The importance of renewing national ideology at this time was the main issue raised by Arab intellectuals during the recent Damascus Conference on Renewing Nationalist Ideology. The relation between national ideology and the grave developments in the Arab arena was questioned.
Furthermore, the interest in this issue was considered a luxury when some intellectuals believe that this ideology is separated from our present and is a thing of the past.
These questions indicate great ignorance of the developments in the Arab nation and their relation to the issues of nationalism and national identity. The sectarian and ethnic divisions among Arab people mirror the in-depth problem of the absence of a true understanding of religion, national identity and nationalism.
Thus, any attempt to tackle such a problem represents an important effort to address the issue of how to preserve the common national identity from the sectarian and ethnic divisions and the US-Israeli design to replace the Arab identity with a Middle Eastern one.
Dr Najah Al Attar, Syrian Vice-President and former culture minister, took the initiative to call a conference, titled "Renewing Nationalist Ideology and the Arab Fate", which was held in Damascus from April 15 to 20 in the presence of a large number of Arab intellectuals and writers.
Political issues
Despite the importance of this conference, in terms of its venue in Damascus, the capital of Arab Culture 2008, and its timing following the Arab Summit, the topics discussed at the conference combined the intellectual aspect and the political issues of the Arab nation.
However, the political aspect dominated the conference at the expense of the intellectual aspect, which was supposed to be the headline of the conference.
Despite the good preparation and organisation of the conference, the absence of young intellectuals was clearly felt. Most of the attendants were above 60 years.
This raises a big question: How can we consider this conference's target is renewing national ideology?
How come such a conference meant to address and discuss ways of renewing national ideology was held with the absence of young Arab intellectuals who are responsible for making changes and bringing about new ideologies?
Although the conference failed to focus on the main issue, I was pleased with the positive intellectual interaction between participants.
In my presentation and interposition, I highlighted the difference between the pan-Arabism and Arab origins, and nationalism and call for unity through four key points.
First is the need of Arab intellectual conferences for allocating preparatory sessions to deal with the issue of concepts and terms.
This move is necessary to avoid conflicting views that result from the absence of common understanding on particular terms such as secularism, nationalism and identity, as well as the difference between Islam as a religion of worship by Muslims and a religion of civilisation for all Arabs irrespective of their faith.
The second point I raised during was it would have been better if the conference had dealt with the issue of renewing Arab ideology instead of national ideology.
This is simply because there is no such thing as national ideology but an Arab ideology, as nationalism is an idea and there is no unified national ideology.
Another thing is that nationalism is an expression linked to the issue of the identity of groups and nations that bear cultural characteristics and contents that differ a group or nation from another.
Moreover, nationalism does not mean a political method or a ruling system. Neither does it mean an ideological content. Therefore, it is wrong to talk about national ideology against religious ideology, but secular ideology against religious ideology, exactly like making a comparison between conservative ideology and liberal ideology.
The concept of national ideology should be used only when talking about the identity issue as a cultural framework or container.
Also, the concept pan-Arabism is the best expression used when talking about Arab nationalism, so that the common cultural identity among Arabs will not be mixed with the various ideologies within the Arab ideology and among Arab intellectuals.
Major challenges
The Arab nation is facing major challenges, including the occupation of Palestine and Iraq, as well as the growing foreign interference in the Arab region in the light of the absence of joint Arab action and proper democracy. Hence, the slogans of liberation, democracy and Arab identity become a necessary trio of equations so as to protect the Arab identity.
Civil wars or sectarian and national divisions should not substitute for the foreign occupation.
Although the American project adopted by the administration of the American President George W. Bush is diminishing, and the Israeli project is fading, there is no victorious Arab project.
Resistance is a military and political project in the face of occupation, but post-liberation projects are still mysterious and not connected with a common Arab identity or democratic national identities.
The fourth point was that the issue of renewing Arab ideology must be based on a common understanding of pan-Arabism.
Before Islam, pan-Arabism meant to be the Arabic language and culture. Islam and Arabic Holy Quran, transformed pan-Arabism from the cultural identity of an Arab race into the wider horizons of cultural and civilisation identity that include Arab and non-Arab Muslims.
Through this, pan-Arabism will be a comprehensive cultural identity for all Arabs, not a symbol of political practices and ideas, some of which had violated the thought of pan-Arabism itself.
Sobhi Ghandour is head of Al Hewar Centre, Washington, USA.
