"The Arab Society: Between Contradictions and Paradoxes - Causes of the Fluctuation in Arab Society between Ideas and Beliefs"

Abstract

The Arab society is plagued by the dilemma between contradictions, which refers to the withdrawal of ideas towards state institutions, and paradoxes, which relates to the role of religions in directing political affairs. How can a society that oscillates between "contradictions" and "paradoxes" master the art of state management and governance?This crisis faced by the Arab society is described by Ali Harb in his book "Ghazw Thaqafi Am Futohat Fikriya" (Cultural Invasion or Intellectual Conquests) published in 1993. He describes the values crisis as follows: "We live in our own particularities, even in primitiveness, and we immerse ourselves in our own worldliness, even in decadence. We utilize the latest tools, yet we reject the latest ideas and methodologies. We cling to our roots with utmost stubbornness in our rhetoric and discourse, but we undermine and attack them in practice. We employ the latest weapons to kill one another, yet we reject philosophical reasoning, considering secularism, democracy, and liberalism as imported ideas."This statement accurately depicts the reality of the Arab society, as it often clings to tribal values, particularly evident in discussions about women's freedom, where the mentality of "harem" is not easily abandoned. On the other hand, we find that identity, in contemporary Arab discourse, serves as a refuge from globalization and a means to resist proclaimed assimilation. It is a superficial resistance where we import their tools and weapons but reject their ideas.