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Friday, March 11, 2005

Common Sense, Old School Style

Thanks to Gregory for sending me a link to a commentary article in the most recent edition of Yemen Times, one of the two English-language papers in the country. The article, by Hassan al-Haifi, is written partly in response to Christopher Hitchen's recent slate column on the death toll of the putrid notion of the "Arab Street." The idea of the Arab street, horridly racist in its undertones (and, frequently, overtones) is that the entirety of the Arab world, from the western shores of Africa to hard up on the Iraqi border with Persian Iran, thinks and speaks with one voice. That's why we heard about the Street rising up due to American-led occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. The notion has curiously not been dispelled by virtue of being proven consistently false. But, you know, so what? It is a good soundbite.

Hassan al-Haifi believes in it, though, very strongly. When I was living in Yemen reading his column was one of the highlights (beside, of course, the qat). For al-Haifi, everything in the world was a direct result of an insidious American-Zionist plot against Muslims- specifically Arab Muslims. I mean, everything. He denounced the bombings in Madrid (this is the one-year anniversary: we must not forget that horror), but still managed to twist it into another rant at neo-conservative and evangelical Israeli-lovers. It was impressive. A good drinking game would have been to do a shot every time he wrote "Israeli plot," "American-Zionist," "Evangelical," "neo-conservative" and any variation. If you could make it through an entire column without seeing two or three newspapers in front of you, you might not actually be human.

I am not picking on al-Haifi merely because he is an easy target- just the opposite. He is a gifted writer, very talented in English (and, one imagines, Arabic). From what I read he has the best grasp of English of any writer in Yemen. He is also skilled at making his arguments appear logical, even when they are 180 degrees removed from that state. And this is still not just an attack on him- he is important to read because he captures all of the flop-sweated conspiratorial nightmare gibberish of the old Arab nationalist myths in each of his columns, refusing to believe anything that doesn't fit his original thesis.

His recent column on Lebanon is a perfect example. He takes great pride in inverting "conventional wisdom" about Lebanon by saying the West is wrong, and the true will of the people is for Syria (basing it on the recent counter-demonstrations). This is, of course, merely a grasping attempt at putting the counter-wisdom back in place, but he spins it as if it is a revelation. I am going to quote one section of the article, which I think perfectly encapsulates the thinking of al-Haifi and his ilk- both in and out of the Arab world.

"On Tuesday, the 8th of March, 1.6 million Lebanese gathered together, in a magnificent display of civilized mass behavior and expression of political views and told the world, 'Lebanon is ours, and it is we who decide what Lebanon should and should not do'. If American thinks that by sending an envoy (aided by a French envoy for décor) to arrange for some relatively insignificant minor displays of public will and expression, they can dictate to Lebanon how its future should be laid out, they have fallen into the mistaken belief, no doubt sold by the Israelis, that the political scene in the region is in the hands of a few neo-conservative strategists in Washington and their Israeli mentors. Lebanon, on Tuesday, told the world that the future of Lebanon is in the hands of the Lebanese and it is the Lebanese who decide the fate of Lebanon."

How hard to choose where to begin! It would be too easy to pick on the numbers- most estimates were in the 500,000 mark, supplemented heavily by plain-clothed Syrian soldiers and Syrian civilians living in Lebanon. And a civilized display of political disposition is usually not enforced by men with guns. Ah, but: whatever. Let usneither quibble nor sweat the small stuff. It has been argued on this page that it would be absurd to think that there wasn't genuine emotion in the counter-protests. Let's move on.

It is more than demonstrably wrong- it is willfully misleading- to say that the anti-Syrian demonstrations were arranged by an American envoy and his decorous French counter-part. Al-Haifi furthers belittles the genuine feeling of the Lebanese by dismissing their brave movement as "relatively insignificant." He can't believe this; he is too smart. The problem is that it doesn't fit his worldview, his antiquated notion of Arab solidarity, his hatred of the West and everything it involves.

More than that, though, is his wierd insistence that Hezbollah keeping Syria in is a way of expressing national interest. He ignores, or is mentally incapable of processing, the theiving nature of the occupation. Why? Because it reflects poorly on an Arab state. It betrays the wagon-circling mentality of the intellectually corrupt old guard of Arab thinkers.

Al-Haifi is hard man with whom to argue. It is easy to point out the shortcomings in his thinking, but he is relentless and, like all lazy conspiracy theorists, works in unassaible intellectual circumnavigations, spinning you around and around, not letting you seee the one-step-remove he has from reality. It is this kind of thinking, this obnoxious rhetoric, that was on display at the pro-Syrian rally. It is this kind of thinking that marks the old guard.

