Jewish Arabs: Identity and Colonialism | Massoud Hayoun

This article explores the forgotten identity of the "Jewish Arab," a natural part of the cultural landscape of the Middle East and North Africa before colonialism. Drawing on Massoud Hayoun's "When We Were Arabs," the author analyzes how European powers and institutions like the Alliance Israélite Universelle systematically dismantled this multifaceted belonging. The text challenges contemporary divisions, unmasking the colonial roots of terms like "Mizrahi" and "Sephardim." It is a profound reflection on the decolonization of memory, the recovery of subjectivity, and the struggle against cultural hegemony that imposed rigid national frameworks where once a fluid borderland identity and a community based on language and culture existed.