“A state does not have a religion; a state does not pray, fast or make pilgrimage. It is the individual who prays, fasts and makes pilgrimage”
~Iyad Jamal al-Din, Iraqi Member of Parliament
The Arab situation causes despair; despotic rulers govern most Arab regimes and plunder their wealth of their countries while their people remain poor and oppressed. So, why do the US government and other Western nations support these dictatorships? Foreign policy experts see these ‘moderate regimes’ as a bulwark against the tide of ‘Islamic’ extremism that threatens to sweep over the Middle East, take control of the oil and establish an anti-Western Caliphate. But recently, the world has more hope for the reformists within the Arab countries.
Reformists have come and gone in the past. In the early part of the 20th century, pan-Arab nationalism evolved as the response to Western colonial powers. But many individuals used this guise to promote their own agendas and secure power for themselves, most notably Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt. When Nasser’s bid to unite the Arab world against the West failed, hope for a united Arab front against the West dissolved. Now, reformists have attached themselves to the idea of democracy. Few countries in the Arab world have a semblance of democracy; Iraq’s democracy is fighting for its life.
Can democracy in Iraq work? Yes, but according to reformers like Iyad Jamal al-Din, people need to change their conception of the role of government. Jamal al-Din argues that secularism is the only way forward for any Arab country because of the different religions and sects that they contain.
*These video highlights are from MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) TV – an organization dedicated to translating Persian and Arab video in order to highlight socio-political trends. MEMRI is run by a couple of former Israeli military intelligence officers, and has been criticized for bias, selectivity and translation inaccuracy.
And that’s jus’ the tip.
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