One Arab World

On morality and knowledge.

I should have developed on a certain knowledge based childhood. Yet it was insufficient to satisfy my thirst. Therefore, I must have remained in a state of seeking out the unattainable. Confucian oriented thoughts would normally shower my mind into an alleviated and content state, reminding me that wisdom is morality, and knowledge is unsubstantial, if it were not considered as a pre-requisite, indeed transitory vessel to attainable morality. For knowledge as a form, has changed in this age of globalization, into an unspeakable vehement creature, bent on transforming us humans into a system, the system. To be a part of the system, they say, is the righteous way of living. Righteousness becomes treachery, and the line between the purest form of knowledge, and its modern counterpart, is ever blurry. The system is global in essence, which is an acceptable trait; if and only if, it takes into account the different ideals of man, for no system should be called global if it neglects he who conforms, while shunning away he who does not. Should man choose capitalism or socialism, theocracy or democracy? What is that way of living that would best accommodate for humans in this age and the next?

Morals at war, and the clash of ideals.

Ahmadinajad says that democracy and liberalism have failed. Coming from a tyrannical psychopath, I am expected to discredit it instantaneously, yet I won’t, for it reflects the preaching of ideals of one opposing side in the war of ideas. I have personally witnessed the drive from morality for the substitution of liberalism, liberalism as a word, is nothing when preached, and everything when lived. I myself must choose liberalism, for it entails the highest form of morality, and suits me greatly when I have the leisure to experience it. The freedom to be, is not contended. Yet liberalism and democracy have been transfixed today, poised in a battle against theocratic and conservative ideals and morals. Our morals standings against theirs, is the prevailing attitude. Just like a man in battle mode, our moral standings and ideals lose all consideration to the basic elements that constitute them. Like a mad mans eyes, the void reflected there, is no more merited than our ideals today. The Denmark newspaper incident thus, serves as a vivid illustration. You cannot justify the fruits of your ideals when your ideals are at war, for they lose all substance. As weak and tender as silk they become nothing but that, ideals. Morality as a given, without the need for ideal, that is how I perceived the world I live in as I grew up in Egypt. Yet that world of morality I speak of has been fitted for war as well, by a group of people beyond my reach. All that remains is a clash of civilizations. I for one see the crucial need for change in the Arab World, concerning our moralities as well as our ideals. For that to occur we must shift from the age of defeat and despair that we live in, on to our very own age of enlightenment. The form, of which this enlightenment can take place, is discussed below.

Today we in the Arab world can no longer live without ideals. Morally induced ideals surely must precipitate a true form of morality. The ideal I speak of is a United Arab World. An ideal based on thoroughly addressing and considering, all outstanding moral issues of all different ethnic and ideological identities. A system created by all, for all. Where consideration in essence, is not to be neglected. Inclusion. Inclusion. Inclusion. Inclusion is key, within each individual Arab country, within a United Arab World, and within the global system. It is the least we can ask for as a people. Inclusion is the key element for the system to be sustainable. No longer should we need to have another Gamal Abdel Nasser. He can die, as all men do, but the ideal must remain. For the ideal, belongs to the people, and the people do not belong to Nasser, nor to any one that precedes him. We speak of Arab Unity for a reason, it is not just a passionate long held dream nor is it a void ideal, it is morality at its pinnacle. The Arab world in its current state is not even scratching its pool of potential; therefore there is no compelling reason for us to remain as thus, when we are in essence a single mixed race, with much more obvious similarities than differences. When I say it is morality at its pinnacle, I do not intend to relate my thesis to the form Arab Unity took in the 50’s and 60’s. Instead, I speak of a system of that would take all historical accounts into consideration. A system that we as Arabs can start and create together. A system that would bring with it much needed reformation of ideas, a system that would introduce identity to the people, a system that would revive and reform the much distorted ideals and morals that we plunder our lands with today.

Introductions are always dramatic, that is their purpose, therefore I presume that I have done my part here, and from now on I will try to immerse myself with the ideas and thoughts of the readership that this blog contains.

