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From: James Cosner
Date: 08 May 1999
Time: 18:10:20
Remote Name: 207.96.229.14
Remote User:
I agree with you, and I've previously put this into kind of identity problem. However, as far as I'm concerned, Arabs are not necessarly Moslems as much as Moslems are not all Arabs. The failure of Arab nationalism in face of the events and challenges that followed the Second World War, made probably many people think of an alternative. Still, whatever they choose, the real challenge for them, whether they settle for a Moslem identity or Arab national identity, is to face the "Western danger" to their national and strategic interests. Two to three decades ago, we were here in North America, and pretty much across Europe, under a heavy propaganda portraying Arabs as savages on camels threatening the tiny peaceful and civilized state of Israel. Right after the Iranian revolution, and as Arabs started shifting to a moslem identity in an attempt to find answers, all of a sudden, the same anti-arab propaganda became anti-moslem one, yet the people and countries targetted by this campaign are the same. On the other hand, let's not forget that the people of that region have yet to face a domestic challenge represented by their own regimes and dictatorships.