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Patriotism, nationalism and Arabness — the boundary with Islam

الوطنية والقومية والعروبة — الحد الفاصل مع الإسلام

The 'Al-Wasatiyya' episode on patriotism and nationalism versus Islam. The audience voted: 45% held a clear definition of the concepts; 1 78% saw Arab unity as a step toward Islamic unity; 2 and 76% felt no contradiction between their belongings. 3 The host concluded that belonging to homeland and Arabness does not contradict Islam provided it carries no fanaticism, discrimination or injustice — 'and this is the wasatiyya'. 4

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Contemporary Era
Region
Arab world · Global / Diaspora
Review
Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Muslim minorities under non-Muslim rule

The episode and the votes

The sixth 'Al-Wasatiyya' episode debated the boundary between belonging to homeland and Arabness and belonging to Islam 5. The audience — an educated sample — voted that only 45% held a clear definition of patriotism and nationalism 1; 78% saw Arab unity as a step toward Islamic unity 2; and 76% felt no contradiction between their belongings 3.

Four distinct concepts

The political-science professor untangled the confusion: patriotism is a bond to a defined homeland governed by a state — legal duties like service and defence, rights like citizenship and education, plus a lived cultural dimension; 6 7 nationalism is a bond of feeling through cultural, linguistic and historical unity and shared aspiration that may have no single state; 7 8 identity is the sense of belonging to a community with a cultural, ideological or religious commitment — surfacing in stances like the Arab in America standing with his cause 9 10.

Arabness before nationalism

Waheed Abd al-Majeed drew the core distinction: Arabness is an old historical-civilizational belonging — language makes shared history and shared feeling — while 'Arab nationalism' is a modern concept, absent in the nineteenth century, influenced by Western nationalism and become a political doctrine preferring Arabs regardless of religion — the Christian Arab equal to the Muslim in its eyes 11 12 13 14. Khaled al-Qasim added that Arabness is an unbreakable belonging — race, history and shared hopes — 'the Arab is whoever shares these hopes, this civilization, this language, not mere race' 15 16 17.

The boundary — fanaticism, not belonging

The host concluded the rule: discrimination built on principles of justice is acceptable — preferring the citizen in his country's jobs since he enters without procedures — while blind fanaticism not built on justice is rejected 18 19 20. Patriotism is like a company in which all share profit and loss — rights and duties 21. He confessed personal pride: 'I thank God I am an Arab who understands the Qur'an — God chose from mankind Banu Kinana and from them Banu Hashim' — but if Arabs boasted as the Germans boasted of their race and destroyed nations 'we would stand against them' 22 23 24. He closed: belonging to homeland and Arabness does not contradict Islam provided it carries no fanaticism, discrimination, injustice or arrogance — 'and this is the wasatiyya' 4.

Opinions on the question

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

Basis: Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) al-wassitiya ep06, 00:21:00-01:18:30

More opinions (1)

Other viewOther opinion

Basis: Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) al-wassitiya ep06, 00:11:00-00:19:30

People and things also explored

Babri Masjid· Integration and identity (al-indimaj wa-l-huwiyya)· The contemporary Islamic discourse — maturity versus reactivity· Aljamia (aljamiado: Spanish written in Arabic script, and its literature)· The breach of the Granada terms and the revolt of the Alpujarras· Mudéjares· Native Deen· Kareem Salama

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:07:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  2. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:30:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:54:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  4. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:18:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  5. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:01:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  6. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:11:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  7. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:12:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  8. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:12:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  9. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:13:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  10. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:13:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  11. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:16:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  12. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:18:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  13. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:18:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  14. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:19:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  15. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:21:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  16. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:22:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  17. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 00:22:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  18. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:13:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  19. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:13:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  20. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:14:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  21. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:17:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  22. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:16:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  23. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:16:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  24. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Wassitiya, episode 6, at 01:17:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Patriotism, nationalism and Arabness — the boundary with Islam”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/al-wataniyya-wal-qawmiyya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-26.

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Babri Masjid

The Babri Masjid of Ayodhya, India, built in the Mughal era and demolished in 1992; subject of a major historical and legal dispute documented in scholarly compilations.