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Inside the Arab Mind! 35

Abraham himself came from Chaldea, known today as Iraq. Iran is not Arab and neither is
its language Arabic. Iran is ancient Persia; Islam is her only common denominator with the Arab na-
tions. The founding father of Egypt, Mizraim (Mizraim is Hebrew for Egypt -- the leader of the
so-called “Arab” nations), was a grandson of Noah as were the fathers of Libya, Canaan and Ethio-
pia (Genesis 10:6). Obviously, if Ishmael, the son of Abraham, had an Egyptian mother, he is not re-
sponsible for fathering the nation. From Mizraim came the Philistines (Genesis 10:14). Lot,
Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 12:5), was also an Iraqi. He fathered Ammon and Moab in an incestu-
ous drunken spree (Genesis 19:36-38), and these men were the fathers of modern-day Jordan. The
father of the nation of Yemen (Hebrew: Teman) was the grandson of Jacob’s brother Esau (Genesis
36:11, 34). From the genealogies we can see that many of those living in the Middle East are indeed
blood relations, but it is as equally incorrect to say that Abraham is responsible for the nations of the
Middle East, as it is to say that all the nations of the Middle East are Arab.

In the Arab world the answer to the question, “Who is an Arab” is usually this: “One whose
mother tongue is Arabic.” Scholars, both Arab and Western, give rather more defined answers to
the question, but their thoughts seem to converge upon Arabs as being those who speak Arabic, are
brought up in Arab culture, and live in an Arabian country. Neither of these answers are satisfac-
tory, however, because the Christian Copts of Egypt satisfy all of the above requirements but fer-
vently deny being Arab. Hundreds of thousands of Jews born and raised in Arab lands, and who also
satisfy all the given requirements, neither consider themselves to be Arabs, nor would the Arabs
dream of considering them as such. Therefore, from what has been written here, we can arrive at the
correct answer to the contemporary question of “Who is an Arab?”

Iran is radically Islamic, the only Middle Eastern country not considered to be Arab and the
only Middle Eastern country to have held to its ancestral language after embracing Islam. The
Egyptian Copts never converted to Islam, and neither did the Jews. Thus, leaving history aside, to-
day’s Arabs are those whose mother tongue is Arabic, and who hold to the teachings of Islam.

-- Ramon Bennett, one-time resident of New Zealand, now lives in Israel.

Many are unaware of what Islam really stands for. Certain well
known Muslim leaders are labeled as “extremist” because they
want to export Islam by force, and order the execution of those
who disagree with them. In fact, these leaders are just conserva-
tive Muslims who want nothing more than to follow the teachings
of their prophet Muhammad.

This book is filled with quotes from authoritative ancient and con-
temporary Muslim scholars, accompanied with documented, de-
tailed references from their own Arab textbooks. It also contains
shocking information revealing that Muhammad not only owned
slaves but worked as a merchant in this ugly business.

Behind the Veil: Unmasking Islam. $12.00 postage paid
from: Hope of Israel Ministries. (See address inside cover).

The Berean Voice November-December 2002