"Arabism" is a very complex term thus I am currently doing some research on it in order to unfold its controversy. Here in this post I am rather presenting a personal understanding of the term.
I have been self-conscious of my Arabism since I was 18 years old. Of course, that time I always refer to myself as a Palestinian because I was feeling ashamed of the Syrian people (common people) who do nothing in their daily lives and daily language to enhance their Arabism or their nationalism as a means to defy the present threat of Israeli cleansing politics and US imperial economical occupation, to say the least.
When I say: "I am an Arab" I am rather implying a political statement rather than a fascist belonging to a particular group and no other. Arabism is not exclusive to the Arab world, it is not a map, it is an ideology that counters the imperial threat of this region.
One myth about "Arabism" is that some believe that it implies Arabic language as a united factor of Arabs. And here I ask the question: are all Arab speakers are Arab? Do I have to be an Arab to be an Arab? What about the Kurds, Armenian and the Sharkas, they live with us since the Turkish occupation to the Arab World, they are part of Arab culture and the Arab civilization, furthermore, they are the contributors to the term "Arabism." hence, Arab DNA breaks down. Arabism is not exclusive on Arab people nor to Arabic language.
What about the Arab diaspora? Many Arabs who immigrated ceased to speak Arabic did they cease to be Arabs as well? So if any of them- James Zoghbi- felt attached and related to the Arab World matters, and he/she does not speak its language, why does she/he care??
Arab language might be "a" unifying factor of Arabs in some cases, but one cannot go on assume Arab language as one fixed element that contributed to the definition of "Arabism."
So my understanding to Arabism shakes off both DNA and Arabic language as unified factors to Arabs or as elements to defining Arabism.
Another thing I think it was historically true but I believe it is dangerous to go on adapting such factor as part of the definition of "Arabism" which is Islam:
Arabs are atheists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, agnostic, Buddhists…religion should not shape Arabism, Arabism is not religiously oriented, but rather, in my understanding to it, it is an ideology, a solution against the imperial neo-Zionism in the region. I did not say Israel, Israel can be non-Zionist and only then I can believe in it. Israel should reclaim the right of another people in order for us to believe in it. I am not against Israeli in itself; I am against that it is against Palestine. Arabism knows no enemy but injustice, Arabism implies self-recognizing and self-discovery at the same time.
I am not a Muslim, personally I think I am rather culturally Muslim but I am an Arab in the context of what have been stated.
So an Arab to me is not necessarily an Arab-speaker, not an Arab, or a Muslim, this would lead me to my complex next thought of Arabism:
Arabism is metaphysically uniting Arabs (Arabs within and without the Arab World)
What I mean is, Arabism lies within a self-conscious –or subconscious- consciousness.
Here let me raise a question, when Israel lunched a war on Lebanon, why did we see the people of Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, relatively some Gulf countries considering the sensitivity of the Sunni/Shiaa issue, demonstrating for Lebanese people and its resistance against the aggression of Israel??
What trigger these countries to demonstrate?
Arab media? The propaganda of Arabism? humanism? Arab leaders?
I think it is Arab stereotypes of Arabism that encouraging people to demonstrate, which are becoming part of the Arab mentality- my Arabism exists on the demolishing of an Arab country. Another stereotype of Arabism is that it exists as a binary opposition: I am an Arab because I am not an Israeli, hence Israel to most Arab people is a single fixed body and treated as such as a infinite enemy. Such stereotype is unfortunately enhanced by Arab leaders –Assad- thus becoming an Arab propaganda. So the term "Arab street" which is becoming an assumption, is not "one" and also manipulated by the interests of the ruling regimes.
To get back on track, if there are such stereotypes that might prevent some to believe in Arabism as an identity, does "Arabism" necessarily wrong? I think here lies the core of my Arabism; if subconscious Arabism might let some stereotypes exist within Arabism, am I saying that Arabism lies within self-conscious people?
Yes I am, Arabism lies within the conflict of believing in Arabism -metaphysically-this leads me to Sartreane existentialism "my self seeks existence which is nothingness, yet as it seeks it exists" nothingness is existence, as Sartre believes, yet, a human seeks her/his existence-though it is nothingness. Nevertheless, as she/he seeks her existence, the process of seeking existence is in itself meaningful. I can only exist in the process of me seeking existence even if I am doomed to nothingness.
An Arab is that who is self-conscious of Arabism and thus her very belief in Arabism is in itself Arabism. The process of believing in Arabism becomes Arabism and here is what I mean by metaphysical Arabism.
Self-conscious Arab is not of course that who simply believes that he is an Arab just because he is born one, nor those who define themselves as Arabs just because Qura'an is written in Arabic, Arabism lies within self-discovery.
My Arabism is not static, nor fixed. My Arabism is an ongoing process of self-questioning, self-recognizing and thus self-discovery. of course, this might happen on a personal manner and on a universal manner as well, but what it is different about it here is that people like Nasri Sayegh (Lebanese) Azmi Bishara (Palestinian) Haitham Manna' (Syria) Tayeb Saleh (Sudan) (Egypt) among many more..though do not share the sameness of history, religion and culture, they do define themselves as Arabs because they feel it is a "solution" to their existential, political, economical and thus personal lives.
I realize that this post imply some academic flaws, but needed to give an introductory to myself and others about how I see Arabism. I am doing some readings on the subject, it will take some time, but nshalla I'll rest on some conclusions.
Salam from Damascus
