Posted on 11/25/2003 8:21:30 PM PST by Lessismore
US President George W. Bush’s speech at the National Endowment for Democracy on Nov. 6 was a brilliant and inspiring speech. I was in the audience and found myself nodding in agreement and moved by almost every sentence.
The speech could become a major historical development for the Middle East and for relations between the United States and the Muslim world. Finally, US policymakers are convinced that supporting dictators and oppressive regimes is not the way for peace and stability. Even if friendly dictators serve some short-term interests; in the long run, they create desperation and anger that result in chaos and violence.
People in the Middle East, however, received the speech with suspicion and disbelief. They don’t believe the US really wants democracy to succeed in Afghanistan, in Iraq, or elsewhere in the Middle East. During the past 30 years or more, the US has willingly turned a blind eye while friendly dictators murdered, kidnapped and tortured their opponents. People are also suspicious of Bush’s motives because they have not seen improvements on the ground in Palestine, Iraq or Afghanistan. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to be the prism through which Americans view the Middle East and through which most Arabs and Muslims view the United States.
Despite our numerous mistakes in Iraq (going to war prematurely and unilaterally, disbanding the Iraqi Army, rebuilding the country too slowly, appointing rather than electing the Governing Council, neglecting and marginalizing the Sunnis), I believe that Iraq can become a real democracy and that we must stay the course. Failure to do so will spell disaster for the US and the region for decades to come.
There are some experts who argue that democracy would destabilize the Middle East. Clearly, they have not been in the region lately to see how people live amid extreme poverty, corruption, lack of education and lack of dignity. The current regimes have failed, and to remain they must change. In many Middle Eastern and Muslim countries unemployment ranges between 30-50 percent; illiteracy is between 50-70 percent; and more than half the population is under 25. If this is not a recipe for disaster, what is?
Arab and Muslim countries are rich in natural resources, yet only about 5-10 percent of their populations benefit. While a privileged few live in luxury, a majority struggles to put bread on the table. Corruption and economic deprivation is only one sign that these regimes have outlasted their usefulness. What is worse is the level of oppression that such societies, especially their youths, must endure. This will lead to increased violence, anger and acts of desperation, which in turn will be used to justify more oppressive policies. The cycle of hatred and violence must be broken.
Arabs and Muslims (who represent, as Bush said, a fifth of humanity) watch other nations elect and replace their leaders, while they are stuck with the same individuals for decades. When they do have elections the outcomes are predetermined, and criticism brings punishment.
People feel left out and oppressed and this hopelessness feeds radical groups and ideologies. Democracy will not solve all economic, political or social problems overnight, but it will quickly return to people their dignity and humanity. The people of the Middle East cannot be deprived of their right to equality, freedom and dignity, and the pursuit of their dreams and aspirations. Democracy will, above all, give people a sense of belonging to a nation and to a society that cares about them, and in which they have a role and a stake.
Principles of democracy are strongly embedded in Islamic jurisprudence, practice and value systems. For over a thousand years, Islam has advocated and practiced freedom of thought and of religion, and respect for human dignity. Islam emphasizes that there is “no compulsion in religion,” and that faith must be a matter of personal choice and convictions. God created us free and gave us the freedom to believe or not to believe and to obey his commandments or not to obey. Freedom of religion and of conscience are prerequisites for human life and dignity. That is why Muslims, Christians and Jews have lived peacefully for centuries in the Middle East. Many Americans do not know that 20-30 percent of Palestinians are Christians, and that there are millions of Christian and Jewish Arabs living from Morocco to Egypt, and from Lebanon to Yemen.
The authoritarian regimes of the Middle East have been mostly secular, and many have fought religion, prohibited religious practices and tortured and killed religious leaders. As a result, Islamic groups and movements are seen as victims of oppression and are gaining in strength and popular support, while the popularity of secular leaders dwindles. Only in Sudan and Iran, both ruled by so-called Islamic regimes, has secularism gained in popularity, because people have learned that an Islamic government is led by human beings, not by saints, and that they are prone to mistakes.
It is encouraging that the US is not trying to impose secularism in Afghanistan or Iraq. The role of religion in politics has to be negotiated by political and religious leaders, but will probably remain important in the context of Muslim societies. From Morocco to Indonesia, many are struggling with how to be good Muslims in the 21st century. This will require a new interpretation and adaptation (ijtihad) of Islamic principles and jurisprudence (fiqh) to the realities and challenges of the modern age. True ijtihad, however, cannot take place in an environment of fear, repression and violence. Democracy and freedom will pave the way for a dialogue between Muslim leaders, scholars and the public on how Islam and Muslims can thrive now and in the future.
The road to democracy in the Middle East will not be easy. There are risks involved. But the benefits of democracy far outweigh the risks. Supporting democracy is the best strategy for the US and for the people of the region. However, well-meaning speeches will not be enough, no matter how inspiring. We need to see policies that translate words into actions and dreams into reality. For this, I suggest:
- Arab and Muslim leaders should implement immediate political reforms that include freeing all political prisoners, holding free and fair elections under international supervision, legalizing all political parties (including moderate Islamic parties), setting term limits on how long heads of state can stay in power and establishing independent judicial systems.
- Israelis and Palestinians should understand that the only solution for their conflict is to recognize each other’s right to exist in secure, independent and sovereign states. Israel should get out of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and international forces should be sent to provide peace between the two countries. The occupation, the wall and the settlements must end, as must suicide bombings that target innocent civilians.
- Countries that do not implement democratic reforms should be isolated and US officials should stop visiting them and showering their leaders with diplomatic niceties. Leaders who are not democratically elected by 2008 should see their countries expelled from the UN.
- Independent and civil organizations that try, against all odds, to promote a culture of understanding, democracy, tolerance, freedom and dignity must be supported.
- Iraqis and Afghans must be helped in building truly democratic and prosperous nations. The US must turn Iraq back to the Iraqis and Afghanistan back to the Afghans, and get out as quickly as possible.
If these policies are implemented, the Bush doctrine of “forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East” will be successful and our children, both in the US and in the Muslim world, will live in a much more peaceful and prosperous world. For this to happen, the US must align its foreign policies with its own universal moral foundations of freedom, justice, equality and dignity for all.
Radwan Masmoudi is the founder and president of the Center of the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID), a Washington-based non-profit think tank. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR
Perhaps not, but you still didn't answer my question about whether you, if you had your druthers, would've surrendered to the Axis rather than fight them. After we were attacked, those were the only two options available. Answer me now.
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