Essay on Building Community in the Arab World PDF
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Summary
This essay argues that a successful society in the Arab world requires minority citizens to feel like integral parts of the overall community, not just defined by labels. It emphasizes the delicate balance between acknowledging and respecting diverse cultural, racial, religious, and economic identities, and preventing those differences from creating divisions that weaken social cohesion.
Full Transcript
ESS Isaac Newton once said, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of countless ordinary humans, even of pygmies." In the Arab World, we can see further by standing on piles of accumulated miscalculations and disappointments. We can see that the trick in having a successful soci...
ESS Isaac Newton once said, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of countless ordinary humans, even of pygmies." In the Arab World, we can see further by standing on piles of accumulated miscalculations and disappointments. We can see that the trick in having a successful society is for minority citizens to be able to feel that they are more than the label they wear; they must feel that they are part of the overall mosaic. It is not that multicultural societies are impossible; it is just that they are often rather delicate. Divisions based on race, language, class, and religion can be accepted, tolerated and even enjoyed. These add to the complexities and possibilities of life, but they can also make a society more dividable, especially when the divisions all line up the same way, and one group can be culturally, racially, religiously and economically distinguished from another. Societies with such internal divisions do not seem to stand up well against external shocks. Unless we give people of diverse cultural backgrounds a sense of belonging and a sense that their identity and heritage are valued threads in the tapestry of Arab society, real community becomes impossible.
