Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why it Matters

by James Zogby

The Arab World is a region that has been vastly misunderstood in the West. Arab Voices asks the questions, collects the answers, and shares the results that will help us see Arabs clearly. The book will bring into stark relief the myths, assumptions, and biases that hold us back from understanding this important people. Here, James Zogby debuts a brand new, comprehensive poll, bringing numbers to life so that we can base policy and perception on the real world, rather than on a conjured reality. Based on a new poll run by Zogby International exclusively for this book, some of the surprising results revealed * Despite the frustration with the peace process and the number of wars of the past few years, 74% of Arabs still support a two state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And over one-third of Lebanese, Saudis, and Jordanians think that their governments should do more to advance peace. * Despite wars in and around their region and the worldwide economic crisis, when asked "Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?" 42% of those polled say they are better off, 19% worse off. * Arabs like American people (59% favorable rating), values (52%) and products (69%), giving them all high ratings. And Canada gets high favorability ratings everywhere (an overall rating of 55% favorable and 32% unfavorable). * However, Arabs overwhelmingly rate American society "more violent and war-like" (77%) or "less respectful of the rights ofothers" (78%) than their own society. Why? Because of the Iraq war and continuing fallout from Abu Ghraib,Guantanamo, and the treatment of Arab and Muslim immigrants and visitors to the United States. * What type of TV show do Saudis and Egyptians prefer to watch? The answer is, "Movies", which draws over 50% of the first and second choice votes. In Morocco, the top rated shows are "soap operas" and music and entertainment programs, drawing almost two-thirds of the first and second choice votes. Religious programs are near the bottom of the list of viewer preferences, garnering less than 10% of votes in all three countries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Politics, Middle East, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this before, around when I took International Relations a few semesters ago. It didn't occur to me that I had until I cleared the first chapter.

What I found useful this time through is the Resources appendix in the back! ^_^

There are other useful and more local sources for this kind of news besides Al Jazeera. This book lists The Daily Star for Lebanese news, The Jordan Times, Al-Ahram Weekly which is Egyptian, The National and Gulf News from the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Daily News, which is Bahrain's English news, and... sixteen others.

My energy has entirely departed from me for detailing as much of a review as I generally give, but that does not mean this is not a good source for people who want to know about what the people from "the Middle East" say. The audience is American.

We're all stuck in this world together, so we might as well know a little bit about one another.

[Suhayb Al-jawhari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necessary for American students of the Arab World and of Arabic. James Zogby is a proud American that shows, in a certain dry, political and policy oriented manner, the importance of humanism and the importance of listening when dealing with foreign policy of the United States. In this important and critical time and the relationship the US has with the Arab World, we need Arab Americans such as James Zogby to become a link between the two sides.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This plea for better understanding of Arabs, backed up by empirical data and personal anecdote, is a must read. The author's brother, John Zogby the pollster, discovered that two out of three Americans are interested in learning more about the Arab world. This book is a great place to start.

[Zora O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a litany of ridiculously stupid things US gov't has done w/r/t the Arab world, interspersed with stats from opinion polls of Arabs. And I didn't know the "Cedar Revolution" was a term invented by the US State Dept, to replace the "Independence Intifada" that the Lebanese were using.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on what happens when you actually listen to people.....

[Chrishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if you look at it from a purely financial standpoint, the "Arab World" has become more of an issue in the past few decades. We have spent billions of dollars in this area of the world in various endeavors and I'm not sure there is a consensus that this has been productive. So, a book that claims to tells us, the West, what they, the Arab World, thinks is a beginning to some sort of mutual understanding. First, Zogby defines the Arab World. This one is easy, it's those who speak Arabic. So, Persians who speak Farsi, and Turks who speak Turkish are not included. Secondly, he disputes certain Arab myths, such as, what he calls "the angry Arab." Then he makes a few recommendations for possible Arab-US relationship improvements. He is light on suggestions, though. Also, his ideas are based on his opinion polls, which involve a series of closed-ended questions, which in my mind is not the ideal polling method as it imposes restrictions on the answers. The most important thing I learned from this book was this: the Palestinian Question has to be resolved before the US can be fully trusted and, not surprisingly, until that happens, our policies will likely foster more ill-will and we will continue to go around a vicious circle of mistrust.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, an American of Lebanese Christian ancestry, discusses his work as a voice in American Arab relations, what he hears when he talks to people in the Middle East and reviews the polling his brother's company does in that region, and what we can all do to improve our understanding of the Arab world. His is a reasonable voice that was interesting to read and I plan to follow up on some of the websites and books he recommends.

