LITERATURE AND NATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

19Marginal Literatures of the Middle EastPeter ClarkIn the last hundred years the Arab world has been given a unity that has beenmore ideological than real. Most Arabs both within the Arab world and beyondacknowledge to some extent some idea of cultural unity. The idea is reinforcedby the existence of the Arab League and other regional organisations and has,by and large, been accepted by all Arab governments. Other Arab countries areshaqiq ‘brother’ rather than sadiq ‘friend’. Modern Standard Arabic, Arab Clubsamong students in British, mainland European and American universities, tapesof Umm Kulthum, the novels of Naguib Mahfouz, the poetry of Nizar Qabbaniand the issue of Palestine all contribute towards this cultural unity. Arabnewspapers treat news of other Arab countries as of greater relevance than newsof Europe, the Far East or the United States.It is easy to see this successful idea, with its emphasis on the territory of theArab world, as somehow deep-rooted and everlasting. The Arabic language, asthe language of Islamic revelation, suggests an unchanging nature of Æuruba,Arabness. Its status is within the realm of sacred geography, and cannot besubject to academic examination or scientific analysis like secular languages.Study of the colloquial Arabic is seen as divisive (Suleiman 1994: 12). Even thestudy of local history can open old wounds and conflicts to the detriment ofArab unity (Jabbur 1993: 11–12).Yet this victorious ideology is, we must remind ourselves, very new. If welook at the Arab world a century ago we can discern three different culturalworlds that transcended the convergence of territory and language. Each had itsdistinctive characteristics. Each overlapped with others. I refer to the Ottomanworld, the Mediterranean world and the Indian Ocean.The Ottoman Empire was probably the most successful Islamic politicalinstitution in history. It occupied major areas of the Arab world for up to fourcenturies. Greater Syria, Egypt and North Africa up to but excluding Moroccowere all deeply affected by the nominal political unity of the Ottoman world.Islamic legitimacy was reinforced by political suzerainty of the Holy Places ofthe Hijaz. One of the titles of the Ottoman Sultan, Servant of the Two SacredPlaces, is now adopted by the Kings of Saudi Arabia. Elites in the OttomanEmpire, political, religious and educated, were mobile. The colloquial Arabic of— 179 —www.taq.ir