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Time & Perspective Quote by George Galloway

"I came to declare that I am a friend to Arabs, at a time when it is not easy to be friend to Arabs, because nowadays those who have ambitions and interests would not befriend Arab"

About this Quote

Galloway frames friendship as a public act of defiance, not a private sentiment. The line is built to sound like moral courage: he "came to declare" it, as if stepping into hostile territory to say something basic and human. But the phrasing also gives away the real political choreography. "At a time when it is not easy" casts the speaker as embattled truth-teller, while "nowadays" turns a specific controversy into an era-defining climate of cowardice. He isnt just pro-Arab; he is braver than the people who wont be.

The subtext is a double indictment. First, of Western political culture that treats Arabs as reputational risk - a group you can speak about, negotiate with, even bomb, but not claim solidarity with without paying a price. Second, of opportunists who calibrate their ethics to their career prospects: "those who have ambitions and interests" becomes a sneer at rival politicians, commentators, and institutions. It is less a bridge to Arabs than a wedge against his own class.

Context matters because Galloway is a politician who thrives on theatrical opposition, especially around Iraq, Palestine, and the post-9/11 securitized public sphere. The quote courts an audience tired of sanitised centrism, offering a clean moral binary: friendship versus ambition. It works rhetorically because it turns a contested geopolitical stance into a character test, and invites listeners to prove their integrity by choosing a side.

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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Galloway, George. (2026, January 15). I came to declare that I am a friend to Arabs, at a time when it is not easy to be friend to Arabs, because nowadays those who have ambitions and interests would not befriend Arab. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-came-to-declare-that-i-am-a-friend-to-arabs-at-94508/

Chicago Style
Galloway, George. "I came to declare that I am a friend to Arabs, at a time when it is not easy to be friend to Arabs, because nowadays those who have ambitions and interests would not befriend Arab." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-came-to-declare-that-i-am-a-friend-to-arabs-at-94508/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I came to declare that I am a friend to Arabs, at a time when it is not easy to be friend to Arabs, because nowadays those who have ambitions and interests would not befriend Arab." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-came-to-declare-that-i-am-a-friend-to-arabs-at-94508/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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George Galloway

George Galloway (born August 16, 1954) is a Politician from United Kingdom.

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