“Arabs are nothing but zeroes”

In an interview aired on Al-Jazeera,and later reported on the web by the Middle East Reasearch Institute (MEMRI), Algerian author Anwar Malek harshly criticized today’s Arab society, claiming “today, the Arabs constitute nothing but thousands of zeroes”, and that “Arabs have lost their worth, their humanity, their culture”

Anwar Malek is the name Nouar Abdelmalek is known by. A founding member of the “Collectif contre l’impunité des crimes contre l’humanité en l’Algerie” (Collective against impunity of crime against humanity in Algeria), Malek has withstand jailing and torturing because of his political and cultural positions. He is about to publish a new book – “Le tornade de la corruption et la conquete de l’Algerie par Benladen” – where he addresses some of the most important issues of today’s Algeria and Arab society in general. A book that will not go by unnoticed.

In the interview broadcast on Al-Jazeera, he touched some of these issues. As when the interviewer said “Seventy-three percent of our viewers believe that the Arabs constitute a great power, and have ability to be influential, and so on”, Mr. Malek calmy replied “This figure indicates that the Arabs are afflicted with fantasies and obsolete bravado.”

What follows is an excerpt of the interview as reported by MEMRI.

“The Arabs invented, or discovered, the zero – but what did they do with it? Some of them sat on it, some put it on their heads, while others wore it around their waists, and began shaking their hips, their bellies, and their breasts, in order to sell to the world the idea that modern Arabs are doing something. Today, the Arabs constitute nothing but thousands of zeros to the left.”

“The Arabs have lost their worth, their humanity, their culture, and everything. There is nothing to suggest that the Arabs can be relied upon to produce anything.”

“This false bravado is deeply rooted in the Arabs, to an unimaginable degree. It is so deeply rooted that the Arabs believe they can go to the moon. If you asked your viewers whether the Arabs would be able to reach the moon by 2015, they would say: ‘Yes, the Arabs will get to the moon.’ By Allah, the Arabs will not go more than a few hundred kilometers from their doorsteps. These are empty words.”

“In all honesty, the Arabs are backward, and are not fit for civilization at all. I am not referring to history. I am talking about the Arabs of today. I’m not talking about the Arabs of the past, in the days of the Islamic conquests. I am talking about the Arabs of today. They have lost their Arab identity, and have begun to export shawarma, falafel, and lupin beans to Europe, and they purport to be bringing something Arab to Europe.”

“The Arab rulers are a reflection of the people. The Arab rulers did not come down from Mars or from the sun. They emerged from among the people, and share the same beliefs.”

“I challenge any Arab citizen, who may become a ruler, to do anything beyond what the current Arab leaders are doing. There is no difference between the Arab rulers and the Arab peoples. All those who are called ‘Arabs’ are one and the same.”

Interviewer: “Look what small resistance movements have achieved, by means of very primitive weapons, in confronting aggressors and enemies. Can you deny this? This completely refutes what you say.”

Anwar Malek: “What resistance are you talking about? If you are talking about the resistance of Hizbullah – Hizbullah has destroyed Lebanon, in the framework of a Persian conspiracy. I say this point blank. As for the resistance in Palestine – they are [merely] defending themselves. They are a group of people defending themselves from attacks from all directions. What did they achieve? Did they defeat or destroy Israel? I consider it a miracle when someone manages to even defend himself.

“The reality of the Arabs is one of defeat, hitting rock bottom… We are defeated, politically and militarily… and economically, socially, and even psychologically. We have a discourse of conspiracy, and we blame everything on others.”

Interviewer: “Take Egypt, for example. What does Egypt – that superpower – have to offer? I ask you, what does Egypt have to offer?”

“Nothing. It is incapable of doing anything. It has nothing but lupin beans – and I say this in complete irony. It is incapable of doing anything. It lives off American aid. Without it, they would starve. Egypt is incapable of waging war, strategically and militarily. It is incapable of doing anything.”

“Didn’t Egypt win several wars?”

“No. The 1973 war was not a victory. It was another defeat.”

“It didn’t win the war?”

“No. It was followed by the Camp David accords a few years later. It did not win the war. No Arab country has won a war in modern times. There has been no victory worthy of mention. All we have are defeats, which we package as victories.

“Look at how the Arabs live in the West. By Allah, they are a bad example. If you hear about thieves – they are always Arabs. Whenever a young man harasses a girl on the streets of London or Paris, he turns out to be an Arab. All the negative moral values are to be found in the Arab individual.”