Arab and democratic cultures compared

The author of the following would not necessarily want his name associated with it on the Internet, so I will leave it unattributed.

First . . . . Arab culture is based on the primacy of intimidation and even violence. Agreements between rival factions do not really terminate animosities, which is why such agreements are so short-lived.

Second, thanks to the biblical influence on the West, democracy is based on the primacy of the individual. This influence did not penetrate Arab-Islamic culture which is based on the primacy of the group -- be it the village or the extended family. The individual Arab or Muslim has no identity outside the group; it is to the group that he owes his loyalty. This is one reason why internecine conflict has been endemic among Arabs throughout their history.

Third, freedom, including freedom of speech, is one of the two cardinal principles of democracy. This is not the case of Arab-Islamic culture, which is strictly authoritarian . . . .

Fourth, unlike democracy, whose other cardinal principle is equality, Arab-Islamic culture is strictly hierarchical. Top-down leadership is a fundamental principle of Islamic theology . . . .

Fifth, democracy . . . is generally regarded as a process . . . . In contrast, Arab-Islamic culture binds everyone to the substantive values prescribed in the Koran.

Sixth, whereas democratic societies are preoccupied with the present (PEACE NOW), Arab-Islamic culture exists under the aspect of eternity colored by events of the past and dreams of the future. This is one reason why the concept of revenge for past injuries is a dominant motif of the Arab mind . . . . Given their loyalty to the group, they are religiously bound to wreak vengeance on those who have slighted the honor of any Muslim . . . .

Seventh, whereas democracy is steeped in secularism, Arab-Islamic culture is rooted in religion. Even Arab leaders who are not devout Muslims identify with the basic goals of Islam. The radical separation of religion and politics found in democracy is foreign to Islamic regimes.

Eighth, it bears repeating that the peaceful tendencies and publicity found in democracy stand in striking contrast to the militancy and dissimulation characteristic of Islam . . . . to expect genuine and abiding peace between Israel and her autocratic neighbors is not only a piece of folly but an insult to Islam [which would regard a genuine peace settlement in return for negotiated benefits, as opposed to a mere tactical truce, as a prostitution of basic Islamic rights].

Finally . . . . Islamic civilization is animated by memories of former greatness and aspirations [indeed, the assurance] of future glory. This makes Muslims exceedingly proud, so much so that even an illiterate Arab, living in squalor and filth, feels naturally superior to the Jews [(for example)], as English aristocrats would[,] in olden days, feel toward Cockneys.