As the media waited anxiously for Sarah Palin’s speech at the RNC, there was a flurry of political activity in Minneapolis. Meet and greets were scheduled Wednesday for the Jewish Advisory Coalition, Hispanics, African Americans, Irish Americans, as well as Asian & Pacific Americans. The same was true for Arab Americans and yes……. Lebanese Americans. While this may seem redundant to most people, it serves as yet another example of why ‘Arab unity’ is at best a long shot, whether in the US or back in the ‘Arab’ world.
Lately, there has been a sharp increase in Arab (and Muslim) political activism in the US. Up until recently, most Arab Americans tended to vote Republican. While this may be changing after 7 years of disastrous domestic and foreign policy, many Lebanese Americans simply won’t budge. Granted, they aren’t alone – Obama’s sucking up to Israel and his failure to adequately reach out to Arabs and Muslims leave many feeling conflicted about supporting him – but they view this as a perfect opportunity to draw a line in the sand between them and all those other A-rabs…
It is no secret that Lebanese Americans are more involved in US politics than their brethren – they are well represented in Congress, the military and various other public arenas. Sadly, instead of striving for unity, they try hard to distance themselves from other Arabs (many claim to be ‘Phoenician’ instead). In their efforts to remain above the fray of Middle East politics, they constantly attempt to place themselves in a league of their own. What’s ironic is that Lebanese politics are some of the most tumultuous and divisive in all of the Middle East! Of course by separating themselves from the rest of the Arab (and Lebanese) world, these lobbyists can conveniently blame ‘the other side’ for all Lebanon’s woes.
The Lebanese Americans who operate separately from Arab Americans in general do so to cozy up to the political establishment in the US and get their way (i.e. complete isolation of Syria and Iran, as well as closer ties with the state of Israel). These people claim to represent Lebanon and they believe their agenda to be separate from that of other Arab Americans. While they may be right on the second part (their agenda is different), by no means do they speak for the Lebanese people as a whole. They do however tell US politicians what they want to hear. That and the fact that their names often don’t sound too Arab makes it easier for them to be accepted and assimilated.
First of all, there needs to be a differentiation between Arab and Muslim (most of the world’s Muslims aren’t even Arabs). Muslims should lobby for Muslim rights. Arabs on the other hand are better off agreeing to disagree – surely an Iraqi American has different concerns than an Egyptian or Saudi American. There are many issues on which most Arabs and Muslims see eye-to eye where cooperation is important, but as a rule they should operate separately, and so should different Arab American groups. One of the most important issues in the Middle East is of course the plight of the Palestinians, an issue that transcends religion and ethnicity. Just like there’s an ‘Israel lobby’ there needs to be a unified ‘Palestine lobby’ (with membership open to anyone who supports basic human rights). I don’t pretend to have any specific solutions in mind, but I know what doesn’t work… We can’t strive to unify under the same banner when we pledge allegiance to different flags.
As far as the 2008 Elections go – we’re once again left to chose between the best of the worst. Personally, I have no love for either the Republican or Democratic parties. While it’s sad to see Arabs and Muslims rallying behind Barrack Obama and Joe Biden it’s just as sad to see them in the elephant chain. I wonder how they felt hearing Palin and good ol’ Giuliani talking all that mess in St. Paul.
Wake up people!
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In their efforts to remain above the fray of Middle East politics, they constantly attempt to place themselves in a league of their own.
They *are* in a league of their own. Lebanon is the only country in the middle east that had, up until recently, a majority Christian population. That makes Lebanon unique. Even now, Lebanon is the only Arab country with a large enough Christian population for Christians to be at all relevant in local politics. It also explains why so many Lebanese don’t consider themselves to be Arabs… Lebanese Christians presumably have no Arab ancestors (the Islamic rules on marriage and transmission of religion to offspring by the father took care of that), do not share the traditional religion of Arabs, and so forth.
Why should they call themselves Arabs if they don’t want to? Just because they speak Arabic? How would that work in the US? Should everyone call themselves Anglo-Saxon just because they speak English?
