Being Arab

Before his assassination in 2005, Samir Kassir was one of Lebanon’s foremost public intellectuals. In Being Arab, a thought-provoking assessment of Arab identity, he calls on the people of the Middle East to reject both Western double standards and Islamism in order to take the future into their own hands. Passionately written and brilliantly argued, this rallying cry for change has now been heard by millions.“This is an unusual book of such fluent and searing honesty that I almost wanted Samir Kassir to be kinder to himself. I salute his memory.”—John Pilger

“One of Lebanon’s most prominent journalists and one of the most vociferous and bravest critics of the Syrian regime.”—Robert Fisk

“Shortly before his death, Kassir published a remarkable essay exploring what he termed the ‘Arab malaise’ of the twenty-first century. It reflected the disenchantment of Arab citizens with their corrupt and authoritarian governments.”—Eugene Rogan, author of The Arabs: A History

“Part historical essay and part political pamphlet ... This is a genuine cry against the forces of Islamic extremism.”—New StatesmanSamir Kassir (1960–2005) was a columnist for the daily newspaper An-Nahar, wrote regularly for Le Monde Diplomatique, and published a number of important works in French as well as Arabic. He was killed by a car bomb in Beirut on June 2, 2005.