All the efforts made in the past and present to restore the status of the Arab nation, which witnessed a series of deteriorations and failures on many fronts for the past three decades, are highly appreciated and welcome.
Despite these efforts and all the important writings about the importance of the Arab renaissance project, the status of the Arab has further deteriorated. What's worse is that the renaissance project has not yet passed the stage of intellectual theorising and resulted in practical implementation.
Perhaps this should not just be attributed to the many challenges and poor conditions, but also to Arab disagreement on the intellectual grounds of this desired project. Most importantly, it is the lack of sound regulatory frameworks needed for achieving the project and following its implementation that is the problem.
Another possible reason is the domination of the political dimension over intellectual and organisational aspects in efforts that are aimed at realising the renaissance project.
The most important question, often overlooked, is the how, while the focus is on questions like where, what and why, which do not change the Arab status.
This criticism does not apply to a book released by the Centre for Arab Unity Studies, which is under the supervision of Dr Khair Al Deen Haseeb.
The last chapter of The Arab Renaissance Project answers the question of how, with ideas about practical mechanisms through which the renaissance project can be achieved. This effort is highly appreciated.
Categorisation
Yet, it would be better if the writer separated the intellectual, political and regulatory aspects so as to arrive at a common intellectual ground, so that we could later deal with the political aspect according to different conditions and places.
How valuable it would be if the writer designated a chapter on the new Arab generation, which should be the focus of any renaissance project. Until change for the better takes place, the bet will always be on younger generations and their effective role in forging the future of their nation.
As Arabs, the question arises here: Which is the new Arab generation that we hope will bring about change?
The "old generation" in any society is the reservoir of knowledge and experience from which the new generation take the ideas they need to build on their work. So, the old generation becomes responsible for drafting and formulating ideology, while the new generation becomes responsible for work and action to achieve the desired goals and objectives.
There is an inevitable association between ideology and action in any process of change, and it is the common responsibility of different generations.
The problem now is that most of the old generation still believe in the weak-minded ideas they inherited, which were responsible for the deterioration of Arab societies and political, social and cultural backwardness.
Indeed, the current concepts in Arab societies contribute significantly to shaping the ideology of the younger generation and guiding them.
Therefore, we see Arab youth divided and torn between two extreme directions — extremism represented in their carelessness and negativity, and extremism manifested in various sectarian and sectionalist forms, some of which permit violence.
It is very important for us to answer the question: How can we rise again and restore our status?
It is our responsibility and duty to reform the new Arab generation in order to build a comprehensive Arab renaissance and a better future.
It is true that each Arab country has its own properties and characters, yet there are common problems between countries of the Arab nation, which reflect negatively on these national characteristics.
Therefore, there is now an urgent need for Arabs to formulate a common Arab position on the nation's renaissance project, as there is a need to have a unified national position within each country. The talk about the need for an "Arab renaissance" means that Arabs are one nation spread across several countries, which form one integral geographic and cultural entity.
The Arab entity is made up of integrated and correlated units, as Arabism does not exclude or contradict family, tribal, national and ethnic affiliations.
Nationalism is an expression associated with the issue of identity, which means belonging to a group, country or nation. It does not mean there is only one political or ruling system or religion.
Methodology
It is wrong, for example, to talk about "national ideology" versus "religious ideology". It would be better to discuss "secular ideology" versus "religious ideology".
Hence, Arabism is the more accurate and comprehensive term when talking about Arab nationalism, in order to avoid mixing the common cultural identity with various methodologies and ideologies within the Arab thinking or amid Arab intellectuals. Also, it is important to differentiate between the importance of religion's role in the society, and implicating it in the state's duties and authorities.
Truly, commitment to rejecting violence in political endeavour and adopting peaceful and democratic means are a must in order to bring about a renaissance.
To this end, achieving the Arab renaissance requires that we enhance the role of Arab intellectuals and well educated people who believe in loyalty to modern Arabism, and then set the right goals and employ the correct methods under wise leadership.
Sobhi Ghandour is the director of Al Hewar Centre in Washington.