I don’t have a dog in this fight… I’m not a big fan of Lebanon. I just think you are glossing over some differences that are pretty obvious, and pretty substantial.
Posted by programmer craig | September 4, 2008, 2:48 amThey *are* in a league of their own. Lebanon is the only country in the middle east that had, up until recently, a majority Christian population.
Up until recently? Well up until recently Lebanon didn’t exist and it was part of syria it was the french who cut it away from syria in such a way that it had a christian majority in return for their services to the Crusaders and colonizers.
Posted by Anonymous | September 4, 2008, 7:57 amUp until recently? Well up until recently Lebanon didn’t exist and it was part of syria it was the french who cut it away from syria in such a way that it had a christian majority in return for their services to the Crusaders and colonizers.
Which is totally irrelevant. Sounds like you wholeheartedly support oppression of Christians in the middle-east, though. Good on ya! And I bet you wonder why Lebanese don’t see things the way you do?
Posted by programmer craig | September 4, 2008, 12:59 pmBy the way:
Well up until recently Lebanon didn’t exist and it was part of syria
Up until recently, Syria also did not exist, except as a province in somebody’s empire.
it was the french who cut it away from syria in such a way that it had a christian majority in return for their services to the Crusaders and colonizers.
Which belies your argument that Lebanon doesn’t have a history of it’s own. Lebanon was a Crusader State for hundreds of years… Syria was not. The ancient Phoenician empire was centered in Lebanon, and Syria was never part of that empire. I suppose we could talk about how the Romans divided up the middle east too, would that help your case? Or not so much?
Posted by programmer craig | September 4, 2008, 1:05 pmKalash is a hopeless “Arab unity” romantic. He doesn’t actually try to create unity; he merely preaches it.
Arabs were never united. Even at the time of Mohammad he killed a lot more than he converted. As soon as Mohammad died even the Muslims started killing each other.
So tell us, Kalash, what should the Arab street unite around? You mention the Palestine lobby. WHAT PALESTINE LOBBY?!!!
How can you have a lobby for 20 different terrorist groups?! If you can’t even unite the Palestinians, forget about uniting the Arabs.
Posted by Anonymous | September 4, 2008, 8:35 pmI wonder if it’s even worth responding to such foolish comments… especially since some of you have such obvious problems with reading comprehension. How can you think I’m an Arab unity romantic when I’m telling you it’s “at best a long shot” (i.e. essentially impossible).
PC- thanks again for proving my point: because of people like you, THERE NEEDS TO BE A DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN ARAB AND MUSLIMS! Just like there are non-Arab Muslims, there are also non-Muslim Arabs (Christians, Jews, Druze, etc).
FYI, some of the most prominent ‘Arabsits’ from back in the day were Christian.
Posted by Kalash | September 4, 2008, 11:37 pmWhat a miserable post.
Kalash, you're whole argument that Lebanese Americans refuse to unify with the broader Arab American community is only supported by 1 thing – a link to Lebanese Americans for McCain.
Is this honestly enough to say that Lebanese Americans unequivocally distance themselves from other Arab Americans? Did anyone notice that Arab Americans for McCain & Lebanese Americans for McCain are EXACTLY THE SAME PAGE with only LEBANESE and ARAB interchanged???
Further, while I do not argue that a conversation re: the “Arabness” of Lebanese people doesn’t exist, I hardly believe it determines the success or failure of pan-Arab American coalitions as you imply. There are many successful organizations and movements established by Lebanese Americans and comprised of a cross-section of Arabs. For example, the founder and president of the Arab American Institute – the largest, internationally recognized Arab American interest group – is James Zogby, a Christian Lebanese American. Also, the founder and executive director of Mizna – the only journal of Arab American literature – is Kathryn Haddad, a Christian Lebanese American.
On a more personal level, the tone and language of this post is very hurtful and disappointing. As Arab Americans is our voice not weak enough without us further weakening it by reinforcing externally contrived national boundaries & identities?
Is not the United States a neutral space in which all people of the Arab world – regardless of nationality or religion – can come together to improve both our lives here and the lives of our family in the Middle East?
