Egyptian Journalist Nabil Sharaf Al-Din: "The Stereotypical Image Attributed to Us Did Not Come From Nowhere"

The following are excerpts from a show featuring Egyptian journalist Nabil Sharaf Al-Din, which aired on Dream 2 TV on August 24, 2005

Host: The American Webster dictionary is very famous, and researchers are aware of how valuable it is. One of this dictionary's editions, has a definition of the word "Arab". After the colon, it says that the word "Arab" means "extremist, vagabond, parasite, and beggar." This is written in the dictionary. It is written explicitly, not hinted at.

[...]

Mr. Nabil Sharaf Al-Din, "Arab" means "fanatic, vagabond, parasite, and beggar." What do you think of this definition?

Al Din: This definition omitted many description that are worse, which should have been included. I'd like to say a few words of introduction. With all due respect to Dr. Amin's opinion and to his feelings that this is a humiliating and racist... He represents the Arab Lawyer Association. A few months ago, I was surprised when this association granted a human rights award to one of the Arab world's greatest tyrants – Colonel Al-Qadhafi.

[...]

The stereotypical image attributed to us did not come from nowhere. Such an image develops out of the world's accumulated experience with a certain people or culture. What have the Arabs given the world over the past 50 years? Have the Arabs given the world the car, the plane, or the watch? Did the Arabs, at the very least, leave the world alone? The Arab today is an example of an extremist who has hijacked the entire Arab nation.

I have my own position on the issue of identity and I've written research and articles on the subject.

Host: But, Mr. Nabil, do you accept someone calling you "a vagabond"?

Al-Din: As an Egyptian, I do not consider myself an Arab. In principle, I consider myself an independent, cultural entity, and I have no need of other people's identities.

[...

Husni Amin, international law professor:

In addition to "vagabond", "homeless", "beggar", "pervert" , "hobo", "parasite", "bandit", "outcast", "stupid", "leech", "sloth", "neglectful", "bad boy", "drifter", "stray", "bankrupt", "spender" – he is bankrupt and a spender at the same time – "exaggerator", and "cunning"...

Host: No insult was left out...

Al-Din: This is what they see. They see Arabs coming to the West and spending their nations' money. They see the Arab dictator, they see the Arab tyrant, they see the Arabs trying to cross borders like homeless people.

Amin: Look at this definition...

Al-Din: That is what they see.

Amin: "One who votes illegally in different polling places."

Host: "Vote" means to vote in the elections?

Amin: Yes, someone who votes in an illegal manner, in more than one polling place.

Al-Din: This one is true. Maybe this is what distinguishes us Arabs from the rest of the nations. Even the Indian nation does not do this. No nation with self-respect would.

[...]

Al-Din: The 22 Arab farms are not even worthy to be called countries. The 22 Arab farms produce less than half of the GNP of the poorest country in Europe, which is Spain.

[...]

Saying that we don't deserve these descriptions, that we are better, we have contributed... How much longer will we beg for alms from history and heritage? Our current cultural status is that of the world's villains. If you land at any airport you will see how an Arab is greeted – because of the justification (of terrorism) and because we don't face the facts. We are, indeed, beggars. We do, indeed, live like parasites off other nations. We are, indeed, the last region in the world where dictatorships exist. The Latin American countries have become democratic, Zimbabwe in Africa has become a democratic country, where regimes change. The only remaining swamp of dictatorships in the world is the depressed Middle East, not the greater Middle East.

[...]

We always think the West is conspiring against us... We are less important than a fly's wing to the West. We live on aid from the West. We live on Western support, and on the products of Western culture. These cameras are from the West, and so are the cars we drive. The buses that carry our children are from the West. Our clothes are from the West.