Readers' comments 

The blog does not at present have an automatic commenting facility. Readers' comments, suggestions and corrections are nevertheless welcome and can be sent by email. Sensible comments on blog items (and possibly even stupid ones too) will be posted here.

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Re: A reply to the Angry Arab

From: Benjamin Greer, 2 November 2009

I agree with you, and I just wanted to make a brief comment on your last sentence, which rejects the idea that social problems are "immutable part of the national character, hard-wired into people’s genes". 

I think that the Catch-22 you describe is precisely a consequence of people's belief in the existence of nations and "national character". Nationalists, like the Angry Arab, believe that their nation is a real, sacred entity possessing an eternal virtuous character; any criticism of social problems is therefore seen as slander against the nation, and social problems must therefore be blamed on something external to the nation.

 Orientalists and racists also believe that nations are real, but they believe that other people's nations are inferior to their own. But as a great deal of social science has shown in the past few decades, there is no such thing as nations, and and national characters are myths. If the Angry Arab stopped believing in the existence of an Arab nation, his objections to your argument would evaporate.

Re: King Farouk of Unesco?

From: Osama Diab, 8 September 2009

Farouk Hosny and the 'first lady' are the examples I despise the most; people whose jobs are to improve the image of an oppressive regime by bringing operas by Verdi to Luxor and the Pyramids and pretend to promote books and reading, while reading and knowledge, in reality, is the thing the regime fears the most. Boutros Ghali is still used by the regime today, in the human rights field, because of a prestigious UN position he had 15 years ago. We don't want this to happen again.

Re: Arab science fiction

From: Siad Darwish, 12 August 2009

What I would add is that sci-fi can be seen in the wider picture of utopias, as the genre was formerly called. With the emergence of modernity and the industrial revolution people in the West thoroughly believed that technology will only improve humanity for the common good. You could then see, shortly after WWI and with the great depression, the emergence of negative utopias. Visions of the future, that depict the 'dark side' of modernity and technology, and it's misuses. 

I think that sci-fi has to be viewed within the framework of western modernity. And it would be interesting to see how visions of the future are influenced by the realities of the present. Which would then allow us to paint a picture of what Arab sci-fi would look like in this day and age. I'd suggest it would lie in Orwell's, Huxley's and Kafka's tradition.

I agree that present-day hegemonic interpretations of Islam are uneasy about science, but so are other world religions to varying degrees, as it questions the pillars of their very existence. Great post however!

Re: Shock of the new media

From Cyberfact, 19 July 2009 

Where is the mention of the west's censorship of the Arab press – like al-Manar and the many instances of outright military attack on those and other sites? Much of this is led by Israel's initiative, so I dont suppose you'll have the courage or permission to explicate THAT anytime soon. 

Re: Shining all over Egypt  

From Ellis Goldberg, 18 July 2009

I think Bayram was exiled for insulting Fuad (Farouk's father) in the early 30s rather than Farouk in the later 1940s. The general point that lese-majeste (sorry no French accents available) remains a crime in the Arab world is incontestable; it seems to me that many people thought that that was precisely the red line that Saad al-Din Ibrahaim crossed and led to his imprisonment (and ultimately his exile).

Re: Egyptian floozies

From Timothy Reece, 12 July 2009

I am in agreement with you in the respect that the great OED may be wrong on this occasion. I was told of this origin of the word by the renowned interpreter Lesley McGlaughlon (name may well be spelled differently!). He has 30 years experience as an Arabist including cabinet level interpreting with Margaret Thatcher as well as work with Prince Charles. I'd go with him on this one!