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To: GOPcapitalist
Though it is true that certain strains of mohammedan fundamentalism are at odds with Ba'ath politics, this in no way precludes the inescapably islamic nature of arab nationalism.

Not really. Arab Nationalism has featured significant Arab Christian participation, particularly in Syria and the Palestinian Territories. When you look at individual cases, whether in Egypt, Syria or Iraq, you'll find that every time, its the most religious Islamic elements that oppose Arab nationalism. The two are antithetical.

Saddam, Nasser and Haffez were Muslims as Ted Kennedy is a Catholic.

537 posted on 11/15/2002 2:16:25 PM PST by andy_card
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To: andy_card
Not really. Arab Nationalism has featured significant Arab Christian participation, particularly in Syria and the Palestinian Territories.

Your statement is misleading considering the small fraction of the population these groups constitute in the arab world. A great deal of Arab culture and islam - not islamic fundamentalism but islam - are shared parts of the same package. To cite a small minority population as evidence of distinction between islam and arab nationalism among the majority is thoroughly misleading and accurate.

When you look at individual cases, whether in Egypt, Syria or Iraq, you'll find that every time, its the most religious Islamic elements that oppose Arab nationalism. The two are antithetical.

You are again making misleading statements. That some radical fundamentalist groups hate nationalist groups in no way means that the nationalist groups are non-islamic or not related to islam. Your statement is akin to comparing Methodists to a Pentacostal-Evangelical offspring and concluding that since the Methodists don't role around in the aisles between the pews and throw snakes on each other, they must not be Christians. It's an absurd analogy as one extreme fundamental branch of islam does not in any way preclude others of a different orientation from their own islamic elements.

539 posted on 11/15/2002 2:26:30 PM PST by GOPcapitalist
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