Who is an Arab?
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(Sorry, completely forgot to post it)
I was talking to a teacher of mine who is from Algeria. During our conversation, I happened to casually refer to him as Arab. He interrupted me and corrected me, saying that he was not Arab. At best he could be referred to as Arab-speaking (Arabophone). But he was an Algerian, African and Maghrebi. Off course, I started a discussion on the topic. And, I came to realize that my own vision and idea of “Arab” were very different than my vision of other ethno-linguistically defined group. Even though Québecois are often defined as French-Canadian, the sense of “French” is linguistic and not ethnic.
Meanwhile, the Arabic language and the Middle East have acquired such a powerful image of the ‘other’ and the ‘radical’ that the linguistic identity is overshadowed by the ethnic identity. In the moment, I didn’t understand that my teacher was actually distancing himself from the Arab identity due to the connotations that it brings. It implies religious radicalism. Since, the essence of Quebec lies in secularism (laïcité), identifying as an Arab is not the ideal social status.
Nonetheless, the notion that is more bothersome to me is that the fluidity of ethnicity and linguistic identity is being used to create a pan-Arab-speaking identity. This identity also subsumes the notion of the radical ‘Arab’ in it. So, instead of understanding that the ethnic overlaps are the marker of ethnic diversity of the Arab-speaking world, it is used to portray the whole Arab-speaking people as the stereotypical radical Islamists. In other words, the fluidity of ethnicity is being used to extend the definition to a linguistic identity.
Perhaps it is an attempt at simplicity. Perhaps, it is willful ignorance. Or perhaps, it creates a useful Other.