"If I had not been an Egyptian, I would have wished to become one"

Working on Arabic homework as the clock struck 5:30am, Yasmine and I had a discussion which had me thinking the whole day. The play we were reading was about the Palestinian struggle, Arab nationalism, and Zionist imperialism. We lamented how in a class titled Modern Arabic Fiction, the concurrent themes of all the works we'd read were regarding the melancholy of the Arab World. I inquired, why is the case not "art for the sake of art" as in the West, why must our works be a stark reflection of our dire state of affairs, why can't we sublimate the frustration of being Arab into forms of bliss? In class, our professor explained that such sublimation was looked down upon. How could a people celebrate their rich heritage and history when they are oppressed by the governments and see their fellow brothers suffering everyday. Realism was emphasized in art and any deviation was looked down upon. The question of art and its reflection of reality is a very dense topic that I shall discuss at a later stage, but I wish to divulge into what the had been circulating in my head the whole day. 

I have lived in the U.S. more than I have lived in Egypt and have always thought of myself as an Arab simply because that is how I am perceived in the U.S. Despite this being the case, Yasemine brings up a very interesting point. In Egypt, we are never considered "Arab", but rather merely Egyptian. Interestingly, we tend to look at an Arab as being someone from the Gulf. This is interesting because in Turkey, I never referred to myself as Arab but rather as an Egyptian and so did the Turks. They saw a stark difference between Egyptians because of the rich monarchic Ottoman history we share with them and those from the Gulf whom the only exposure the Turks have of them is seeing them in large flocks roaming malls in Istanbul. What about those from El-Sham (i.e. Lebanon, Syria, etc...), well they don't really consider themselves Arab to the extent as the Gulf. I've even met some Lebanese who consider themselves Phoenician. 

In a word, the conclusion we came to was that we tend to consider ourselves Arab, or are rather depicted as Arabs, in the U.S. whereas we are consider ourselves primarily Egyptian in Egypt, because we are a minority here in the U.S. Now this is not to rule out that an Egyptian is not an Arab. I have met some Egyptians who completely rule out being Arab whereas others embrace it wholeheartedly. I tend to lie in between. Being Arab is a very diverse identity, but being Egyptian is one that is more diverse. At Roberto's house, Osama, Ramy, and I were discussing with a Nubian the definition of an Egyptian, and it struck me that there is no single definition. We are highly exposed to Mediterranean culture, are stranded between Africa and Asia, our religions vary from Islam to Coptic Christianity, and we speak Egyptian Arabic, and our skin color varies from black to white and every thing in between. We are most renown for our Ancient civilization, yet all around us are traces of the Greco-Roman, Arab, and Ottoman heritage. 

Where does this put us as a people? It seems like we are a nucleus of diversity in the world. So why is it that Egyptians that come to the States are considered Arab? Well, it is because we are such a minority that the only proximity with any remotely close culture is that with our fellow Arabs, because there is so few of us here. A study reveals that "Egyptians have a reputation of preferring their own soil. Few leave except to study or travel; and they always return... Egyptians do not emigrate. Most of all, they have a sense of all-encompassing familiarity at home and a sense of alienation when abroad." This exactly explains how I and many other Egyptian students feel here. 

The issue to travel brings an interesting point, which is that Egyptians are always longing to reunite with their motherland; this was something I have observed with every compatriot I have met. Although we embrace the rich culture of The Arab World, I have come to realize that it is only one of our many identity traits. The realization I made was that an Egyptian is a diverse and rich culmination of various other identities, including Arab, Mediterranean, Roman, Greek, Turkish. Only when we embrace, harmonize, and orchestrate these identities can we truly realize what it means to be an Egyptian.