As the media waited anxiously for Sarah Palin's speech at the RNC, there was a flurry of political activity in Minneapolis. Meet and greets were scheduled Wednesday for the Jewish Advisory Coalition, Hispanics, African Americans, Irish Americans, as well as Asian & Pacific Americans. The same was true for Arab Americans and yes....... Lebanese Americans. While this may seem redundant to most people, it serves as yet another example of why 'Arab unity' is at best a long shot, whether in the US or back in the 'Arab' world.
Lately, there has been a sharp increase in Arab (and Muslim) political activism in the US. Up until recently, most Arab Americans tended to vote Republican. While this may be changing after 7 years of disastrous domestic and foreign policy, many Lebanese Americans simply won't budge. Granted, they aren't alone - Obama's sucking up to Israel and his failure to adequately reach out to Arabs and Muslims leave many feeling conflicted about supporting him - but they view this as a perfect opportunity to draw a line in the sand between them and all those other A-rabs...
It is no secret that Lebanese Americans are more involved in US politics than their brethren - they are well represented in Congress, the military and various other public arenas. Sadly, instead of striving for unity, they try hard to distance themselves from other Arabs (many claim to be 'Phoenician' instead). In their efforts to remain above the fray of Middle East politics, they constantly attempt to place themselves in a league of their own. What's ironic is that Lebanese politics are some of the most tumultuous and divisive in all of the Middle East! Of course by separating themselves from the rest of the Arab (and Lebanese) world, these lobbyists can conveniently blame 'the other side' for all Lebanon's woes.
The Lebanese Americans who operate separately from Arab Americans in general do so to cozy up to the political establishment in the US and get their way (i.e. complete isolation of Syria and Iran, as well as closer ties with the state of Israel). These people claim to represent Lebanon and they believe their agenda to be separate from that of other Arab Americans. While they may be right on the second part (their agenda is different), by no means do they speak for the Lebanese people as a whole. They do however tell US politicians what they want to hear. That and the fact that their names often don't sound too Arab makes it easier for them to be accepted and assimilated.
While I don't approve, I can't hate on them as much as I'd like to... As I've said before - there is no one Arab mindset for us to follow. But while it may be unreasonable to expect Arab-American unity in the political arena, that does not mean we should just give up.
First of all, there needs to be a differentiation between Arab and Muslim (most of the world's Muslims aren't even Arabs). Muslims should lobby for Muslim rights. Arabs on the other hand are better off agreeing to disagree - surely an Iraqi American has different concerns than an Egyptian or Saudi American. There are many issues on which most Arabs and Muslims see eye-to eye where cooperation is important, but as a rule they should operate separately, and so should different Arab American groups. One of the most important issues in the Middle East is of course the plight of the Palestinians, an issue that transcends religion and ethnicity. Just like there's an 'Israel lobby' there needs to be a unified 'Palestine lobby' (with membership open to anyone who supports basic human rights). I don't pretend to have any specific solutions in mind, but I know what doesn't work... We can't strive to unify under the same banner when we pledge allegiance to different flags.
As far as the 2008 Elections go - we're once again left to chose between the best of the worst. Personally, I have no love for either the Republican or Democratic parties. While it's sad to see Arabs and Muslims rallying behind Barrack Obama and Joe Biden it's just as sad to see them in the elephant chain. I wonder how they felt hearing Palin and good ol' Giuliani talking all that mess in St. Paul.
Wake up people!
Lately, there has been a sharp increase in Arab (and Muslim) political activism in the US. Up until recently, most Arab Americans tended to vote Republican. While this may be changing after 7 years of disastrous domestic and foreign policy, many Lebanese Americans simply won't budge. Granted, they aren't alone - Obama's sucking up to Israel and his failure to adequately reach out to Arabs and Muslims leave many feeling conflicted about supporting him - but they view this as a perfect opportunity to draw a line in the sand between them and all those other A-rabs...It is no secret that Lebanese Americans are more involved in US politics than their brethren - they are well represented in Congress, the military and various other public arenas. Sadly, instead of striving for unity, they try hard to distance themselves from other Arabs (many claim to be 'Phoenician' instead). In their efforts to remain above the fray of Middle East politics, they constantly attempt to place themselves in a league of their own. What's ironic is that Lebanese politics are some of the most tumultuous and divisive in all of the Middle East! Of course by separating themselves from the rest of the Arab (and Lebanese) world, these lobbyists can conveniently blame 'the other side' for all Lebanon's woes.
The Lebanese Americans who operate separately from Arab Americans in general do so to cozy up to the political establishment in the US and get their way (i.e. complete isolation of Syria and Iran, as well as closer ties with the state of Israel). These people claim to represent Lebanon and they believe their agenda to be separate from that of other Arab Americans. While they may be right on the second part (their agenda is different), by no means do they speak for the Lebanese people as a whole. They do however tell US politicians what they want to hear. That and the fact that their names often don't sound too Arab makes it easier for them to be accepted and assimilated.
While I don't approve, I can't hate on them as much as I'd like to... As I've said before - there is no one Arab mindset for us to follow. But while it may be unreasonable to expect Arab-American unity in the political arena, that does not mean we should just give up.
First of all, there needs to be a differentiation between Arab and Muslim (most of the world's Muslims aren't even Arabs). Muslims should lobby for Muslim rights. Arabs on the other hand are better off agreeing to disagree - surely an Iraqi American has different concerns than an Egyptian or Saudi American. There are many issues on which most Arabs and Muslims see eye-to eye where cooperation is important, but as a rule they should operate separately, and so should different Arab American groups. One of the most important issues in the Middle East is of course the plight of the Palestinians, an issue that transcends religion and ethnicity. Just like there's an 'Israel lobby' there needs to be a unified 'Palestine lobby' (with membership open to anyone who supports basic human rights). I don't pretend to have any specific solutions in mind, but I know what doesn't work... We can't strive to unify under the same banner when we pledge allegiance to different flags.
As far as the 2008 Elections go - we're once again left to chose between the best of the worst. Personally, I have no love for either the Republican or Democratic parties. While it's sad to see Arabs and Muslims rallying behind Barrack Obama and Joe Biden it's just as sad to see them in the elephant chain. I wonder how they felt hearing Palin and good ol' Giuliani talking all that mess in St. Paul.
Wake up people!
