leather jacket, or not purchasing from a cosmetic brand that tests on animals. It is true that there are many parts of one’s life that must be deeply analyzed when going vegan, but this journey is not at all impossible.

Arab vegans have played a large role in introducing veganism to the West, as well as being admirable figures in other regions of the world. Notable content creators, authors, and celebrities use their platforms to advance the vegan movement by demonstrating the ways they implement the ideology and leading by example. In historically non-vegan societies with a heavy reliance on animal products, these vegans have established that unifying ethical principles and honoring culture is a realistic and attainable feat for most.

Bassem Youssef

Egyptian TV personality and Plant B talkshow host Bassem Youssef uses his eight years of experience living a vegan lifestyle to comment on matters in the vegan world. With his platform, he addresses widespread misconceptions about the ideology, in both theory and in practice, and aims to educate people all over the world about the benefits of transitioning to a plant-forward life. His background as a surgeon aids him in his commentary on prevalent health issues plaguing Arab countries. He notes the correlation between non-vegan, meat-heavy diets and health issues like diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, etc. Youssef is also a comedian and uses his space to advocate for the vegan cause.²

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal has been an outspoken champion of the vegan community since 2009, and has since played a crucial role in planting the seed of ethics-based plant-forward living in the Arab World. The Prince is one of the most influential vegans across the planet, being one of the first to financially back some of the world’s most successful vegan companies, such as Just and Beyond Meat. Similarly, he invests in transitioning to environmentally friendlier lighting options and plans to open up thirty vegan restaurants across the Middle East.³

In his early years as a vegan, he emphasized the nutritional importance of adopting a plant-forward way of life, but he has convinced his family members as well as people across the globe due to animal welfare and sustainability benefits.⁴ During his keynote address at the CEO Middle East Awards, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal urges audience members to be cognizant of their consumption, “Please choose compassion over taste… We are all responsible for ending the needless and unimaginable suffering that animals suffer through that directly affects our health and the world we live in. The beginning of peace begins at the table.”⁵

Maya Kawas

Maya Kawas is a vegan activist, Muay Thai fighter, and online content creator, using her platform to unapologetically share her message about the importance of rejecting unethical norms labeled as tradition. Coming from a Lebanese background, Kawas recognizes the meat and dairy-heavy nature of numerous cultural meals and explains how she utilizes alternative ingredients to enjoy her favorite dishes while remaining aligned with her worldview.

She has been open about reaching out to people of all walks of life and notes that, regardless of age, there will be people who remain unconvinced because they choose not to accept the truth about how the products and food they consume are produced behind closed doors. Often met with cognitive dissonance and backlash for her outspokenness on the topic, she continues to advance the vegan cause, one that sheds a light on the suffering faced by animals. She believes it is crucial to the development of our world that we make this connection and evolve both our habits and our attitudes toward compassion and change.⁶

The Moral of the Story

These prominent figures illustrate how platforms can be used to advocate for meaningful change. Vegan Arabs have shown that while it’s sometimes not easy to navigate societies not designed for an ethical lifestyle, it is a fundamental part of activism to continue despite opposition from resistant crowds, and uphold the fight for justice for all.

1. Sentient Media ↩︎
2. Middle East Vegan Society ↩︎
3. Middle East Vegan Society ↩︎
4. Prolacta ↩︎
5. Arabian Business ↩︎
6. Middle East Vegan Society ↩︎

Want more articles like this? Sign up for our e-newsletter!

Check out our blog here!