The Arabs, a source of painful concern

Many educated Muslim Lebanese, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and Saudis I met were literally ashamed of being Arab. Some would even try to hide their nationality. Why are British, French, Germans, Russians, Chinese, and Israeli Jews very proud of who they are? When I asked a Lebanese lawyer why Arabs have less self-respect than the former, he replied:

"An Arab is ashamed of being Arab because he is not what he wants to be. A Frenchman is much nearer his ideal than he is. And you earn your dignity. Arab people feel they did nothing to earn it. That's the reason why they live in escapism and never-ending storytelling about the past."