Visit the National Library of Kuwait and ask for a daily newspaper from the early 20th century—perhaps an issue of Egypt’s Al-Ahram from over a hundred years ago. You may be surprised to find that the concerns, debates and rhetoric of that time closely resemble what we read in today’s newspapers. Decades have passed, yet we remain caught in a seemingly endless cycle. In fact, our situation has worsened in certain aspects. While our predecessors were preoccupied with issues such as poverty, housing, freedoms and Westernization, we, too, grapple with these same challenges.
However, an additional peril has emerged—sectarianism, resurrected from the depths of history and actively propagated by regional powers, supported by various states and adversarial entities. These forces have worked tirelessly to promote sectarian division, ensuring that our societies remain entrapped in this vicious cycle. A people confined within a closed loop can never advance, and it appears that this stagnation is the very objective behind the sectarian strife engulfing our region.
Consider Syria, where sectarian rule dominated for five decades, stifling progress and suffocating the nation. Just as Syria seemed on the verge of breaking free, external and internal forces conspired to pull it back into the cycle of sectarian discord. Look at Lebanon, where an armed faction exerts control, prioritizing its weapons over state sovereignty, aligning itself with sectarian interests rather than national unity. Even among intellectuals and scholars, sectarianism has erected rigid ideological walls, reducing their discourse to mere repetition of pre-packaged narratives, rather than genuine, independent thought.
Today, social media platforms serve as breeding grounds for hatred and sectarianism, pulling us into ideological battles over historical figures who lived more than 1,400 years ago. We summon these figures, judge them, and fight over them, allowing history—fragmented and interpreted through conflicting lenses—to dictate our present. Our societies, instead of forging a collective future, remain entrapped in the past, with narratives that will never converge.
Ironically, when we read old newspapers, we sense that past generations, despite facing colonization and oppression, found greater unity. They had a common enemy and stood together against it. In contrast, today, we have thousands of political leaders, media personalities, and intellectuals—yet many have become commodities for sale, enslaved by sectarian loyalty, willing to compromise national interests for the sake of their factional allegiances.
What is the solution? Do we simply wait another hundred years, trapped in an ever-expanding cycle, only to find ourselves entangled in new conflicts that perpetuate our stagnation? Or do we take decisive action? The answer lies in fostering dialogue among Arab thinkers and leaders who are genuinely committed to their nations, untainted by sectarian bias, and unmoved by propagandist rhetoric. It is imperative that Arab governments move beyond official diplomatic interactions and actively facilitate engagement between their citizens, civil society organizations, and intellectuals across the region.
Such connections are vital in shielding our nations from the corrosive effects of sectarianism—a modern-day virus that poses an existential threat to the Arab world. Today, we face dangers far graver than those of a century ago. The peril is real, and it threatens the very fabric of our nations. The question remains: will we finally take notice and act? One can only hope.
local@kuwaittimes.com