An Arab tells what is wrong about the Arabs!
Memri TV is down, so I've uploaded it.
Algerian author Anwar Malek on Al-Jazeera TV, Quatar, on March 3, 2009.
Edited to add:
I cross-posted this at IBA. Somewhat naturally, Wafa Sultan was mentioned. For me, the old anti-feminist diehard, it's not amazing that Wafa Sultan made (justifiedly so) headlines and this man remained (unjustifiedly) largely unrecognized.
Another thing Pastorius brought up:
The distinct difference between this guy and Wafa is that Wafa defended the Jews. This guy buys into the Palestinians as oppressed narrative. That will probably spare him the death threats.And...
...it would be unreasonable for him to buy into the Palestinian story given his otherwise reasonable take on the Arab world.I wonder what will follow. There is remarkable little about Anwar Malek in the Internet and even less in the blogosphere.
He recognizes the inherent problems, so why would he not recognize that in the Palestinian territories they don't even keep their streets nice, they don't plant trees, they don't keep businesses going, etc. (Particularly in Gaza, from what I understand.) So, why would he observe that and think, well, in that case it's not the Arab's fault but the Jews fault.
4 comments:
Hmm. A Muslim "Uncle Tom". Hmm.
Maybe just an honest man?
But then, wasn't Uncle Tom?
Didn't the Hindus "invent" the zero? Similarly, the only thing the Arabs have to do with our numerals is that they passed it on to us from India. Why do Americans then still call them "Arabic numerals" when their true origin has been known since the Raj?
On the other hand, I am amazed at some of the stuff MEMRI translates (and I don't just mean the teaching kids to kill Jews). We would never see some of the debates they have on TV in the UK. As long as they don't insult Allah or Mohammad they seem to have more freedom of speech than us (at least when they're sitting in London broadcasting to the ME from satellite and out of reach of the dictators).
We call the numerals "Arabic" as well in German and for the same irrational reason.
However, I think the point Malek was making is that even IF Arabs invented the zero and the numerals, what does it matter when they are for one and a half millenium now such a bunch of pathetic losers? The point whether they really invented them or not is mute. That is what I always think if people are waxing lyrically about past Islamic merits.
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