Silent war: Defending language and identity - Dr Khalid Al-Saleh
When sirens wail in an Arab city, the streets erupt with chants, the skies fill with fury and the collective pulse of the people beats with defiance. Demonstrations surge. Banners are raised. Cries of 'Down with the aggressor!' and 'We reject oppression!' echo through the squares. It is a powerful display of unity, patriotism, and resilience — a spirit that stirs hope and pride. But beyond the visible battlegrounds lies another war — one that creeps in quietly, without sirens, without smoke and without the immediate shock of falling missiles. It is the war on culture, on identity and on the Arabic language — a war whose damage is deep and enduring, yet often goes unnoticed.
Where was the public outrage when Arabic storefronts were slowly replaced with foreign signage? Who protested when English supplanted Arabic in universities and public institutions, leaving Arab students feeling like strangers in their own homelands? Where was the uproar when Arabic literature was sidelined in curricula, replaced by sterile commercial texts stripped of spirit and legacy?
The truth is stark: we rise in anger for the missile, but we fall silent before the intellectual invasion. We mourn shattered walls but overlook the steady erosion of our cultural foundations. Yet culture is no mere ornament for the elite — it is the soul of a nation. It is the inner defense against defeat, the unseen strength that allows people to rise after every fall. Language, too, is not just a tool for expression — it is a repository of memory, thought, and civilization.
Across the world, nations fiercely guard their languages as emblems of sovereignty. France defends its linguistic heritage against foreign influence. China embeds its language in every sphere of life. Japan teaches science exclusively in Japanese and exports its culture through every product it makes. Even the occupying Zionist entity ensures its entire academic system — from literature to medicine — is rooted in Hebrew.
And yet, in much of the Arab world, the cultural front remains unguarded. Our language is sidelined. Our values are diluted. Foreign content floods our screens and curricula, bearing little regard for Arab identity or heritage. What's more alarming is that many voices from within our own societies defend this cultural erosion under the guise of progress — often with misplaced conviction or blind imitation.
Perhaps the difference lies in perception. A missile ignites fear instantly, while cultural erosion is slow, subtle, and invisible — yet just as devastating. The question remains: O you who fill the squares when a building crumbles, when will you rise to defend the crumbling of language and thought? You who cry for freedom, when will you cry for intellectual independence? Protecting culture is not a nostalgic call to the past — it is a prerequisite for the future. As long as others preserve their identity and we relinquish ours, the balance will remain tilted. No nation has ever prevailed after abandoning its culture. And no future can be built on borrowed voices.
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