Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
The Arab thinker, Edward Saeed, compares ‘real’ intellectual to Robin Hood, who is competent to unify vulnerable people. Lebanese thinker Ghasan Salama says the term ‘Arab intellectual’ is not clear because of two problems — the word ‘intellectual’ itself and the level of the use of the word ‘Arab’.
What role an Arab thinker plays in facilitating a suitable environment for any change in society?
Is the supposed pioneering role absent or made non-existent by others?
And where they are in terms of the roles played by leaders of enlightenment in the Western society, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), Montesquieu (1689-1755), Voltaire (1694-1778), d’Alembert (1717-1783), Diderot (1713-1784)?
All paved the way for the French Revolution in 1789, with their views and opinions about freedom, equality, justice, tolerance, human rights, citizenship, law, constitution and separation of powers.
All these views spread beyond the borders. In Germany, these were espoused by Herder (1744-1803), Lessing (1729-1781) and Kant (1724-1804), and Italian intellectuals Mazzini (1805-1872), Locke (1632-1704) and Hume (1776-1711) in the UK.
These intellectuals’ views, worn-out concepts and ideas have changed and a new culture has been established.
It is said that Arab Spring has affected the political aspect, not the cultural one.
It is clear that the role of intellectuals in the overall popular movement in Egypt, Libya, Syria and the Gulf was very marginal, compared to that played by the new generation of youth.
The youth played a decisive role using latest technology, cellphones and social networking sites to raise slogans and address political issues and reforms, pushing towards transition to democracy, although results are disappointing.
Spanish painter Picasso was criticised for his painting Guernica, because he depicted a village, shelled by Franco’s fascist regime. But the painter reacted by saying: How can an intellectual show no concern in others’ problems and keep himself away in his ivory tower and not take part in others’ existence.
The dilemma is not in denying Arab intellectuals the role of “Robin Hood”, but it is difficult to understand or interpret the collusion of a big number of those intellectuals with tyrant regimes like Syria’s Bashar Al Assad and before him Egypt’s Mubarak, Tunisia’s Ben Ali and Libya’s Gaddafi.
Some of them also supported coups under the pretext of correcting the deviant path. They promoted corrupt people and paved the way for them to regain control over various sections of the state. This is a new Arab cultural bullying tendency that appeared during Arab uprisings.
American writer Marshall Berman compares third world intellectuals adopting avant-garde culture with Faust, the protagonist of a classic German legend.
They are like him because they suffer a severe division between the cultural model and the strong desire to develop and their social reality. This is the case of Arab intellectuals because they are still living between the pre-Arab Spring and post-Arab Spring stages.
The Arab thinker, Edward Saeed, compares ‘real’ intellectual to Robin Hood, who is competent to unify vulnerable people. Lebanese thinker Ghasan Salama says the term ‘Arab intellectual’ is not clear because of two problems — the word ‘intellectual’ itself and the level of the use of the word ‘Arab’.
What role an Arab thinker plays in facilitating a suitable environment for any change in society?
Is the supposed pioneering role absent or made non-existent by others?
And where they are in terms of the roles played by leaders of enlightenment in the Western society, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), Montesquieu (1689-1755), Voltaire (1694-1778), d’Alembert (1717-1783), Diderot (1713-1784)?
All paved the way for the French Revolution in 1789, with their views and opinions about freedom, equality, justice, tolerance, human rights, citizenship, law, constitution and separation of powers.
All these views spread beyond the borders. In Germany, these were espoused by Herder (1744-1803), Lessing (1729-1781) and Kant (1724-1804), and Italian intellectuals Mazzini (1805-1872), Locke (1632-1704) and Hume (1776-1711) in the UK.
These intellectuals’ views, worn-out concepts and ideas have changed and a new culture has been established.
It is said that Arab Spring has affected the political aspect, not the cultural one.
It is clear that the role of intellectuals in the overall popular movement in Egypt, Libya, Syria and the Gulf was very marginal, compared to that played by the new generation of youth.
The youth played a decisive role using latest technology, cellphones and social networking sites to raise slogans and address political issues and reforms, pushing towards transition to democracy, although results are disappointing.
Spanish painter Picasso was criticised for his painting Guernica, because he depicted a village, shelled by Franco’s fascist regime. But the painter reacted by saying: How can an intellectual show no concern in others’ problems and keep himself away in his ivory tower and not take part in others’ existence.
The dilemma is not in denying Arab intellectuals the role of “Robin Hood”, but it is difficult to understand or interpret the collusion of a big number of those intellectuals with tyrant regimes like Syria’s Bashar Al Assad and before him Egypt’s Mubarak, Tunisia’s Ben Ali and Libya’s Gaddafi.
Some of them also supported coups under the pretext of correcting the deviant path. They promoted corrupt people and paved the way for them to regain control over various sections of the state. This is a new Arab cultural bullying tendency that appeared during Arab uprisings.
American writer Marshall Berman compares third world intellectuals adopting avant-garde culture with Faust, the protagonist of a classic German legend.
They are like him because they suffer a severe division between the cultural model and the strong desire to develop and their social reality. This is the case of Arab intellectuals because they are still living between the pre-Arab Spring and post-Arab Spring stages.