For al-Haifi, and others, including many in America, it is not genuinely "Arab" unless it involves men with guns braying wildly against the west. This is demeaning in the extreme. For men like him, being an Arab is a collection of political beliefs- and if you don't feel that way you are not a true Arab. This is an idea that should revolt anyone's sensibilities. See, they are not "insignificant" because of numbers (though that is what he hopes for you to believe), and he completely discounts the incredible courage it took to stand out there- they are insignificant because they don't fit, they don't work, they don't jive with what he believes an Arab to think. They are just a few "bad apples," to use a term much in vogue around here.

He has no time for Lebanon except as to how it fits in the scheme of the greater Arab world (does this sound familiar? Against whom have we heard this accusation leveled?). Lebanon is just a pawn, and he doesn't want it to disturb his united front. Thus, when he says it is up for Lebanon to decide its future, he really means Lebanon better decide correctly. It is the bully mentality of the old-school Arab regimes and the intellectual class that protects them- a front being challenged by brave voices in the Arab world who have risen up through the muck to challenge this crapulent mentality.

The rest of the section is laughable, feverish conspiracy. The finest line is that America has fallen into a mistaken belief "no doubt sold to them by the Israelis." Anyone who says "no doubt" without any backup or caveats is a charlatan and a third-rate carnival huckster. But al-Haifi has to there, lest he break his contract and go three paragraphs without bringing up the Jewish threat.

He is right, though, that America cannot dictate to Lebanon what it should do. But he is wrong to think that a collective Arab will, as expressed by him and a few others with the same mind, should be able to do so. America needs to help Lebanon by keeping constant pressure on Syria, and let people do the rest. Lebanon can ignore the dismissive garbage being hurled their way by the old guard. The sometimes gorgeous, sometimes dingy streets and boulevards of Lebanon are the only streets in the Arab world that should matter to them. Lebanon, with Iraq, can go a long way in getting rid of that degrading and dehumanizing capital "S."

By the way, the name of al-Haifi's column cannot be improved upon: "Common Sense."

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for that little excerpt! Oh to live in Yemen...solid journalism, I mean. There is nothing more obvious than one big country stepping on a little country's toes. It's too bad for al-Haifi that the big country happens to be Arab. If I were living in Yemen and he were supporting a more immutably noble Arab cause, say a two-state solution in Israel, perhaps I would read and hear him out...until he would bring up American-Zionist plots and Hammas-style martyrdom and then I'd have to puke.

5:15 PM  
Blogger cairobrian said...

Yes, young KP. You nailed it. Al-Haifi can't quite deal with the fact that the bully country is, in fact, an Arab country. Israel is a bullly nation. America? Yes, we are. That is accepted. What isn't it the possibility that other countries might be run by, what I believe the kids are calling, jerks.

But I think you are too harsh on al-Haifi. He can only be what he is. Throwing up in reaction would only hurt him more. And any vomit you may spew would just be the reaction to a neo-conservative plot (no doubt influenced by the Israelis), and nothing to do with your particular stomach... its all a Plot, don't you see? As Bob Dylan said, we're only a pawn in their game...

That...that
is the ideology we are dealing with, young KP. And I am sure, in Libertyville, you experience this on a dialy basis- the idea that thought is a dictat from above. All car dealerships and the occassional excellent high school teacher (Mr. O'Neill being one of them) with an otherwise uniterrupted string of mediocre bring-downs. Evil, stupid thought exists everywhere: it is up to us to confront it. Nice work so far. Keep it up.

1:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think tom friedman may be one of the many readers of this blog. see his piece today entitled "Signs on the Arab Street".

2:51 PM  
Blogger Hassan (Yemen) said...

Dear Brian:

I have just found your write-up on me today, and as usual, I make it a point to acknowledge my appreciation to anyone who takes the time to read my humble journalistic efforts and to express his/her views on my humble identity. I take note of your misrepresentations about my views and I am sure had you had a chance to meet me, when you were in Yemen, you might have a totally different view. However, most westerners would take the easy route of dismissing the overall feelings of the Arabs vis a vis Israel, America and other leading players in the regional scenee and Christopher Hutchins is well known for his pro-Zionist and sometimes prejudicial anti-Arab views. Of course, the Arab Street is rejected not so much because, it does not exist, but because it does not have the liberty to express itself freely. This is due to the oppressive regimes under which most Arabs live, who are for all intents and purposes restrained from showing any genuine feelings about anything, by thier leaders, as I am sure you well know. Even expressions of opinion against Israel, other than the lip service that is sometimes allowed by the Arab regimes, are dealt with harshly (as the Saleh Regime has demonstrated in its War against the people of Sa'ada).
Incidentally, I have found many Americans who have no qualms accepting the "logic", as that presented in Common Sense.
Furthermore, many prominent Americans are also outspoken against the exaggerated influence of the Zionist lobby on American foreign policy (John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html) and even former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, makes it a point to demonstrate that the Palestinians do have a case.
In any case I still thank you, albeit belatedly.

Good luck and do not hesitate to call on me if you ever come to Yemen again.
My email address is commonsense@yemen.net.ye

8:50 PM  

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