May 27th, 2007D.B. Shobrawy (Egypt)
It’s fair to say I grew up in an environment that convinced me of having a purely Arab identity. Referring to myself and other Middle Eastern people as Arab was very convenient, anyone I met from other Arabic speaking countries felt like brethren by virtue of being “Arab.”
My Arab identity was not of my parents making, actually it was public opinion and the prevalence of ignorance around me which assured me of my Arab-ness. I remember once I referred to myself as Arab in front of my father, I’ve rarely seen such a furious combination of anger and mentoring from my father.
My Dad: What!? What did you say? You’re not Arab, don’t ever say that, you’re Egyptian!
My father always had a great influence on me, every word he spoke was like Divine word to me. But in that moment I still had trouble accepting I wasn’t Arab, The influence of popular opinion was that pervasive.
I was especially curious and my fathers stern words weren’t pacifying enough for me so I had to ask, “but why?” So typical of a curious child, right? It was at that moment my father said something that I’ve carried with me in this debate until this day.
My Dad: Who settled America?
Young Me: The British.
My Dad: Bravo! And what language do they speak in America?
Young Me: English.
My Dad: Good, Good! Do you know who the Native Americans are?
Young Me: Yea the Indians.
My Dad: Exactly the Indians, they were there before the British and the British took over and now the Indians speak English right?
Young Me: Yea? (with my curiosity increasing)
My Dad: So why don’t we call the Native Americans Englishmen?
Finally I was able to understand and you should too. Replace “America” with Egypt, “English” with Arabic, “Indians” with Egyptians and “British” with Arabs.
In reality the word “Arab” is the second largest misnomer and most presumptuous ethnic label (after African American). Sadly in history, groups of people have given up their identities in order to accept a foreign one and I find myself ashamed when I listen to them talk about their ancestors as if they are a foreign and imperfect race. Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syrians, Berbers, Philistines and many others all now calling themselves Arab.
These groups have become recognized as Arabs not because it was forced upon them to be called Arabs but because they gave into the cultural imperialism which is and was Arabization and called themselves Arab. The Iranians are a good example of a group who were too proud of their own rich history to call themselves Arab and to this day refuse to be called Arab and so called “Arabs” refuse to call them Arab.
So who is Arab? The answer is SOOOOOO much easier than you may think, especially if you’re having trouble accepting what I’m saying. Prepare yourself for a mind blowing revelation. People from the Arabian Peninsula ARE Arab, those include the countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Declaring yourself as Egyptian has negative ramifications in the Arabized world though. We are often accused of nationalism (a faux pas both culturally and Islamically) and failing to unite the so-called Arab nations. I resent that accusation, I just want to be identified with my true ethnic identity and not one we’ve been borrowing for 1000+ years.
