Working Towards a New Pluralistic, Secular Society
“The connection of Islam to Arabism is not similar to that of any religion to any nationalism. The Arab Christians, when their nationalism is fully awakened and when they restore their genuine character, will recognize that Islam for them is nationalist education in which they have to be absorbed in order to understand and love it to the extent that they become concerned about Islam as about the most precious thing in their Arabism. If the actual reality is still far from this wish, the new generation of Arab Christians has a task which they should perform with daring and detachment, sacrificing for it their pride and benefits, for there is nothing that equals Arabism and the honor of belonging to it.” Michel Aflak, Arab Baath Party Founder, excerpt from his 1943 book “In memory of the Arab Prophet ” Attacks on Christians, churches in ashes, massive bombs that target Shiite holy places, a country in turmoil, this is what many will remember about Iraq. With the Collapse of the Baath re...