By Rana Ballout
I’m Arab…and I’m Proud!
A Lebanese friend of mine recently called me fuming from London. She had just ended a spirited conversation with a former White House staff member who demanded, point blank, “Can you tell me what the Arabs have contributed to Western civilization in the last one hundred years?” She was stumped. So she did what any cornered intellectual would and slammed the phone shut without uttering a word. Surely this staffer was wrong?
Well, let’s start with some age old offerings that have spearheaded themselves into our contemporary way of living. Without Arab numerals (which incidentally we do not use in the region) such mammoth financial institutions as Merrill Lynch would not have numbers to crunch. If 13th century scientist Al Jazari hadn’t created the clock then would our days be as efficiently organized? Or if the Arabs hadn’t painstakingly translated the works of ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, then would we even know the word democracy or realize the importance of moderation respectively? This argument may have an element of conjecture, but then again isn’t history one long continuum of time?
Also, let’s not forget the mother of all contributions: black gold or oil as it is better known. The resource has undoubtedly fuelled western economies (and our own) for close to a century, allowing an effective transition into the modern age and beyond, thank you very much.
But you may have to look in the shadows for other offerings because of their cultural nature resulting from a century-long exodus westwards. As well as being made more colourful by thriving Arab and Muslim communities, some countries have embraced our culinary uniqueness. The French combined ingredients inherent to Lebanon’s tabouleh with the Maghreb’s couscous to make an odd salad more suitable to their taste. Musically, Arabic beats are being sampled excessively by Western producers looking for new exotic material. Electronic super-group The Chemical Brothers’ 2005 Galvanize is a case in point. The more classical-minded should just press play on Gabriel Yared’s award winning film score for the 1996 blockbuster The English Patient – partly set in Egypt, I might add. Not to forget Shakira and her rotating hips which have launched many a fitness programme worldwide.
Hot-on-those-belly-dancing-heels are Iraqi Zaha Haddid’s Modernist creations that grace major European capitals. Add to that the penetrating philosophy of Gibran Khalil Gibran and the wonderful prose of Amin Maalouf and Tahar Ben Jelloun and you’re well on your way to winning an argument.
Granted, these contributions may not be as trailblazing as those of our ancestors nor as obvious – these are times of integration and exchange after all. Still, scanning the centuries, it’s clear to see that we are far from having contributed nothing - and you can serenely articulate that down the phone…
