---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost…"
description: "\"“Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented in Egypt's long history. Nasser did not even invent Arab nationalism as a political identity. The eas..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg"
---

#  Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented in…

![“Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented in Egypt's long history. Nasser did not even invent Arab nationalism as a political identity. The easternists led the way towards the ‘Arabic East’. Michel Afleq, the Sorbonne-educated Arab Christian political philosopher who founded the Al-Baath…” quote by Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg)

> ““Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented in Egypt's long history. Nasser did not even invent Arab nationalism as a political identity. The easternists led the way towards the ‘Arabic East’. Michel Afleq, the Sorbonne-educated Arab Christian political philosopher who founded the Al-Baath (Rebirth) party in 1941, pioneered the call for an Arab political front.””

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Arabism in Egypt was shaped by earlier thinkers, not invented by Nasser.

**In simple terms:** Arabism predates Nasser.

Key Takeaway

Recognize historical roots of political ideas.

Themes

history politics identity nationalism

Mood

analytical critical

Type

historical political

When to use this quote

- academic research
- policy analysis
- educational curricula
- media commentary

Key Concepts

Arab nationalism political ideology

Questions to Reflect On

- What other figures influenced Arab nationalism?
- How does historical context affect modern identity?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on Nasser overlooks broader contributions and diverse perspectives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Islamic movement in Egypt, from the late 1970s, managed to occupy the political space in the country that had been the domain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/the-islamic-movement-in-egypt-from-the-late-1970s-managed-to-occupy/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Unlike political Islamism, Arab nationalism has no major following on the Egyptian streets. Unlike liberal capitalism, it lacks the resources and the might of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/unlike-political-islamism-arab-nationalism-has-no-major-following-on/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Arab nationalism in its traditional form was the way in which secular Arab Christians like Edward had found and kept a place for themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/arab-nationalism-in-its-traditional-form-was-the-way-in-which-secular/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Turkey's solidarity with Hamas is not, of course, based on Arab nationalism, which as a non-Arab nation it does not support. It is instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/turkey-s-solidarity-with-hamas-is-not-of-course-based-on-arab/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [My parents' generation grew up high on the Arab nationalism that Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser brandished in the 1950s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/my-parents-generation-grew-up-high-on-the-arab-nationalism-that/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [The times of Arab nationalism and unity are gone forever. These ideas which mobilized the masses are only a worthless currency. Libya has had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muammar-al-gaddafi/the-times-of-arab-nationalism-and-unity-are-gone-forever-these-ideas-2/)

[Muammar al-Gaddafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muammar-al-gaddafi/)

> [Europe is as fearful of Islam today as she has been in the past. She now knows that the strength of Islam (which in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-aflaq/europe-is-as-fearful-of-islam-today-as-she-has-been-in-the-past-she/)

Michel Aflaq

> [“Growing up in the Middle East, I came to find out that Arab children are taught hatred of the Jews from their mother’s milk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-gabriel/growing-up-in-the-middle-east-i-came-to-find-out-that-arab-children/)

[Brigitte Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-gabriel/)

> [The times of Arab nationalism and unity are gone forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-times-of-arab-nationalism-and-unity-are-gone-forever/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Arab nationalism, which tended to be until relatively recent somewhat secular in motivation, has now become increasingly religious and fundamentalist. And that makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/arab-nationalism-which-tended-to-be-until-relatively-recent-somewhat/)

[Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/)

> [The times of Arab nationalism and unity are gone forever. These ideas which mobilized the masses are only a worthless currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muammar-al-gaddafi/the-times-of-arab-nationalism-and-unity-are-gone-forever-these-ideas/)

[Muammar al-Gaddafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muammar-al-gaddafi/)

> [“Between 1991 and 1993, the militants had virtually taken complete control of Imbaba, replacing the government as the social arbiter. The situation reached a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/between-1991-and-1993-the-militants-had-virtually-taken-complete/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

