Word: gacem
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...objection to Zionism is that, in practice, it has not respected the basic rights of the Palestinian people. From this position, we once again invite all Jewish/Israeli groups on campus to work with us to achieve our goal. Hazem Ben-Gacem '92 Naseem Tuffaha '94 Joana Samhoun '93 The Society of Arab Students
...Gacem concludes, "WE ARE ARABS AND WE ARE PROUD...
Thus, two almost indistinguishable Pan-Arabist doctrines lead to diametrically opposed outcomes: Mr. Ben-Gacem's to a Saladinesque Arab utopia, and Saddam's to the wholesale destruction of Kuwait and, consequently, Iraq. In short, Pan-Arabism is a destructive political theory because it bills itself as a moral imperative without regard to the morality of its consequences...
Happily, the spectre of Pan-Arab nationalism is hardly as threatening as Mr. Ben-Gacem's article might lead us to believe. "Dear Bader," his article intones insultingly, "the Arab masses are united. Maybe if you hadn't lived in Belgium for 12 (sic--it was only three) years you would understand what I am talking about...
...Gacem claims that Pan-Arabism is "only rooted in the Arab masses," and that "it is exploited by their authoritarian dictators to manipulate people for their own sake." Only the second half of his claim is believable; Saddam Hussein shamelessly exploited Pan-Arab nationalism in his quest to decimate Kuwait and the unscrupulous King Hussein of Jordan invoked the same principle to aid Saddam's brutality surreptitiously, probably in violation of U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Ironically, Pan-Arabism, or what is left of it, has thus become almost synonymous with inter-Arab rapacity...