Can you honestly say that the American experience of Arabs and Muslims is so radically different that there is no room for unity? In this framework, where do Arab Muslims fit?
Do you really think different Arab nationalities lend themselves to different American experiences? Does not the plight of Palestinians, Iraqis & Lebanese affect every nation in the Arab world? Do not Israeli policies continue to undermine hope for peace? Is not AIPAC a problem for all of us? Civil liberties? Immigration reform? Health care? IS THERE NO PLACE FOR UNITY IN THESE ISSUES?
As young Arab Americans it is our duty to transcend the divisive identity politics of our parents and the essentializing national rhetoric surrounding Arabs & Muslims. We must do this if we ever hope to build power in our communities & make lasting change for our people both in the diaspora and in the Arab world.
Posted by ElianneMJF | September 6, 2008, 10:05 pmI don’t think there has been arab unity on anything, except to spy on each other and agree to disagree and of course blame others for our mistakes.
Its a sad fact but that is the way it is.
Posted by Mo | September 7, 2008, 8:57 ameliane- thank you for your comment. I’m sorry if you found anything ‘hurtful’ in my post. Maybe you can find some solace in the fact that I too am a Lebanese-American…
You are right in saying that we have established numerous organizations comprising a cross-section of Arabs, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are SOME Lebanese Americans who seek to separate themselves from the rest of the Arab community. My argument is supported by my experiences (I’ve been approached by these people/groups in the past), as well as what I heard from people at the RNC who spoke with members of ‘Lebanese Americans for McCain.’ Of course I know the two pages are IDENTICAL and that is part of the irony here! It shows the McCain campaign’s inability to differentiate between Lebanese-Americans and Arab-Americans… despite the former’s efforts.
This is not about nationalism (a notion I deplore), but you can’t deny that there are different concerns for different communities. While I agree that the state of Israel is the biggest cancer in the region, Lebanese Americans for John McCain do not. Neither do many Iraqis, some of who equate supporting the Palestinian cause to supporting the policies of Saddam. Most of the Lebanese American culprits I was referring to subscribe to the worthless policies of ‘March 14′ – they do not represent Lebanon as a whole and should not pretend to.
I do agree that there are several points for potential unity among us as Arab Americans, but I remain convinced that truly achieving that unity is a long shot at best. I don’t see how it can happen. Your idealistic remarks have done nothing to convince me otherwise. We may be in the same boat here, but there are always those who want to steer the ship in their own direction… If it were just a few bad apples, it wouldn’t be a problem, but as long as they find support and people to rally behind them, the dream of Arab unity remains a dream and nothing more.
Posted by Kalash | September 7, 2008, 11:03 amI find no solace in the fact that you are Lebanese American. It actually bothers me more that as one who, I assume, sees value in Arab unity, you believe it is a far-fetched dream.
What is that saying? “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” Something like that. Michelle Obama, in her speech at the DNC spoke of the organizing model “The World As It Is & The World As It Should Be.” In this model we must understand that we live in the here & now, but have a vision for how tomorrow should look. With that in mind, we must then work with what we have to make what we want.
If we want Arab unity, if we believe that there is more power with us together than with us apart, then posts like this only reinforce The World As It Is and keep The World As It Should Be an impossibility.
I won’t pretend that it will be easy or that it will happen in a year. But over the next four years, starting today, if we as a community work to build bridges across difference and have intentional conversations aimed at unity, the next presidential election may look different.
While our personal stories of Arab discord are important, both local and national Arab American coalitions have proven that if we want to come together we can.
If the successes of our own community are not enough – Jewish, Black & Latino Americans can serve as models of diverse peoples coming together to improve their lives. Was it a struggle to build a national platform? Yes. Has coming together bettered their communities? Yes. Can we do it too? Yes.
Posted by ElianneMJF | September 7, 2008, 5:31 pm“the state of Israel is the biggest cancer in the region”
Kalash, are you really Ahmadinejihad?
The biggest cancer in the REGION? Surrounded by dictators, tyrants, fascists, tribal barbarians and terrorists, Israel is the biggest cancer in the region?