-         Tamer Elsahy

So there it is. You finally get to hear from the guy that’s been with me on almost all the things we’ve done from the anti terrorism protests to the Basilica Vigil and Itharak to our planned North African Trip. I have invited my younger brother to write regularly here so feel free to rip him to pieces as frequently as you do me.

-         Karim Elsahy

My younger brother, who lived here in Boston also, is leaving today for good. He's going to Egypt. He left many opportunities behind him. He left an opportunity to transfer to Harvard or Georgetown. He left the cleanliness and the peace of mind. He decided to transfer to Cairo University instead were he will finish dual degrees in Law and Political Science.

He figured if he truly wanted to help his people he would have to do so from there. To my Arab readership who will genuinely appreciate the magnitude of his convictions; this is amongst the bravest acts of selflessness I have ever seen, and I am humbled. Let him be a lesson to us. Let's stop complaining and pointing fingers. Let's rise to the occasion and act. Let us follow our convictions with courage, face our problems, and not rest till their amended. Let us deserve our Arab pride.

Karim Elsahy

We are a group with political backgrounds. We are Arabs, more specifically Egyptians. We are developing a new Pan-Arab party that is pushing a new form of government for a united Arab World. We have developed and are still currently developing the legislation that would define such a government. Our home is www.OneArabWorld.org (under development) but we've chosen to blog to get help and input refining and structuring our ideas, hence www.onearabworld.blog.com. 

Karim Elsahy

We are all Arabs. We are not all Muslim and many of us are of divergent, though perpetually intersecting, histories. We are Pharos and Philistines, Moors and Bedouins, Phoenicians and Mesopotamians. We are African, Asian, and sometimes European.  We have conquered and concurred, we were golden and we were low.

Tomas Friedman gave an interesting foreigners perspective when choosing to separate the subject matter of his book "Arab and Jew". The Jews were easy, the all fell under an easily classifiable category; religious affiliation, they were all Jews. Everyone else in the equation was their yang; Arabs. Drues, Christian, Muslim and Philistines, Bedouin, Oriental, Phoenicians, and all. Like a great unspoken federation the term Arab was not withheld for the Gulf Arabs exclusively but used in a monolithic association of the people of the region. From Spain to China.

Together we form one of the most significant blocs in the world. Our geopolitical structure, natural resource, and historic importance are unparalleled. We also form a trading bloc larger the United Sates and one to rival the European Union by means of population. We enjoy, as a bloc, the lowest non-political crime rate in the world and a culture exquisitely unique, all under the workings of one language.
 

We are also arguably the worlds most distraught, polarized, and segmented people. How are we capable of failing to unify so many times when others have come together complicitly and overcome much larger differences under significantly less external threat?

Though I am one that prefers the comfort of my own blame, I can easily state in good conscience that the state we are currently facing was, in large, brought about by external figures. Our only failing was being in the natural decline of our civilization when the French and the British decided to become God. The days of brute, ugly force and subtle, cheeky power are gone. Though we face obvious external threats, and some would argue modern day imperialism, we are physiologically slaves no more.

We are the first generation of free Arabs in centuries. Evidence of this is still not blindingly obvious, but archeologically there. We do not share the depressingly fateful and forlorn views of our parents and their incapacity to dream. This is why I idolize President Gamal Abdel Nasser. His faults were as great as his charisma and he was no administrator or general; he was our messiah come to liberate our bodies from western imperialism and in this facet the extent of his success will not be fully comprehended for generations to come.
   

The shackles of the mind, however, are longer lasting. More daunting is their apparent ability to infuse genetically. We have come apart from Western Europe but as is evident in even the most patriotic or simple Arab; the bind is as new love. This inferiority complex is parallel to the descendants of American slaves, passing down a self-induced and inflicted degradation generation by generation from mother to daughter. This gives courage as precedence, for today's African Americans are seemingly on the path to spiritual independence, however slow it may seem.

We dream and we know many have before. We dream of our independence and the power of self confidence. We know many have failed and many will assume we will as well but we are steadfast, reliant and comforted with the solidarity of the dreams of our people. The dreams of one Arab world.

Karim Elsahy