ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

18 League. Neither Turkey nor Iran is inclu- ded in these territories. All these geographical areas share the same language: Arabic. This does not mean, however, that the ethnic origin of these po- pulations is the same: in fact we find oursel- ves in front of a very diverse universe. In this regard, Sudan is an exception, which cannot be considered strictly an Arab country. This situation of linguistic and cultural homogeneity certainly finds its origin in the advent and deve- lopment of Islam. It was in fact the spread of the Koran that led these populations to speak the same Arabic language. However, it should not be forgotten that an Arab cultural tradition was already present in these are- as long before these events. Already in the third century BC the- re are reports of Arab kingdoms in Tripoli (in present-day Lebanon), in Petra, in Jordan, with the Nabateans. In this same period is also reported the presence of Arab tri- bes (Manadhira and Ghassanidi) in Syria. It was the Christians and the Jews who resided in these regions that allowed this original cultural heritage to develop and remain alive even after the penetration of Islam. The origins of the Arab lineage and culture are to be found in the histori- cal-geographical context of Mesopotamia around 1700 BC. It is here that the story of Abraham takes place, the Patriarch who shares both Jewish and Arab references. The most recent statistics estimate that there are about eight hundred million Mu- slims in the world. Among these, however, only 15-20% are of Arab origin. This fact makes us understand how crude the atti- tude of those Westerners who confuse the two terms of Arabic and Muslim. One need only think, for example, of Muslims living in Indonesia, India and Iran who cannot for any reason be defined as Arabs. To this we must add the relevant fact that about 10% of Arabs are Christians. We must, therefo- re, remember that the majority of Muslims are not part of the Arab population. Before the Muslim conquest, begun in the 7th century by Muhammad and com- pleted by his succes- sors, the Middle East was entirely Christian with the presence of two great cultures: the Hellenistic and the Syriac. The origin and development of a true Arab civilization can be attributed to this cultu- ral dualism present in the Christian sphere. It is clear, therefore, that the confusion cre- ated in the West with regard to the Arabic and Muslim terms, represents a great cul- tural impoverishment for the Arab identity and especially for the Christians (Arabs). But what is the condition in which Chri- stians live today in this cultural universe? In the Arab Muslim world the concepts of citizenship, country and nation are recent, the terms themselves were coined at the end of the last century and are still a source of confusion. There is talk of an Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, Iraqi nation, etc., but there is also talk of an Arab nation. Who is considered an Arab today? There is no Arab nation, there is an Arab