The common saying that poetry is born in Iraq, raised in Syria and died in Egypt is an inverted logic because the Arab environment in general is an incubator for this kind of literary art.

The biggest problem, however, is that we do produce genius people, scientists and thinkers but they die in their incubators. The political and social systems led to a brain drain. The creative minds have to go away looking for a more conducive atmosphere that would put them in right places. A number of our migrants have become leaders in research centers, universities and companies. Some of them have become millionaires in their new abodes and others have received international awards.

Saddam Hussein attempted to bring scientists to Iraq. He built a special city for them but not many of them responded due to the totalitarian regime and dictatorship which was not suitable for them and their abilities. The situation continues and an environment not conducive to creative activities prevails. It may be pertinent to mention that Arab doctors currently working in Europe and America are more in number compared to those working inside their own countries. On the contrary, when migrants from India and China returned to their countries, they returned on the condition that the atmosphere and facilities they enjoyed in the countries they had migrated from be provided to them at home. Their return represented a huge scientific and economic benefit to both the countries.

The Arab world is not in a “dark circle” in the world so as to be described a place without minds. Our history has been a witness that the region has produced many great men who were stalwarts of various civilizations. In fact, the underestimation of people’s capabilities regardless of their race or religious sects and reliance on nepotism has hurt the entire Arab world. It is really regrettable to find that some of these great brains presented to their countries scientific and economic projects with feasible returns but political regimes, which were bent on disregarding the value of brain, turned them down.

The current situation has worsened. The US occupation forces in Iraq made it a point to kill or force intellectuals, scientists and people with brains to migrate so as to deplete the country of these resources which, as a result, hit factories, labs and universities. The Arab Spring has also driven away brains and funds.

The number of highly-qualified Lebanese living abroad is more than the population of the country. This is also true for Syria and Iraq.

The birth of a qualified person in an advanced country is considered birth of an integrated project. The prevailing conditions have forced many such people to seek refuge outside.

It is regrettable that while forcing the people with extraordinary genius to go abroad, we have also exported our political ills. They have thus become segregated instead of becoming a united body that would promote our agendas and become a defense line for their original countries.

A war-like situation is currently in force in Europe against Muslims. This situation has resulted from the wrong behavior of the migrants or the countries hosting them. This is not limited to the Arabs alone but has also covered Muslims of other nationalities.

Our losses are in fact a long Arab soap opera. Without the creation of healthier environments, the brain drain will continue and the depletion of talents will go on. This is a chronic issue with no foreseeable solution.



Al-Riyadh newspaper