That whoosh you’re hearing is the sound of your credibility departing, speedily.
Thanks for letting all of us know how you feel. Please, don’t embarrass yourself or insult our intelligence with qualifications. Honesty really is the best policy.
How do you like them apples, Sugartits. At the end of the day, you’ll always be just the regional cancer, until you and your family are dead. Why don’t you “make a funny” about it.
Posted by Anonymous | September 7, 2008, 5:57 pmYou’re right – I do see some value in Arab unity. Still, your idealism is not convincing. Despite anything Michelle Obama has to say, we have to contend with reality.
The reality is that the Arab community is divided, making it practically impossible for it to unite politically. You seem to accept that, but are still hopeful it can change. Maybe with time it can… a very long time. As things currently stand it’s not gonna happen.
Unity in and of itself should not be a priority though. Politics is about policy and it’s only natural for different groups to have different concerns (there are many more divisions within the Arab community than the other communities you mentioned). It’s only natural for different Arab groups to have different concerns. Let’s start to really address those concerns, particularly when they don’t conflict with one another. Then we can come together as one big happy family.
Posted by Kalash | September 7, 2008, 11:01 pmcan you give us examples of such concerns and how they differ from one community to another?
Posted by Mo | September 8, 2008, 4:59 amAs far as US domestic policy is concerned, I don’t think we’re all that different. For example, any Arab is affected by post 9-11 BS in one way or another. Where we differ most is on issues of foreign policy. How and where does the US exert its influence? In that regard, our divisions here merely reflect our intense divisions back home. I already touched on the Lebanese community a little bit in my post… I could write a lot more about that and I’m sure I will soon enough (eg. some Lebanese people are more concerned with Syria then Israel).
While Palestinians want to free themselves from occupation, different groups have different ideas on how this should be done. Again, this reflects the divisions back home.
Iraqis have their plate full too. They want stability for their country and their people (plenty of divisions there as well). The question of Palestine is not as high up on their agenda.
Moroccans have the whole Western Sahara issue to contend with, but they don’t see eye to eye with the Algerians.
Economic concerns vary from one place to another as well. There is rampant inequality in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Sadly, there are some Arabs who are mostly concerned with filling their coffers.
The list goes on…
Posted by Kalash | September 8, 2008, 1:21 pmsounds like one big headache
Posted by Mo | September 8, 2008, 2:50 pmOkay, this is getting drawn out & blog-posting is probably not the best place to have this conversation. But, here we are.
Few things:
1. Please stop dismissing my ideas on the basis of "idealism." Not only is it personally demeaning, but also unfounded. They aren't idealistic, but grounded in the reality that on many domestic issues Arab Americans have & can find unity.
2. It seems we have agreed that Arab Americans (as Arab Americans) can organize collectively to build political & social power in an American context. This has been my point all along.
3. All the examples given of divisions in our community are Arab – not Arab American. I'm not saying that they are not of concern to Arabs living in America, but they do not affect our everyday lived experience and would probably then, be small barriers toward building a national platform. These differences would become more important & divisive (but not prohibitive!) when building an international platform.
Posted by ElianneMJF | September 12, 2008, 9:13 amYou are right… this is not a good exchange to have in such a format, but…
1. My life experiences, generally speaking, and particularly with Arab-Americans, suggests you are being idealistic (as opposed to realistic). I don’t mean to be demeaning… I’m just stating an opinion that I’m sure others would share. You’re right that we can be relatively united when it comes to domestic policy, but that’s not enough.
2. Yes, but only when the issues that divide us are adequately addressed, which I doubt will happen soon.
3. Maybe we just have very different experiences as ‘Arab Americans.” Small barriers? An international platform? We’re not seeing eye to eye… Under different circumstances maybe we would.
I guess anything’s possible… I don’t expect it to happen, but I’d be happy to see a meaningful degree of unity amongst us before I go…
Posted by Kalash | September 14, 2008, 1:29 amThanks again for the article.Thanks Again. Really Great.
Posted by Tiana Mah | May 20, 2010, 5:29 pm