## More by Tarek Osman

> [“Even the weighty Salafist voices (for example, Mohamed Seleem Al-Awaa,19 Mohamed Al-Ghazali,20 Fahmi Howeidy21 and Gamal Al-Banna22) were sidelined as ‘too intellectual’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/even-the-weighty-salafist-voices-for-example-mohamed-seleem-al-awaa/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Between 1991 and 1993, the militants had virtually taken complete control of Imbaba, replacing the government as the social arbiter. The situation reached a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/between-1991-and-1993-the-militants-had-virtually-taken-complete/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“At that time, a grand Arabic project emanating from Cairo had credibility. That is not true today. The relative standing of Egyptians (the country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/at-that-time-a-grand-arabic-project-emanating-from-cairo-had/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“There was a major demographic boom in Egypt from the 1980s, in which the population almost doubled from around 45 million to 80 million,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/there-was-a-major-demographic-boom-in-egypt-from-the-1980s-in-which/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Amr Khaled, the most successful of those young sheikhs,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/amr-khaled-the-most-successful-of-those-young-sheikhs/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“the factor that really cemented the Brotherhood's social re-emergence, and founded the Islamic movement's social base, was its highly efficient services infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/the-factor-that-really-cemented-the-brotherhood-s-social-re-emergence/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Luxor attack in 1997 in which Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya killed fifty-eight tourists and four Egyptians outside a pharaonic temple. In the same year, an ambush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/luxor-attack-in-1997-in-which-al-jamaa-al-islamiya-killed-fifty-eight/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Cairo itself was founded under their rule in 969, as was Al-Azhar (whose name is derived from that of Al-Zahraa). The dynasty also inaugurated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/cairo-itself-was-founded-under-their-rule-in-969-as-was-al-azhar/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“But the society became characterized by a unique mix of Sunni theology and Shi'ite social traditions. Al-Azhar evolved and consolidated its unique status; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/but-the-society-became-characterized-by-a-unique-mix-of-sunni/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“unique mix of Sunni theology and Shi'ite social traditions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/unique-mix-of-sunni-theology-and-shi-ite-social-traditions/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“The Alexandria Bourse (the fourth largest worldwide) and the Cairo stock exchange were sizable, international markets. In fact, the story of the Alexandria Bourse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/the-alexandria-bourse-the-fourth-largest-worldwide-and-the-cairo/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“In general, the liberal experiment seemed to have failed to put forward a development programme for the country's poor, who continued to constitute more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/in-general-the-liberal-experiment-seemed-to-have-failed-to-put/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Paris on the Nile’ or the ‘finery of Cairo’, Al-Ismailiya – a district to which Ismael gave his name – comprised large, wide avenues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/paris-on-the-nile-or-the-finery-of-cairo-al-ismailiya-a-district-to/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“With the sole exception of Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, every single invasion the country witnessed in its history had come from the East. Sinai,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/with-the-sole-exception-of-napoleon-s-campaign-in-egypt-every-single/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“Khaled Yousef's Hina Maysara a voyeuristic, smash-hit film, produced in 2007, recounts of the story of Cairene slums – such as Imbaba – in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/khaled-yousef-s-hina-maysara-a-voyeuristic-smash-hit-film-produced-in/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

[Explore all 83 Tarek Osman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

## More History quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/)

[Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/)

[Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/)

> [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/)

[Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/)

> [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/)

C-DASH

> [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/)

[Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/)

> [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

[Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented in Egypt's long history. Nasser did not even invent Arab nationalism as a political identity. The easternists led the way towards the ‘Arabic East’. Michel Afleq, the Sorbonne-educated Arab Christian political philosopher who founded the Al-Baath (Rebirth) party in 1941, pioneered the call for an Arab political front.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tarek Osman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprecedented-in-egypt-s-long/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "History"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprecedented-in-egypt-s-long/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/tarek-osman-8064_history_nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprece_553763.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented in Egypt's long history. Nasser did not even invent Arab…” — Tarek Osman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tarek Osman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Nasser's ‘Arabism’ was thus almost unprecedented...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprecedented-in-egypt-s-long/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/nasser-s-arabism-was-thus-almost-unprecedented-in-egypt-s-long/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
