Comments on: Hate is such a strong word

By: Dina

Dina — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:32:37 +0000

I am glad you’ll say that.
Yes, having a nice debate spices up life way more than agreement on everything, right!
Unfortunately, I often get the impression some cultures are more “debate-hostile”, and I’d count the Arab culture, not all Arab individuals, of course, with them. Too often people will shut off every debate because you said something they found shocking or puzzling or rebellious (even if you just questioned something that is taken for granted or certain, not out of intention to definitely change it – but simply for checkproofing if it is necessary or even good).

By: Ahmed Masri

Ahmed Masri — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:50:30 +0000

Dina, Not at all.. No need to apologize, I love a good debate. I’m glad we are on the same page. Also, I live in Bahrain, so you are right, I have met lots of “supreme” Arabs!

By: Dina

Dina — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:40:03 +0000

Ahmed, I am sorry if you thought I was calling you a racist.
I did not jump to the conclusion you were.
What I thought you were saying simply pushed a few buttons with me as there are quite a few Arabs out there who are of doubtful supremacy ideologies (I am sure you have met some as well..)

Yes, I agree – mixing is something positive. I am mixed too it gives different perspectives and richer heritage.
Maybe that is why I am sensitive to the ideology of “pure blood”.

I surely did not mean to discredit you personally, but simply jumped to the thoughts evoked.
Of course, I am glad you put them into perspective, and historically you are right of course. Nothing wrong with that – and I apologize if you felt attacked by me!

By: Ahmed Masri

Ahmed Masri — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:45:44 +0000

oops.. meant Etymological not Entomological.. one is the study of words.. the other, insects

By: Mona

Mona — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:03:37 +0000

@Dojo Art
Well, those search phrases are clean that I posted. However, I got a million others that are not, and I didn’t want to post the obvious. Some people really search for nasty things online. Ewww!

By: Dojo Art

Dojo Art — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:59:57 +0000

The search phrases always bring in some interesting stuff. I always tried to keep from foul language since I didn’t wanted my visitors to find me using those. In my country there are some bloggers who got way up on their Alexa ranks and traffic stats by using all kinds of “bad” words.

Good “collection’ of things you’ve got here, it really made me laugh a bit. I needed that after a tiresome work day. Keep up the amzing job, love the blog. Clean and interesting.

By: Ahmed Masri

Ahmed Masri — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:10:41 +0000

Dina… I made no mention of Levant Arabs being lesser Arabs in my post. I was simply stating, in entomological terms, that “Arabs” originated from Yemen. But you are right, everyone descends from someone else. If you believe current evolutionary science, we all came from Africa.

By the way, I’m half Egyptian, half Palestinian, and I do not have a race complex. I think the world should interbred to the point where race disappears.

By: Ahmed Masri

Ahmed Masri — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:06:40 +0000

Dina… Take a deep breath, step down from the pulpit, and relax. Read my message again. I make no mention of Levant Arabs being lesser Arabs(for the record, I am half Egyptian and half Palestinian). I was simply stating, that the original Arabs.. the peoples who were originally called Arabs (I’m approaching from the direction of “entomology”) came from Yemen..

but you are perfectly correct in saying that even they have descended from other races. If current evolutionary science is to be believed, we all came from Africa.

I would also like to add.. that one should not jump to conclusions about another person based on one or two messages. I do not have a race complex.. in fact.. I think the world would be better off if everyone interbred to the point where race becomes irrelevant, and then, we will have nothing to differentiate between ourselves other than our own will, strength, and individuality.

By: Dina

Dina — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:40:36 +0000

Yuva.. well Arabs are united by a language. With many dialects, granted, but still a very strong bond.
there is no such thing as one African or Indian language, there are in fact hundreds. That is why – IMO – these peoples are not as closely connected as Arabs.

Diversity is precious, and mixing of peoples and cultures happens at many points in every people’s history. Genetically, it is a very good thing right

But one has to watch carefully if diversity is valued as the good it is, and if one’s partially differing history is appreciated – or used to bring division, and feelings of supremacy of the “purer Arabs”, something I cannot stand.

By: Dina

Dina — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:33:17 +0000

Ahmed.. Most likely you have some sort of Egyptian ancestors in your family history. Well Egyptians are the one people within the Arabian lands that are descendants from many more non Arabs than Arabs. Still they are speaking the language, and have shared Arab culture for centuries. So why would they not be Arab?
I can only feel offended by these accounts of “Levantine” Arabs not being “real Arabs”. As if the Arabian peninsula were the only true thing.
btw especially on Yemenite soil, there is pre Arab history in the form of Ancient Saba, as much as there is Phoenician history on today’s Lebanese soil, or Pharaonic history on today’s Egyptian soil.. the only “pure” Arabs then are descendants of a couple of Nomadic tribes in today’s Gulf kingdoms. And even for them, who can prove there has been no mixture? Many other peoples, Jews, Assyrians, Arameans etc populated today’s Saudi Arabia in the past 1500 years…
I get sensitive at this issue because the denunciation of other Arab peoples as “less of Arabs” carries very racist traits for me.
No offence.