The interaction between the Arab mindset and ‘western’ culture is an intellectual issue that has intrigued me for years. Many public figures believe valuing our culture implies hostility towards western culture. Others believe that to be able to cope with the demands of modern life one must be familiar with and have knowledge of Western culture – they often tend to ignore the Arabic Islamic culture in the process.

A third group is disrespectful of Arab culture and has a disproportionate admiration for the alien Western culture. I believe these stances are based on partiality and emotional bias rather than any awareness or insight into the issues at hand. I have also come to the conclusion that most Egyptians and Arabs in general tend to lean towards one of the aforementioned groups. 

However, there does exist another group. This group comprises a small number of people who believe that the Arab cultural ethos has given us much that we must be proud of. They have a profound knowledge of this culture, are acquainted with the richness of Arabic verse and aware of the value of the Arab intellectual spirit. They admire and appreciate the contribution of Western civilization but feel it has sapped ‘privacy’ from human beings. This group tends to be isolated from the others and believes their arguments fall on deaf ears. They feel they are being stabbed in the back and betrayed so they adopt an emotional stance tantamount to violence. They believe duty dictates that they defend their beliefs.

Instead of adopting a confrontational attitude, members of this group should demonstrate that it is possible to assimilate elements of Western culture without becoming blindly attracted to it. We should not borrow concepts that could obliterate our identity as Arab Muslims.

Many intellectuals have only a superficial knowledge of noteworthy Arabic and Islamic literature. Most don’t know the difference between Sharia (Islamic law) and Fiqh (Islamic doctrine). They probably don’t know that the Islamic doctrine is a ‘human’ endeavor subject to criticism and evolution. Blending law and doctrine shackles enlightened thought.  As a stalwart of Arabic literature said in the preface of one of his books, one does not have the right to judge something one doesn’t know. Those in the position to defend Arab culture are unable to do so because they don’t know enough about it. Arabs and Muslims have every right to pride themselves on the enriching treasure-trove that is our cultural legacy. I believe Arabic verse is an unparalleled fertile ground of creativity and Islamic jurisprudence. 

During the first four decades of the 20th century, Egypt was inextricably linked with the Eastern Mediterranean areas that surround Egypt. The Egyptian mindset has been distinguished over the centuries by tolerance and forbearance. It is linked to the Mediterranean dimension more than any other. The Middle Eastern identity was coined and cooked up in the ‘kitchen of politics’ and not in the ‘kitchen of history.’ We have a cultural dimension that is deeply rooted in our geographical situation. The cultural leanness that has befallen us during the last few years and the recalcitrance of some intellectual trends has probably played a significant role in sapping this dimension. This dimension, however, is a significant bridge between us and the entire world and one of the distinctive characteristics of our civilization.