Chimera
Is Muslim democracy a contradiction in terms? Is such a chimera a figment of the imagination, but impossible to realize in reality? In Iraq, given that the insurrection and sectarian violence is only getting worse, should the US in effect "cut and run"?
There is no doubt that the US in an altruistic manner sacrificed its young men and its treasure to try after the Gulf war to make Iraq into a democracy. But, let's face it, the Arabs/Muslims are not accultured to democracy, they have no idea what a "loyal opposition" means. With their culture of inbuilt martyrdom, they tend to extremes and always solve their disagreements violently. This is as true in Iraq as it is in Lebanon and Palestine.
Just as the US has patiently waited for the Iraqi Government to take charge and assert itself, so Israel has waited for Pres. Abbas to take over from the Hamas elected Government. But, it never happens, because they have in effect no power. Maliki and Abbas are seen as representatives of outside Western powers, and the only authentic Arab power structure that can govern must be established not by the ballot but by the bullet. This is the way of the Arab/Muslim world. This is why they had dictators such as Saddam Hussein and Assad. Where are the democracies in the Muslim world? There is Turkey, and beyond that perhaps Malaysia and Indonesia that are partially democratic, and no others, out of 22 Arab countries and 62 other Muslim countries. That is quite a statistic to explain away, while much of the rest of the world (e.g. Eastern Europe, South America, Asia) is tending towards democracy.
This is not to say that Islam and democracy are in principle incompatible, rather that the cultural basis of Islam tends towards violent confrontation and religious control of political forces, militating against peaceful democracy. One could say that the Muslim world is hundreds of years behind the Western world, which itself passed through such a violent religious-based confrontation in the 16-17th centuries. This is not to say that the West has been peaceful since then, witness WWI and WWII, but in the past half century has seemingly settled down into a period of secular control of democratic institutions.
Although Israel has fought many wars against the Arabs, and the West was challenged by the communist world (in Korea and Vietnam) these things are very much in the past. The challenge to Israel of Soviet supported Arab regimes is gone, and the communist system has failed. Now only the Islamist challenge remains, of Iran and its allies Syria and Hizbollah in Lebanon, and al Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban in Afghanistan. How this terrorist sponsored challenge to Western civilization will be resisted will determine whether or not our democratic institutions survive. Victory is not certain, but we remain determined and hopeful.
There is no doubt that the US in an altruistic manner sacrificed its young men and its treasure to try after the Gulf war to make Iraq into a democracy. But, let's face it, the Arabs/Muslims are not accultured to democracy, they have no idea what a "loyal opposition" means. With their culture of inbuilt martyrdom, they tend to extremes and always solve their disagreements violently. This is as true in Iraq as it is in Lebanon and Palestine.
Just as the US has patiently waited for the Iraqi Government to take charge and assert itself, so Israel has waited for Pres. Abbas to take over from the Hamas elected Government. But, it never happens, because they have in effect no power. Maliki and Abbas are seen as representatives of outside Western powers, and the only authentic Arab power structure that can govern must be established not by the ballot but by the bullet. This is the way of the Arab/Muslim world. This is why they had dictators such as Saddam Hussein and Assad. Where are the democracies in the Muslim world? There is Turkey, and beyond that perhaps Malaysia and Indonesia that are partially democratic, and no others, out of 22 Arab countries and 62 other Muslim countries. That is quite a statistic to explain away, while much of the rest of the world (e.g. Eastern Europe, South America, Asia) is tending towards democracy.
This is not to say that Islam and democracy are in principle incompatible, rather that the cultural basis of Islam tends towards violent confrontation and religious control of political forces, militating against peaceful democracy. One could say that the Muslim world is hundreds of years behind the Western world, which itself passed through such a violent religious-based confrontation in the 16-17th centuries. This is not to say that the West has been peaceful since then, witness WWI and WWII, but in the past half century has seemingly settled down into a period of secular control of democratic institutions.
Although Israel has fought many wars against the Arabs, and the West was challenged by the communist world (in Korea and Vietnam) these things are very much in the past. The challenge to Israel of Soviet supported Arab regimes is gone, and the communist system has failed. Now only the Islamist challenge remains, of Iran and its allies Syria and Hizbollah in Lebanon, and al Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban in Afghanistan. How this terrorist sponsored challenge to Western civilization will be resisted will determine whether or not our democratic institutions survive. Victory is not certain, but we remain determined and hopeful.
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:26 PM
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