--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to…" description: "\"And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people here should have done a long time ago?\" — Ward Churchill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ward-churchill-18105_arabs_and-why-by-the-way-did-it-take-arabs-to_1181822.png" --- # And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people… ![“And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people here should have done a long time ago?” quote by Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ward-churchill-18105_arabs_and-why-by-the-way-did-it-take-arabs-to_1181822.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ward-churchill-18105_arabs_and-why-by-the-way-did-it-take-arabs-to_1181822.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ward-churchill-18105_arabs_and-why-by-the-way-did-it-take-arabs-to_1181822.png) > “And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people here should have done a long time ago?” [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker questions why Arabs achieved something that locals should have done earlier, implying criticism of in in action. **In simple terms:** Why did Arabs do it before locals? Key Takeaway Address delayed local action. Themes responsibility history justice inequality Mood critical provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - community activism - policy reform - education initiatives Key Concepts colonial legacy social inertia Questions to Reflect On - What systemic barriers prevented earlier local action? - How can communities avoid reliance on outsiders? 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These were legitimate targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/they-were-targeting-those-people-i-referred-to-as-little-eichmanns/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [The term 'human rights defender,' incidentally, isn't something I or my attorneys came up with. Personally, I find it a little embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/the-term-human-rights-defender-incidentally-isn-t-something-i-or-my/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [People have a bad habit of blaming the victims. Damn Jews! If hadn't been for them the Nazis wouldn't have exterminated 'em all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/people-have-a-bad-habit-of-blaming-the-victims-damn-jews-if-hadn-t/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [“If the U.S. foreign policy results in massive death and destruction abroad, they cannot feign innocence when some of that destruction is returned. 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True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/as-to-those-in-the-world-trade-center-let-s-get-a-grip-here-shall-we/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) [Explore all 35 Ward Churchill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) ## More Arabs quotes > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [You can't ignore reality. 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We can't waver because these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-walker/the-reason-we-re-getting-bombed-is-cause-we-were-on-one-side-and-we/) Jimmie Walker > [“For the Arabs, and the above all for the 1.2 million Arabs of Palestine, the partitioning of the land in which they had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-collins/for-the-arabs-and-the-above-all-for-the-1-2-million-arabs-of/) [Larry Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-collins/) > [When American administration will find that their interest is to follow up with the international conference and to find peace in this area, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/when-american-administration-will-find-that-their-interest-is-to/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [I should much rather see a reasonable agreement with Arabs based upon living together than the creation of a Jewish state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-should-much-rather-see-a-reasonable-agreement-with-arabs-based-upon/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“I have always found it difficult not to be moved by Jerusalem, even when I hated it—and God knows I have hated it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-abulhawa/i-have-always-found-it-difficult-not-to-be-moved-by-jerusalem-even/) [Susan Abulhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-abulhawa/) > [Muslim brothers be damned; they're our greatest enemies. You know yourself that I'm a Muslim, even a fanatical Muslim. But that does nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/muslim-brothers-be-damned-they-re-our-greatest-enemies-you-know/) [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/) > [We are used to thinking of the Arabs as primitive men of the desert, as a donkey-like nation that neither sees nor understands what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahad-ha-am/we-are-used-to-thinking-of-the-arabs-as-primitive-men-of-the-desert/) [Ahad Ha'am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahad-ha-am/) > [The separation of the Arabs from the rest of mankind has accustomed them to confound the ideas of stranger and enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-separation-of-the-arabs-from-the-rest-of-mankind-has-accustomed/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [My friend and I founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival to counter the negative images of Arabs in media. 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