2. ARAB NATIONALISM 2
Arab Nationalism
Fall of the Ottoman Empire
The fall of the ottoman-Turkish empire was gradual; in other words, it was characterized
by a series of connected events which eventually led to the fall. Arab Patriots attribute the fall of
the empire to the fact that the Ottomans betrayed Islam and favored the Christian west. In this
way, true Islam followers formed Arab nationalist clubs in an attempt to restore the Arab culture
and Islam back to the empire (Seeberg, 2007). The ottomans, however, cracked down on the
organization; this, in turn, led Arabs to call for complete independence from the empire.
Following this was the Arab revolt and the invasion of the allies. The allies sponsored Arab
nationalists hence using them as a weapon against the might of the Ottomans (Rogan, 2015).
Arab Nationalism
Arab nationalism grew immensely after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Arab nationalism
is defined as the call for political union among people who are part of the Arab culture, literature,
and language. Arab nationalism is based on the belief that people of the Arab world should unite
under one nation characterized by one culture, language, religion and historical heritage
(Cleveland, 2015). As such, removing Arab governments who are dependent on western power
and ending western influence in the Arab world are the main goals of Arab nationalism.
Some great advocates of Arab nationalism include Saddam Hussein and Gamal Abdel
Nasser. Saddam invaded Kuwait based on allegations that they were their orientation was
towards the west since they supported the U.S (Seeberg, 2007). Nasser, on the other hand, used
political and military tactics to spread the Arab nationalist ideology throughout the Arab world.
Nasser was against the western control of the Suez Canal, so he did all in his power to prevent
3. ARAB NATIONALISM 3
them from controlling the canal. One should, however, note that Arab is not necessarily Muslims
but members of the Arab speaking nations. A Muslim, on the other hand, is one who practices
the Islamic religion.
References
Cleveland, W. L. (2015). The making of an Arab nationalist: Ottomanism and Arabism in the life
and thought of Sati' al-Husri. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Rogan, E. L. (2015). The fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East. New York,
NY: Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group
Seeberg, P. (2007) ‘MIDDLE EAST STUDIES The weakening of the Arab States. After the
invasion of Iraq’, (11).
