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…

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.