Abstract

Statement of the Problem and Objective: The concept of the Other is a foundational construct in cultural and semiotic discourse, long serving as a mirror through which societies define and rediscover the Self. In modern literary and cultural studies, it has become a critical lens for examining mechanisms of power, domination, and identity. Islām Bilā Ḍifāf (Islam Without Shores), by Yūsuf Idrīs, presents a multifaceted portrayal of the encounter between the Islamic world and the West—particularly with colonial and imperial powers. Through allegorical and metaphorical language, Idrīs depicts historical adversaries of Islam, notably the United States and Israel, using images such as “the foolish giant,” “the Zionist octopus,” “the oil slaughter,” and “destructive maps.” These signs collectively foreground crises of identity, submission, and cultural disorientation in Islamic societies. Drawing upon Umberto Eco’s semiotic framework, which seeks meaning beyond surface-level signification, this study explores how Idrīs employs the cultural-historical repertoire of the Arab world to reconstruct the discourse of the Self in opposition to the Other. Eco’s concepts—such as the cultural encyclopedia, model reader, and authentic interpretation—provide analytical tools to reveal the interaction between text and cultural codes. The primary aim of this research is to uncover the semiotic mechanisms through which Idrīs represents the Other and to elucidate how linguistic and cultural elements function in redefining notions of identity, resistance, and domination. By distancing itself from purely political or historical approaches, the study treats the text as a network of interrelated signs that generate meaning through the collective memory of Arab-Islamic culture.
Methodology: This study employs a descriptive–analytical method grounded in cultural semiotics, following Umberto Eco’s theoretical model. The corpus consists of the Arabic text of Islām Bilā Ḍifāf, analyzed in conjunction with linguistic, metaphorical, and cultural codes. The research proceeds in two main stages: (1) identifying the semiotic system of the text in relation to the historical and cultural context of Egypt and the Arab world, and (2) examining the processes of meaning production and the interaction between Eco’s “model author” and “model reader”. Analytical units include lexical signs, metaphors, and binary structures such as Self/Other, East/West, and Resistance/Domination. These are interpreted within the intertextual networks of Arab-Islamic cultural knowledge. The study rests on Eco’s principle that a sign acquires meaning not in isolation but through its participation in a broader system of cultural codes and historical memory.
Discussion and Analysis: The semiotic reading of Islām Bilā Ḍifāf demonstrates that Idrīs constructs the Other as both an external adversary and an internal reflection of cultural crisis. The metaphors “the foolish giant” and “the octopus” encapsulate this duality, embodying power and domination while simultaneously exposing moral and existential decay. In Eco’s interpretive terms, the “foolish giant” functions as a double signifier: it denotes the immense military and economic might of the United States while connoting intellectual and ethical bankruptcy through the qualifier “foolish.” This semiotic tension dramatizes the contrast between material advancement and moral emptiness in Western civilization. Similarly, the “octopus” metaphor for Israel symbolizes pervasive global control through its multiple tentacles. According to Eco’s theory of cultural codes, this sign draws on shared collective memory within Arab culture, invoking imagery of predatory encirclement that resonates with the historical experiences of colonialism and conflict. Expressions such as “destructive maps” and “strategic plans” operate as cultural codes representing Western political and media manipulation. Through Eco’s lens, their meaning extends beyond literal reference, emerging instead from their interrelation with a broader network of ideological and historical symbols. These terms thus guide the reader from overt political critique toward deeper cultural-psychological dimensions of subjugation, including the erosion of confidence and the internalization of inferiority. A particularly striking metaphor—“the oil slaughter”—translates the economic exploitation of the Arab world into a symbolic ritual of sacrifice. In Eco’s semiotic view, this image fuses religious and economic sign systems, portraying oil as the “lifeblood” of Arab nations transformed into a source of their own depletion within the global capitalist structure. The metaphor’s potency lies in its ability to encode political critique through culturally resonant religious imagery. Overall, Idrīs creates a multi-layered textual architecture in which interlinked signs invite the reader to move from the political to the semiotic and existential. His use of culturally familiar codes ensures that the Arab reader participates in meaning construction as a model reader, decoding not only overt messages of resistance but also implicit reflections on cultural destiny and self-renewal. From Eco’s perspective, this multiplicity is not ambiguity but the very condition of interpretive richness and cultural regeneration.
Findings: Eco’s semiotic framework proves highly effective for interpreting critical Arabic texts, revealing layers of cultural and ideological signification. The Other in Islām Bilā Ḍifāf is not limited to an external colonial force but emerges as a cultural construct essential to redefining the Self. Idrīs’s metaphors and cultural codes—rooted in the collective memory of colonial encounters—transcend linguistic representation to convey social and ideological meanings. By invoking Eco’s notions of the model reader and cultural encyclopedia, the study shows that Idrīs deliberately invites interpretive participation, making the act of reading itself a process of cultural self-reflection. Ultimately, the text operates as a semiotic map of resistance, transforming historical critique into a reassertion of Arab-Islamic identity.