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Khalil
El-Saghir |
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Dearborn,
MI U.S.A.
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Wednesday,
May 6, 2003
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Co-Existence in the Middle East
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 ontrary to the popular, and reasonably justified, feeling in our Arab and Islamic Worlds toward the crimes committed against the Jews in Europe, especially on the hands of the Nazis, there is no need to be apologetic about sympathizing with the victims of those crimes, be they were hundreds, thousands, or millions.
A crime is a crime whether it’s against a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Lebanese, American, Indonesian, Rwandan etc. Losing our sense of humanity puts us in the same viciously racist circle of those who consider “their” victims above, more sacred, and incomparable to all other victims on this planet, namely the Zionists.
The real essence of warring in our region has always been but the classical “struggle for power” under the banner of this or that religion. Even the “Crusaders” wars are now understood to fall into the same category knowing that the first victims of the invaders were actually the eastern Christians!
Throughout history, more Muslims died fighting Muslims than other believers. The same is true about Christians. While Jews, as a much smaller group compared to Muslims and Christians, have never before been able to amass their power like now and would certainly face the same predicament as soon as the threat from without is subsided, if it does or they let it
be!
Furthermore, until the arrival of the European imperialists to this region in the nineteenth century, Arabs in this region, be it Muslims, Christians or Jews, have never had an internal war with each others stemmed from the difference between the three religions. Even religious persecution (against Christians and Jews) had never been a systematic policy of any ruler in this region, which is why anywhere you go you would find communities of Christians and Jews (Until the beginning of the Zionist enterprise) in all the major cities (Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, Jerusalem, Cairo, Tunisia, Algiers, Casablanca, etc.)
The example of Spain, despite all my reservations on the
matter, is definitely a striking example of our stride, as Arabs, to harmoniously coexist with each other despite of our religious differences, which is something that even today’s greatest democracies are lacking!
Can we do it again?
I know it sounds too dreamy at this moment of history, but I have no doubt of this!
How?
When the Zionist enterprise in this region is ended! When we, Arabs, have the courage to face the challenges confronting us and stop crying atop the ruins! When we believe in ourselves and regain our shattered self-confidence. When we call on Arab Jews to come back to where they belong and not be used as chips for the Zionist criminal enterprise. When we help Arab Christians play their role in the rebuilding of our societies and not help the West deceptively attract them under the “persecution of minorities” banner. When we, Muslims, go back to the roots of our great religion and reconstruct our view toward ourselves as well as the world, with confidence, openness, and with the sense of Godly justice in creating this world as diverse and different as it is.
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Khalil El-Saghir:
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