Hazim Saghieyeh

In the following viewpoint, Hazim Saghieyeh argues that various religious and ethnic hostilities, coupled with nationalist fanaticism and a lack of democracy, foment conflict in the Middle East. In several nations, violent battles have occurred among several Muslim sects, Christians, and Jews. Many Muslim leaders who espouse Arab nationalism repress ethnic minorities and religious opposition within their domains—such is the case in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim, has waged war against ethnic Kurds and Shi’ite Muslims. Moreover, Saghieyeh contends, the uprooting of Palestinian Arabs by Israeli Jews has wounded Arab pride and has encouraged reactionary behavior, such as the mistreatment of minorities, in the Arab world. Saghieyeh is a columnist for al-Hayat, an Arabic newspaper based in London, England.

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