Post by Islamic Revival on Mar 23, 2004 4:41:59 GMT -5
Arab Pundits Should Quit Self-Flagellation
Linda S. Heard, Special to Arab News
CAIRO, 20 January 2004 — Whatever happened to good old-fashioned Arab “karama”, an Arabic word, which resonates as honor or self-esteem? While it’s still in abundance on the streets of Cairo, Ramallah, Damascus and Amman, the opinion columns of Arab newspapers are filled with apology, self-criticism and hand-wringing. What on earth is going on?
Isn’t it enough that right-wing Western politicians, writers and media feel free to hurl invectives at Arabs in this post Sept. 11 climate without Arab writers and intellectuals weighing in? It appears that some of those luminaries have placed the West on a pedestal and think nothing about dredging up reports, which paint the Arab world in a poor light, as though anywhere, which isn’t a clone of the US, is somehow inconsequential or lacking.
Rather than condemn those who seek to diminish the achievements of the Arabs down the centuries, their penmanship seeks approval from America as they attempt to put across the message “We Arabs are really nice guys”.
Those elevated Arab individuals, often enjoying the benefits of dual nationality, describe Arab states as technologically backward, badly run and beat their chests over the status of women. Clutching diplomas bestowed by Western universities, they adopt a superior tone and unashamedly kowtow to their Occidental mentors. Enough already!
Well, I’ve got news for them. Arabs are the good guys here. It is outrageous that just because a gang of fanatics ran with their hatred and committed cold-blooded murderous acts on US soil, the entire Arab world — along with the planet’s 1.5 billion Muslims — has come under a negative American microscope.
Indeed, the Arabs have nothing for which to apologize. On the contrary, it is the West, which should be saying it’s sorry. Britain, France and the US have jointly and separately raped the Middle East and North Africa, while greedily lusting after the regions’ natural resources.
Britain should apologize for occupying Palestine before carving it up and leaving a bloodbath as a parting “gift” and for its lengthy occupation of Egypt. France should show remorse for colonizing Algeria going as far as to turn it into a French department where that country’s indigenous Berber and Arab peoples were deprived of education and forced to bury their native tongues along with their religion. Britain and France should together apologize for the actions of Messrs Sykes and Picot, who peremptorily redrew Middle East borders in a back room of the House of Commons.
The Bush administration should apologize for invading Iraq on the false premise of weapons of mass destruction when as we now know “regime change” was on the cards 10 days after Bush took office.
The US has adopted a new style of imperialism, consisting of the spread of an insidious viral pop culture, threatening traditional mores, partnered with barely concealed self-interested geopolitical designs.
Linda S. Heard, Special to Arab News
CAIRO, 20 January 2004 — Whatever happened to good old-fashioned Arab “karama”, an Arabic word, which resonates as honor or self-esteem? While it’s still in abundance on the streets of Cairo, Ramallah, Damascus and Amman, the opinion columns of Arab newspapers are filled with apology, self-criticism and hand-wringing. What on earth is going on?
Isn’t it enough that right-wing Western politicians, writers and media feel free to hurl invectives at Arabs in this post Sept. 11 climate without Arab writers and intellectuals weighing in? It appears that some of those luminaries have placed the West on a pedestal and think nothing about dredging up reports, which paint the Arab world in a poor light, as though anywhere, which isn’t a clone of the US, is somehow inconsequential or lacking.
Rather than condemn those who seek to diminish the achievements of the Arabs down the centuries, their penmanship seeks approval from America as they attempt to put across the message “We Arabs are really nice guys”.
Those elevated Arab individuals, often enjoying the benefits of dual nationality, describe Arab states as technologically backward, badly run and beat their chests over the status of women. Clutching diplomas bestowed by Western universities, they adopt a superior tone and unashamedly kowtow to their Occidental mentors. Enough already!
Well, I’ve got news for them. Arabs are the good guys here. It is outrageous that just because a gang of fanatics ran with their hatred and committed cold-blooded murderous acts on US soil, the entire Arab world — along with the planet’s 1.5 billion Muslims — has come under a negative American microscope.
Indeed, the Arabs have nothing for which to apologize. On the contrary, it is the West, which should be saying it’s sorry. Britain, France and the US have jointly and separately raped the Middle East and North Africa, while greedily lusting after the regions’ natural resources.
Britain should apologize for occupying Palestine before carving it up and leaving a bloodbath as a parting “gift” and for its lengthy occupation of Egypt. France should show remorse for colonizing Algeria going as far as to turn it into a French department where that country’s indigenous Berber and Arab peoples were deprived of education and forced to bury their native tongues along with their religion. Britain and France should together apologize for the actions of Messrs Sykes and Picot, who peremptorily redrew Middle East borders in a back room of the House of Commons.
The Bush administration should apologize for invading Iraq on the false premise of weapons of mass destruction when as we now know “regime change” was on the cards 10 days after Bush took office.
The US has adopted a new style of imperialism, consisting of the spread of an insidious viral pop culture, threatening traditional mores, partnered with barely concealed self-interested geopolitical designs.