Dear Uncle Tarek finds new solice in the loving arms of that ol’ autocratic soul, Kamal Ataturk, drawn in as it were by the late drunkard’s vision of a rigidly secular utopia and a nationalist pathos–the various genocides that secular utopia executed because of its nationalist pathos notwithstanding. Hey, it’s all right if it’s secular, right? And what’s double-plus good is that, through that nationalist pathos that saw all things good in all things Turk, and made it illegal to say anything bad about anything Turk, he finds a way to stick it to the Arabs:
The tenuous bond between the Arab and the non-Arab Muslim has, over the centuries, created a love-hate relationship, often one-sided and rarely discussed. While non-Arab Muslims have embraced many facets of Arabian culture and custom, the gesture has rarely ever been reciprocated. Whether it has been the feeble relationship between the Berbers and Arabs, or the never-ending mutual mistrust between Persians and the Arabs, this chasm is largely unnoticed in the Arab world. Iqbal’s reference to “Arabian Imperialism” would elicit shock and denunciation from even the most liberal Arab; such is the state of denial.
I’m sure the irony of writing an article based almost solely on the premise that the Arabs are inately tribalist and racist isn’t lost on Uncle Tarek, but I might as well point it out anyway, funny as it is.
