Ma'na an-Nakba

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AuthorConstantin Zureiq
Original titleمعنى النكبة
LanguageArabic
PublisherDar al-Ilm lil-Malayeen [ar]

Ma'na al-Nakba (Arabic: معنى النكبة), transl. The Meaning of the Catastrophe, is an anti-Zionist and pan-Arabic book by Constantin Zureiq published by Dar al-Ilm lil-Malayeen [ar] in Beirut in 1948.[1] The book defines the conceptual parameters of the Arab tragedy, which Zureiq terms al-Nakba, to describe the Arab defeat of the War of 1948.[2][3][4] It was the first of many works by Arab intellectuals to analyse the reasons behind the Nakba.[5] Many have claimed that the book took great courage to write, as intellectual freedom was challenging at the time.[4]

Zureiq's characterisation of Zionism draws on the common antisemitic trope of Jewish greed and world domination. He refers to Jews as "greedy," "rapacious" and "evil."[6] He says Zionism is "a worldwide net . . . which dominates the influential countries of the world."[7] He claims that the threat of Zionism involves "the Jews of the whole world."[8] He also argues that "the danger of Jewish power" in strongest in the United States, referring to American Jews' ability to raise large amounts of money to help Israel.[9]

History[edit]

The book was written during a ceasefire of the 1948 Palestine war and sold out that summer. It was re-printed in October that year due to high demand.[10] Zureiq became one of the first to describe the developments of the war and to use the term Nakba (النكبة 'disaster' or 'catastrophe').[3]

Summary[edit]

The book draws a broad outline of the 1948 war and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arabs in Palestine who were forced to flee from their homes.[11] However, he only mentions the refugees once, and insists that the actual catastrophe was the Arab nations loosing the war to the Jews.[12] Zureiq goes on to discuss the history leading to the defeat of the 1948 war and its greater consequences for Arab nationalism, stating that seven Arab nations failed the task of "suppressing Zionism" and lost "a considerable portion of the land of Palestine."[13] He describes Zionism as a determined and influential enemy, meticulously prepared for prolonged struggle, claiming that Zionists possess significant scientific and financial capabilities with multiple international allegiances.[11]

Zureiq progresses to discuss the causes of the catastrophe, establishing that the Arab nations are responsible for their ill-preparedness for battle, their disunity, and their underestimation of the strength of their enemy. He goes on to address the need to accept responsibility for the defeat and learn from the mistakes, warning to not place blame on the Jews, the British, the Americans, the Russians, or the United Nations.[13] The book contains several observations that Zureiq warns could lead to an even greater disaster if the causes for the war aren’t addressed.[5]

In a chapter entitled "The Immediate Remedy," the book identifies five guiding principles for the "crusade" against Zionism:[14]

  1. Using propaganda for the "mobilisation of feeling and will," to "make clear to the Arab mind and the Arab soul that the Zionist danger is the greatest danger to the being of the Arabs."[15]
  2. Marshalling the complete military, economic and political strength of the Arab nation.[16]
  3. Unifying the Arab states in ever way possible, "in the fields of war, politics, economics, propaganda, etc."[17]
  4. Establishing irregular armies: The militarization of "popular forces . . . must extend to all classes of society so that every individual in the [Arab] nation will undertake his share of it."[18]
  5. Devotion to the pan-Arabic cause against Zionism: "The readiness of the Arabs to bargain and to sacrifice some of their interests in order to repel the larger danger" of Zionism.[19]

Translation[edit]

It was translated as The Meaning of the Disaster by R. Bayley Winder, published 1956 in Beirut (Khayat).[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ma'na al-Nakba (The Meaning of the Nakba) (book)". Cork, Ireland: University College Cork. Palestine: Information with Provenance (PIWP database). Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-04. Title: Ma'na al-Nakba (The Meaning of the Nakba). By: Constantine K. Zureik. Date of issue: August 1948. Topic(s) addressed: كبة/Nakbah/Naqba/הנכבה (Arabic, "the catastrophe") expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 · First usage of the word Nakba for expulsion of Palestinians in 1948.
  2. ^ Khalidi, Rashid (2007). "1 The Palestinians and 1948: the underlying causes of failure". The war for Palestine : rewriting the history of 1948. Eugene L. Rogan, Avi Shlaim (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-37135-6. OCLC 192047956.
  3. ^ a b Zochrot. "ذاكرات - معنى النكبة". ذاكرات - معنى النكبة. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  4. ^ a b Manna, Adel (2022), "Al-Nakba and Its Many Meanings in 1948", Nakba and Survival, The Story of Arabs Who Remained in Haifa and the Galilee, 1948-1956, vol. 6 (1 ed.), University of California Press, pp. 25–59, ISBN 978-0-520-38936-6, retrieved 2023-11-16
  5. ^ a b Manna', Adel (2013). "The Palestinian Nakba and its Continuous Repercussions". Israel Studies. 18 (2): 86–99. doi:10.2979/israelstudies.18.2.86. ISSN 1084-9513.
  6. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). pp. 32–34.
  7. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). p. 5.
  8. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). p. 7.
  9. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). pp. 65–66.
  10. ^ Manna, Adel (2022), "Al-Nakba and Its Many Meanings in 1948", Nakba and Survival, The Story of Palestinians Who Remained in Haifa and the Galilee, 1948-1956, vol. 6 (1 ed.), University of California Press, pp. 25–59, ISBN 978-0-520-38936-6, retrieved 2023-11-16
  11. ^ a b Shannon, Michael (2023-03-02). "Essay: The "Nakba" Narrative". AIJAC. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  12. ^ https://archive.org/stream/zurayk-nakba/Zurayk-Nakba_cropped_djvu.txt
  13. ^ a b Manna, Adel (2022), "Al-Nakba and Its Many Meanings in 1948", Nakba and Survival, The Story of Palestinians Who Remained in Haifa and the Galilee, 1948-1956, vol. 6 (1 ed.), University of California Press, pp. 25–59, ISBN 978-0-520-38936-6, retrieved 2023-11-16
  14. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). pp. 13–33.
  15. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). pp. 16–17.
  16. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). pp. 17–20.
  17. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Disaster [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). pp. 22–24.
  18. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Nakba [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). p. 25.
  19. ^ Zurayk, Constantin (1948). The Meaning of the Nakba [Ma’na al-Nakba] (Translated ed.). Beirut: Khayat (published 1956). p. 27.
  20. ^ Khalidi, Rashid (2007). The Iron Cage : The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (1st ed.). Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-0315-2. OCLC 646769124.
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