Take Egypt, for example. Its official name is the Arab Republic of Egypt, a product of 20th-century pan-Arab ideology ironically, created by two Arabized Syrians, one Christian and one Muslim. But Egypt itself is not an Arabian land. Egyptians shouldn’t get to represent Arabs. Like many other arabized regions, Egypt was only briefly colonized by Arabs, just as it was by numerous other empires.
Think of it this way: Mexicans speak Spanish because of colonization, but they have their own history, traditions, civilizations, and ethnic makeup completely distinct from Spaniards. Spain doesn’t let Mexicans represent it. Similarly, most Lebanese people speak French due to colonial influence, but nobody calls them French or let them represent France. And this logic applies in countless other cases 😅
Yet somehow, the Arabian identity keeps getting stolen and misrepresented. Arabized peoples vastly outnumber actual Arabians, which means they often overshadow us, and represent us whether positively or negatively. And there’s really no excuse for this. The Arab empires that once ruled them are long long gone. Languages like Coptic and Aramaic still exist and spoken and could be taught, so there’s no reason for this. Speaking Arabic as your national language is fine, but claiming the Arabian identity is definitely not.
Ask most people to name Arabic foods, and they immediately think of foods like falafel. But falafel originated in Egypt, created by Copts long before the Arab conquest, so it has nothing to do with us Arabs. Meanwhile, dishes like thareed or jareesh which are actually authentically Arabian are unknown. Hummus and falafel are actually as new to Saudi Arabia as they are to Europe, introduced mainly in the 1900s through globalization and urbanization.
What I’m saying is simple…..Arabs are an ethnic group with a distinct culture, DNA, and identity, and this identity is unfortunately being overshadowed and misrepresented by the Arabized . True Arabians know one another through tribal ancestry and customs. Distinguishing an Arabized person from an Arabian is mostly easy, but many Arabized people particularly influenced by the Ba’ath movement in the 1970s react negatively when I point simple facts out ….
This is the Arabian Peninsula the only region and people that can truly represent the Arabs:
There are Arabs elsewhere, especially in parts like southern Jordan, but these tend to be pockets.
I’m not saying this out of arrogance and I have respect for these other lands and their histories . But As a Saudi Arabian and also deeply rooted in the Arabian peninsula from an Arabian tribe, I am simply tired of seeing my culture and identity misrepresented all the time.
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All depends on your definitions -- the most common definition I've run across for "Arab" is a person who speaks Arabic, like an "Hispanic" is generally a person from the Americas who speaks Spanish.
Identify yourself however you like, I guess. Genetic migration and diversity means we're all related somehow.
@ChipmunkErnie Speaking Arabic doesn’t equal being Arab I meant specifically that Arabs and arabized are different things If a Japanese tomorrow speaks French doesn’t make them French it makes them a French speaking Japanese And that doesn’t make sushi French . Why is an Arabic speaking person an Arab But a French speaking Lebanese isn’t ethnically French?
I think my post was very clear what was difficult to understand?
@Moon3624 If you don't like the definitions tell the dictionaries, not me. Your post is not difficult to understand, you're trying to distance yourself from certain parts/peoples what most people consider "the Arab World" and claiming some kind of genetic/cultural purity.
@ChipmunkErnie I am not claiming anything it is the literal truth 🥱 And I am not distancing myself from them or claim superiority I simply don’t want my identity to be stolen and misrepresented (negatively or positively or neutrally ) I think it’s pretty simple . If you want to learn about Arabs go to the Arabian peninsula That is their homeland and where their culture is best represented You don’t go to a non Arab land that only speaks Arabic because of brief colonialism like Egypt to learn about Arab ethnic group
When you want to learn about Spaniards you go to Spain not Mexico When you want to learn about French you go to France you don’t go to Djibouti or Lebanon simply because they speak French .
“ and claiming some kind of genetic/cultural purity.” It’s a fact though 😂
