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A new Epimenides

Reader comment on item: Middle Eastern Political Candor

Submitted by Archimedes2 (Canada), Apr 7, 2008 at 17:01

This is a classic restatement of the Epimenides Paradox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimenides_paradox

If Hassan is intentionally adapting this famous paradox, kudos for him -- a literate man and a self-deprecating wit. If not, then he has unwittingly deprecated himself.

A few footnotes: 1. For centuries Crete was a possession of the Byzantine Empire.

2. On the other hand, what exactly does the Hashemite prince mean by "We come from a Byzantine civilization"? Does he identify historically more closely with the historical (Christian) Byzantine Empire or its nemesis the historical (Islamic) Ottoman Empire? Is his statement a slur against his Arab and persian comrades, or is the "we" ironic, making the statement a crypto-slur against the integrity of Christian leaders of the region? Is it a declaration that falsehoods by Arab leaders are the fault of the Byzantine Christians they conquered, who, 550 years after annihilation, are still wielding its evil Christian influence on the good, honest muslims?

3. Whatever his actual intention, this does not look like a slip of the tongue. It is precisely what he had planned to say, and I'm sure he had considered at length exactly how it should be worded.

4. It must also be noted, since his statements contain multi-layered references to ancient history, that the family from which he hails regards themselves as having a direct line of descent from Mohammed. Thus, I expect the surface layer of this statement is intentionally ironic, and not intended as deprecative of muslim Arabs.

5. With all of the above in mind it should also be noted that Bin Talal has an established reputation as a moderate, and while not an enthusiastic supporter of Israel, an outspoken opponent of Arab agitators for military action Israel. It's probably worth taking his statement in good faith and with a dose of good humor.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (15) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
7I am an Arab, yes we are the big liars. [89 words]Sameer Salah EddinApr 21, 2008 12:56126360
1TRUE [30 words]AdelApr 6, 2010 01:42126360
yes Arabs are big liars [14 words]AminApr 8, 2013 15:29126360
Liars of the Arab world [33 words]Hans GesundApr 21, 2008 07:01126336
No Surprise [96 words]Mahendra MathurApr 15, 2008 21:12125757
2As one who has had business dealings with Arabs... [46 words]James BurkeApr 15, 2008 16:59125747
This story makes no sense. What am I missing? [80 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Steve KleinApr 15, 2008 10:03125711
very telling words [158 words]mz ravin blackApr 9, 2008 22:53125231
confession time [134 words]Rebecca MouldsApr 9, 2008 17:21125211
oops... [46 words]devrocky@aol.comApr 8, 2008 14:17125076
What? [6 words]Kevin MApr 9, 2008 19:31125076
2ND LANGUAGE.... [7 words]DONVANApr 11, 2008 10:19125076
A new Epimenides [303 words]Archimedes2Apr 7, 2008 17:01124966
1Yup [12 words]Kevin MApr 6, 2008 21:16124874
1Listening closely to the "Prince's" wisdom. [104 words]YnnatchkahApr 5, 2008 23:42124796

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