Here’s a must-read essay by Arab writer Nonie Darwish, on The Arab’s “Berlin Wall.” (Hat tip: Elizabeth.)

There is an old Arab saying “My brother and I against our cousin, but my cousin and I against a stranger”. That reveals a great deal about Arab culture. There are multiple layers and degrees of loyalties isolating Arabs from the outside world. What matters is blood relationships, ancestry, tribalism and nationalism. To Arab/Moslems the rules on the inside differ from those on the outside and what they tell themselves in private differs from what they tell the rest of the world. To them this is not lying, it is simply the other face presented to the non-Moslem world.

The invisible wall protects dictatorships breeding fear in their citizens and abusing religion for political gain and power. Arab news organisations are the propaganda machines of the power hungry leaders who work their people into a frenzy of anger, envy and paranoia against the West and Israel. Many of these leaders have more love for their Swiss bank accounts than for their people, who on every occasion have to express their adoration and loyalty to these dictators. Pictures of these dictators are everywhere and songs praising them on every radio station.

Inside the wall the warrier mentality and the glory of battles are put on a pedestal, but in public they say theirs is a religion of peace. The result is a militant population ready to sacrifice their lives and that of their children to Jihad. The militant factions and warlords could threaten the leadership from within; more than what Arab dictators ever bargained for. Thus, the people’s urge for war is redirected against the West and non-moslems. Truth, logic, fairness, appreciation of humanity as a whole and striving to find one’s own identity is not of value and practically non-existant. Loyalty to the clan is number one and it does not matter how good or bad your clan is. If Saddam Hussein is head of your clan, you have no choice but to abide. If you dissagree with and abandon the clan no other one would take you in. Membership is strictly given through blood relations and the fact that both clans are Moslem doesn’t help much. Discention guarantees being ostracized.

When Arabs/Moslems face the World arena, they find their internal views in conflict with international law and values, and have to put on a different face. Changing one’s religion from Islam to, say, Christianity, is punishable by death. In 1981, Moslem countries pressured the United Nations to water down a declaration on the elimination of religious discrimination, in order that the language used not embarrass them as violators of human rights laws. The original language declaring the right “to adopt” or “change” ones religion was removed and only the right “to have” a religion was kept. The United Nations can be corrupted just like any government; food for thought for those who think one world government is the solution.