a person, especially one not raised in the Arabic -speaking world, who is expert in Arabic language and Arabic literature

An Arabist is a specialist in the Arabic language or culture. The word is used in a political context to refer to a non-Arabic (usually Western) individual who is sympathetic towards Arabic culture and policies. This differs from the Pan-Arabist movement, in that Pan-Arabists are almost always of Arabic descent.

This is an article about the scholars known as Arabists, not the political movement Pan-Arabism.