Fast Facts on the Middle East Conflict #1

Arab Nationalism and Islamic Fundamentalism

Many people do not realize there is a major difference between these two philosophies and that each sees Israel in a different light. Arab nationalism is largely secular and its goals are based on gaining and maintaining Arab power in the Arab lands of the Middle East. It uses Islam to pacify the religious crowds of the land and unite all Arabs under one common banner. Israel is looked at as a cancerous tumor in the heart of Arab land. Islamic fundamentalism, however, is a religious philosophy with different goals than Arab nationalism. This radicalism seeks to establish Islamic dominance in the Middle East and eventually spread to the rest of the world. Israel is the symbol of Jewish power in the Middle East, which is an insult to the Islamic god, Allah, and can never be allowed to exist peacefully with the Islamic world.

     Fast Facts on the Middle East Conflict,  Randall Price, Harvest House Publishers, 2003, p 24