What has Arabs World given us?

An interesting new times passed by the covers of Arab press, titled:Writer urges Riyadh to review Arab ties. The writer seems to have urged his country's policy makers to give a second thought to its relations with other Arab countries, saying that he prefers boosting of ties with the United States, instead of Arab nations. In this article he wrote under the title ‘What did we benefit from Arab nationalism’ and published on Sunday by the Arabic daily Al Jazira, Mohammed Al Sheikh said: “We Saudis need to re-arrange our priorities, to read very well and with utmost objectivity our modern history and to derive lessons from it in our efforts to strengthen our new culture which should not be based on postulates without being subjected first to deliberations, scrutiny and constructive criticism as we used to do in the past.” He said that “our ideology must be based on nationalism and patriotism, must be an ideology which always takes into serious consideration the nation’s interest by placing national interest at the helm of other areas of priority.”

Perhaps, a more important and pertinent question would have been ‘What did the Arab/Muslim world benefit from Saudi Arabia?’ Or for that matter, what contribution has Saudi Arabia made to the betterment and development of human beings anywhere in the world. Yes! No doubt, millions of Saudi Riyals flow back into Indian coffers by the labour expat community who send foreign remittances back home but that's not what really matters on the world scene?

Indeed, the Arab world needs to rearrange its priorities, starting with the formation of a credible and visionary leadership capable of developing long-term strategies not based on nationalism and patriotism, but internationalism and globalism.

I don’t know what America has given to Saudi Arabia, perhaps the Saudi Writer can enlighten us, but I know that being the custodians of the holiest Muslim sites and an economic powerhouse, Saudi Arabia has a responsibility to lead the Muslim world, and by investing in the Arab world can help them develop economically.

Fund hospitals, technology schools and institutions, rush towards providing aid to wherever required irrespective of religious affiliations and see your goodwill soar amongst the nations.

Till then, no matter which way you look for friendship, it would be a friendship of convenience where there will be no respect for Arabs but they would be only considered, American stooges!