[Beshoo Al-rashedi]

ترجمة: د.سرى خريص و عبلة عودة

كتاب ثقافي مفيد يحكي عن تفكير الغرب عن الشرق الاوسط والعوامل التي ادت الى تكوين هذه الفكرة والكاتب يدعم كل افكاره بنسب واحصائيات جمعها من خلال شركته المهتمه بقياس اراء العرب

[Erdoan A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight about what Arabs think and how the US can improve its relations with the Arab world. research based opinions are shared and the best lesson to get from this book is: Listen to what Arabs have to say!

[Joan Deming]

Important perspective we don't hear from our media.

[Luvglam1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read.... Emphasis on the importance of listening with an open mind on both sides in order come to a mutual understanding and agreement..

[Leon Del canto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must to read for anyone interested in the Arab world

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book and it made me think. It definitely opened my eyes even more to how Arabs/Muslims are treated in the West.

[w gall · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a little painful to hear all of Zogby's good ideas to increase US listening skills in regard to Arabs, their countries, and their difficulties, considering who Americans voted for in 2024. Expecting implementation of any of them in our current xenophobic disposition is naive. I wish Zogby would have included lots of anecdotes from actual Arabs, but he focused mainly on interpreting his poll results. He avoids the subjugation of religious minorities in Islamic countries; religion is a major factor in the Middle East. And he diplomatically fails to mention the outsized influence of Jewish campaign contributions in American politics, which explains why our politicians shy away from support for Israel's adversaries. I'm very discouraged by the trajectory of my US government's priorities, toward other nations and toward immigrants as well as our own citizens who are struggling.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author seems to have the best intentions and is doing whatever he can to promote a greater understanding of the Arab culture. However, the book had too many statistics and too much promotion of his brother's polling firm, Zogby International. Although there is an urgent need for all of us to understand this part of the world in great depth, I personally do not feel this book would be the place to start. I found books such as "The Lemon Tree" by the journalist and USC professor Sandy Tollan and "I Saw Ramallah" by the Palestinian poet and writer Mourid Barghouti to provide significent insight into the experiences and feelings of those living in countries experiencing constant repression, governmental corruption, conflict and violence. Another book, read recently, was Neil MacFarquhar's (NYT bureau chief at the UN) “The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Borthday"; was also well worth reading.” Statistics based on narrow mathematical models and skewed polling techniques do not touch my soul and stimulate me intellectually. The stories told by real people are what all of us should be reading and remembering. I will look into the books the author recommended for further reading.

[Hans Hoffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The basic point is as a country we are too busy dictating our point of view and not listening to the people of the middle east. Our form of democarcy when exported needs to be done in a way that the local populance can consume an dmust take on a local flavor..in some instances that may be against what we desire but what a Egypt or Lebanon may want - if we listened we would understand that. Another key point is for all the talking the media about the middle east there exists in the US limited channels to learn about the middle east - language, history & politics - which is surprising given the importance it plays in the US economy and political spectrum. I highly recommend this book.

[Kirstin M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great peek at the Middle East. The author sheds light on common myths and misperceptions on the region using polling information and experiences he's had in the region. Very easy to read.

In a nutshells "it's the policy" that poeple in the region are unhappy with not America in general. Having traveled to the region I can attest to this idea - a country that imports Chili's, Toys R' Us, and McDonalds has to like something about America.

[Louai]

this book is insightful and factual. It informs the reader about the misconception of the Arab world that the west has built after 9/11. it back it up with polls which shows that Arabs are not hateful nation toward Americans. They are just the product of the American Foreign Policy which was unfair and dismissive of their culture and voices.

[Breanna]

I bought this book when the author came to speak at my undergraduate school a few years ago. I was struck both by his speech and in this book by my complete ignorance of the Arab World despite the fact that our country is currently so involved in the Middle East. I started to read it but never finished, something I would like to do.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since this was my first book about the Arab countries, I don't have anything to compare it to. However, it was interesting to read something from an Arabic perspective. I would like to learn more.