The Arab people today encounter a great deal of contempt and derision from much of the world, especially in the West. The belittling of every aspect of Arab civilization, including the way they look, has reached the level of unacceptable racism. There are many reasons for this and following is a sample of some of them:
• The West has propagated this negative image in order to justify invasion, colonization and exploitation of Arab countries.
• The Jews who control most of the world media propagate this image to justify Israel’s conquest and occupation of Palestine.
• The incompetence and impotence of Arab regimes to defend the interests of their people.
The world, however, is unaware of one endearing characteristic of the Arabs, which is their uncanny ability to be involved with the defeat and humiliation of great world powers. In their own bumbling and seemingly disorganized fashion, they have inflicted some of the most humiliating defeats on some of the most powerful nations on earth.
An example of this is the Algerian war in which France, with its overwhelming might and during eight bloody years fighting our Algerian brothers, was defeated and forced to abandon its colony in the North African country. This occurred in the 1960s. The collapse of the Soviet empire as a result of its invasion of Afghanistan and its humiliating defeat there is another example in which the Arabs (especially Saudi Arabia) played a great role. Israel, although not a superpower, is however totally and unquestioningly supported by the world’s one remaining superpower so its defeat in Lebanon is doubly humiliating. It is important to note that the common denominator in all these Arab victories is Islam and the Arab commitment to defend their religion and to sacrifice themselves in the name of God.
My point in this quick survey is to respond to the enormous propaganda campaign of vilification of the Arabs that has been going on for years and continues with the aim of destroying Arab (and, through them, Muslim) self-confidence and will to resist. This is not to absolve the Arabs themselves from any shortcomings and injustices but Arab problems are in no way intrinsic and insoluble nor are the Arabs perverse or unnatural.
The enemies of the Arabs are no pristine angels, free of blemish, nor do they have the right to dictate to Arabs how they must live and what they must believe.
We must, however, beware of being too proud or overconfident for this leads to arrogance and God detests the arrogant. I will not be in the least surprised if the Arabs play a major part in the defeat of any new arrogant superpower in the future.
- Arab News Opinion 31 August 2003
