Monday, October 15, 2012

Anti-Westernism in the Middle East

I just finished the interesting book by Saqr Abu Fakhr titled The Wise Heretic (in Arabic about Kamal Salibi).  It is quite an interesting read.  But what struck me is the intense and even fanatical anti-Westernism of Salibi.  I say that because I am aware that Westerners attribute Arab anti-Westernism to Islam.  Here is a secular Protestant expressing deep disdain for the Western.  He even pledged to not step foot in Western countries again.  He was most bitter about the West although his career took off due to establishment Western academic endorsement of his work (until he started becoming more political and until he started writing his Bible series books).  I say that to say that the underlying causes of Arab anti-Westernism (and even non-Arab anti-Westernism in Muslim countries) are political in nature and not religious, even when expressed in religious language.