Why Arab states are silent about Iran's unrest(economist.com)
economist.com
Why Arab states are silent about Iran's unrest
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/01/13/why-arab-states-are-silent-about-irans-unrest
15 comments
Once the Iranian “autocrats” are dealt with who do you think is next? Many of these Arab states have absolute monarchy fwiw
Haven't read because of paywall, but for anyone who might not know:
Ira_n_ is not Arab. They are Persian and speak an Indo-European language.
Ira_q_, is Arab. Neighbors, some of the same religion^, similar name, same-ish alphabet, similar skin tones... very different language. Arabic is semitic language, think Hebrew.
Most Muslim middle-east countries are Arab... Iran is an exception (as is Turkey who come from Central Asia, eg Turkmenistan)
Most Arab countries are predominantly Muslim. Malta is the exception, Lebanon is complicated.
^ The biggest split amongst Muslims is Sunni vs Shia (think protestants vs catholics), Saudi Arabia is Sunni, Ira_n_ is Shia, Iraq is mixed.
Ira_n_ is not Arab. They are Persian and speak an Indo-European language.
Ira_q_, is Arab. Neighbors, some of the same religion^, similar name, same-ish alphabet, similar skin tones... very different language. Arabic is semitic language, think Hebrew.
Most Muslim middle-east countries are Arab... Iran is an exception (as is Turkey who come from Central Asia, eg Turkmenistan)
Most Arab countries are predominantly Muslim. Malta is the exception, Lebanon is complicated.
^ The biggest split amongst Muslims is Sunni vs Shia (think protestants vs catholics), Saudi Arabia is Sunni, Ira_n_ is Shia, Iraq is mixed.
Arabic speakers are not necessarily Arabs. Indigenous populations became Arabic speakers during the spread of Islam.
We saw the same in Latin America with Spanish and Catholicism.
We saw the same in Latin America with Spanish and Catholicism.
They may not be genetically Arab but are probably culturally Arab
Quick research, but it appears that the population are descendents of the Emirate of Sicily from 1000 AD, which was colonised by people from Tunisia, who would be considered Arabs generally. So a splinter group cut off from the main body for a thousand years (if my reading is correct).
Are they still Arabs? That's subjective.
I'd consider America and England two capitals of the Anglo empire much like Roman and Constantinople, but there is lots of room for nuance. (Romans & Byzantines saw themselves as the same, whereas Americans and English see themselves as different... but I chalk that up to the tyranny of small differences, just look at how the elites jump back and forth across the pond and how their politics harmonise, Trump/Farage, Reagan/Thatcher, Clinton/Blair).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltese_people#History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Relationship
Are they still Arabs? That's subjective.
I'd consider America and England two capitals of the Anglo empire much like Roman and Constantinople, but there is lots of room for nuance. (Romans & Byzantines saw themselves as the same, whereas Americans and English see themselves as different... but I chalk that up to the tyranny of small differences, just look at how the elites jump back and forth across the pond and how their politics harmonise, Trump/Farage, Reagan/Thatcher, Clinton/Blair).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltese_people#History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Relationship
Why did you need to break the spelling of Iraq and Iran?
I believe they're trying to highlight the character to make clear the difference in the two similar names
I've never heard anyone refer to Malta as Arab before.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltese_language
> Maltese is a Central Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata. It is the only Semitic language officially written in the Latin script. It is spoken by the Maltese people and is a national language of Malta, and is the only official Semitic and Afroasiatic language of the European Union
Maltese is the official language of Malta and 77% of people in Malta are Maltese. Now, what's the definition of Arab is debateable, but I think it's reasonable. I think they are sort of like Romanians where they are surrounded by Slavs, but their bretheren are on the other side of the continent. This is a simplification and as primer, I'm sure people have more nuanced takes.
> Maltese is a Central Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata. It is the only Semitic language officially written in the Latin script. It is spoken by the Maltese people and is a national language of Malta, and is the only official Semitic and Afroasiatic language of the European Union
Maltese is the official language of Malta and 77% of people in Malta are Maltese. Now, what's the definition of Arab is debateable, but I think it's reasonable. I think they are sort of like Romanians where they are surrounded by Slavs, but their bretheren are on the other side of the continent. This is a simplification and as primer, I'm sure people have more nuanced takes.
Thank you for this! I wonder how close it is to Arabic or Hebrew. However, I think the definition of "Arab" does not apply here (as someone from the Middle East myself)
https://youtu.be/s1DyDRn4_Fw?si=hFcWL0wzKeoisBCh
That would give you a sample of the language. Watching it seems pretty definitive that it is. A more eclectic member of the Arabic family, but it’s definitely Arab.
That would give you a sample of the language. Watching it seems pretty definitive that it is. A more eclectic member of the Arabic family, but it’s definitely Arab.
Paywall bypass: https://archive.is/Mlhfk
curiously western campuses are silent on Iranian unrest as well
Do any Western universities have significant investments/connections to Iranian institutions? If not, then what would their students be pressuring the universities to do? I am pretty sure virtually every university administration has long ago cut ties due to sanctions and would gladly condemn Iran’s government.
Even if some Arab states legitimately do want the Iranian regime to collapse, they don't necessarily want it to randomly collapse right now with no clear indication of what will take it's place. Add in the fact that the major driver of this unrest, high inflation and excessive corruption, are probably not flames they want to fan domestically. Best to watch closely and cautiously keep their options open.