Divide and lose

---

Much of our troubles are due to a culture of division, sectarianism and fanaticism that is as widespread in today's Arab scene as it was many centuries back. Look at Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and Lebanon and you'll see how true this is. In Palestine, things were bad even before the insane quarrel between Hamas and Fatah, and now they're only getting worse.

A few days ago, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned of an imminent civil war, saying that separatists from the south want to take the nation back to where it was before the unity agreement of 22 May 1990. Unless swift action is taken, Yemen might be next on the sad list of inter-Arab fighting.

Why on earth would a people bound by common religion, geography and history turn out to be so quarrelsome? Why cannot the Arabs see how divisive their attitude is? And why cannot they learn from history?

Once upon a time there were two tribes, Abas and Dhubian, who liked to race camels for money. Each tribe would select its fastest camel, and the winner would collect a prize put up by both contestants. In one such event, the camel of Abas, named Dahes, ran against the she camel of Dhubian, named Al-Ghabraa. The two tribes had bet 100 camels each on each animal, but the outcome was contested. Hundreds perished in the 40-year war of Dahes Wa Al-Ghabraa, named after the racing camels.

Today's Arab politics is no better. We're too quick to take offence and slow to reconcile. And we cannot blame Western conspiracies anymore, at least without sounding silly. The problem is in us, and in our separatist culture. The problem is that we trust no one and refuse to work with others as partners, even those who share our land, race and religion.

Is it possible for the Arabs to change before they lose more friends? Is it possible for the Arabs to start thinking of unity and adapting their education and politics accordingly? If the Arabs are really interested in maintaining their place in tomorrow's world, they must begin emphasising their points of agreement over those of disagreement. And they must start looking for bonds that link them irrevocably with the rest of humanity.