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(From an email I sent out to the AMALID members list on March 26, 2002) Hi AMALID fans, I had an email exchange with a Lebanese who resented my "Arab Pride" page on AMALID.COM and sent me a couple of articles about the non-arab identity of Lebanon and middle-eastern Christians. I acknowledge the historicity and anthropological value of some of these articles, but I resent the line of thinking "we are better than them", "we are different from them" which I find so hypocritical - especially coming from a Christian (which, mind you, I am ). I want to share these articles with you because they shed light on the mission of AMALID - whose dream is that middle eastern people rise above such isolationist, cocoonist almost fascist thinking. The articles are: http://www.amalid.com/articles/Lebanons_non-Arab_Identity.htm http://www.amalid.com/articles/Maronites_are_Syriac_Not_Arab.htm http://www.amalid.com/articles/ME_Christians_are_not_Arabs_ALPAC.htm http://www.amalid.com/prominent_lebs/Gubran_Khalil_Gubran/AMU_to_Powell.htm The article on Gibran Khalil Gibran made me very sad... It seems to me that the AAI and the AMU, just like in a biblical story, are fighting to divide the rags of the crucified poet and claim a piece of his poetry. How pathetic... How sad... However, it is through the Truth that is in True Poetry, that AMALID is fighting to unite the peoples of the middle-east. Sincerely, Rami
E. Cremesti - Founder www.amalid.com Mission: Promote the Beauty of Middle-Eastern Culture In The United States of America and promote the beauty of American culture and its virtues in the Middle-East with the hope of building a cultural bridge. AMALID also aims to provide A Cutting Edge, Internet-Based Networking/Informational Platform for All American Middle-Easterners and is a voice for Freedom and Justice, Tolerance and Peace in the Middle East. The Vision of AMALID is to shed light on the beauty of Middle-Eastern and Arab culture in the hope that Arabs will find in this cultural bond a bond that transcends religion and political ideology and rises above petty differences, and also in the hope that others will learn to appreciate this beautiful culture and American culture better.
Comments on this page: March 26, 2002 "now
my confusion is definitely over NO DOUBT YOU ARE A REAL ARAB......(sory
for this unsult) before you, abdel nasser, arafat, and all your brothers
in arabism including the ben ladin has been accusing us of all sorts of
insult simply because we have been vaccinated against these micro organism
called streptococcus arabicus. Rami I don't know about you but I have hung around with every different kind of Arab from Palestinian to Iraqi and to tell you the truth they are different, but no one is better than the other. But I feel that we have a lot of similarities with the Europeans as well as the Arabs like their caring side, and that's what makes us different. I don't know how long it's been since you've been to Lebanon or maybe you live there who knows, but every single time I go down the difference is more and more apparent. No one is better than the other, we all have our different qualities. I believe that we should be distinguished for the simple reason that the Lebanese seem to have more of a Western way of thinking which allows us an easier transition of mentality. Well I hope you see the angle which I'm coming from, and not take this personally please. take care Rami, It's very sad but not surprising to see that there are still "Lebanese" out there that under the guise of arguing about this age old topic (Arab vs. whatever), are still clinging to their hidden agenda of sectarian separation. They have the gull to proclaim that it is in no way intended to create divisions within the community. Unfortunately, before any Lebanese can truly claim anything about his or her heritage, they have to be able to say that they are first Lebanese before their religion or regional affiliation. And that remains to be seen... Rani A |