In the last hundred years the Arab world has been given a unity that has been more ideological than real. Most Arabs both within the Arab world and beyond acknowledge to some extent some idea of cultural unity. The idea is reinforced by the existence of the Arab League and other regional organisations and has, by and large, been accepted by all Arab governments. Other Arab countries are shaqiq ‘brother’ rather than sadiq ‘friend’. Modern Standard Arabic, Arab Clubs among students in British, mainland European and American universities, tapes of Umm Kulthum, the novels of Naguib Mahfouz, the poetry of Nizar Qabbani and the issue of Palestine all contribute towards this cultural unity. Arab newspapers treat news of other Arab countries as of greater relevance than news of Europe, the Far East or the United States.

It is easy to see this successful idea, with its emphasis on the territory of the Arab world, as somehow deep-rooted and everlasting. The Arabic language, as the language of Islamic revelation, suggests an unchanging nature of ‘uruba, Arabness. Its status is within the realm of sacred geography, and cannot be subject to academic examination or scientific analysis like secular languages. Study of the colloquial Arabic is seen as divisive (Suleiman 1994: 12). Even the study of local history can open old wounds and conflicts to the detriment of Arab unity (Jabbur 1993: 11–12).