Tariq Ramadan

Alliance of Civilizations ?

Tariq Ramadan — 2011-12-17T15:40:31Z

Not a day goes by without hearing that the world needs more communication, more dialogue, more understanding. September 11, 2001 has stood, for the last 10 years, as a revealing tragedy. Ever since, we have been talking more and more about “civilizations”, “clash”, “dialogue”, “alliance”, etc. Some politicians and intellectuals support the idea there is a “clash of civilizations” (reducing Huntington's views to a single proposition) while others deny such a conflict with the utmost energy, championing “dialogue” and calling for an “alliance.” Underlying these contradictory ideological positions, we find a similar perception of the world. There is an “us” and (or versus) “them;” there is “our” identity, different from “theirs.” “Our” civilization and “theirs:” everything revolves around a cultural and/or religious belonging that predetermines any understanding of the world, of justice, freedom and human dignity. It is more about culture than politics, more about understanding than power: this is what we are invited to buy.

No one can deny that the globalized world is challenging our old understandings, questioning our identities and sense of belonging, and shaking up our collective and respective comfort zones. These are difficult times and the feeling of insecurity, nurtured by fears and doubts, can be found around the world, in the West as well as in Africa, Asia and America. No doubt we need more education and understanding about our own history, culture, religion, values and we need to be taught (and to teach) other cultures, religions and visions of the world. Dealing with pluralism means, of course, to be open to the world, to listen, to communicate and to learn—beyond only tolerating—to respect people's beliefs and sensitivities. Thus, it is critical to reform the curricula of our schools; to teach more history, philosophy, religions and the arts: these are the fields and the disciplines that would equip the future generations to deal with diversity, face the challenges of an increasingly complex world and eventually improve communication and respect between societies, cultures and religions.

It will not be easy. In our “social networking” era it is easy to confuse “connecting” with communication. Connecting, in the virtual and real world, seems to be more about exchanging words, sharing information, driven at the same rapid pace on Internet or in daily life. Young people are open, fast, and reactive. But this does not mean they are equipped for understanding, pondering and experiencing intellectual empathy. It is not because the words and the means are the same, in our global modern world, that feelings and perceptions are similar. When it comes to communication and dialogue, it is critical to think of the psychological factors: feeling good about where you are, and from where you speak, is an essential condition. Talk about citizenship, cultures or religions is fine, but if the sense of belonging is missing then citizenship, cultures or religions can be used to exorcise our fears and lack of confidence. Immigrants, foreigners or “alien” religions become enemies. When we look at how well the populist parties are doing around the world, it becomes clear that the young generations are not protected from such dangers.

The most worrying fact is the way these psychological factors are used and misused in the political arena. Either we play with people's lack of confidence and fears (with talk of a “clash of civilizations), or we call for dialogues or alliances as the ultimate remedy to our difficulties. We talk about “civilizations” and “religions” the better to avoid addressing politics, economy, interests, and power: in itself, this shift towards “civilizations” could be the way powerful political forces can avoid talking about their power and their policies. Talking culture to avoid talking politics, talking formal democratic values to avoid talking about economic inequality, talking respect to avoid talking injustice. As such, the rhetoric of “civilizations” and “religions” can act as powerful obstacles to avoid talking about power—and addressing the real issues of our day. We need to reconcile ourselves with politics and political ideologies, economic justice and ethics, psychological alienation and intellectual manipulation at the heart of our modern societies, be they democratic or not. It is not enough to resist, not enough to dialog, not enough to be open to other civilizations and cultures: our world needs minds with understanding, with awareness (and without naivety). What we need women and men with understanding, determination and courage. Ready for any “alliance of civilizations” built on respect while never fearing to face the power of the mighty as they attempt to push us to talk about identity when we need to talk about dignity or when they invite us to talk about humanistic dialogue when the true subject is their inhuman and insane domination.

Democracies in crisis

Tariq Ramadan — 2011-11-16T18:01:11Z

Intense theoretical debates about the virtues of democracy have been taking place over the last months as we attempt to analyze events in the Arab world. Democracy, most conclude, should be the goal: it is the best political system, one in which citizens can see that their political choices are respected, their freedoms and rights protected. Such an outcome would be MENA's greatest achievement: at last, the Arabs will experience pluralism, openness and—why not—modernity.

At the same time, in the West, the democratic system is going through one of the deepest crises in its history. Far from idealized, theoretical descriptions of the democratic system, citizens of Western countries have the increasing impression they have been forgotten; that their opinion counts for nothing. As Ben Ali, Mubarak and Qaddafi fall because their respective peoples are calling for freedom, eight European leaders (the list is far from exhaustive) who should have resigned because of their responsibility for the economic downturn are imposing their rule over the political apparatus. The political system known as democracy has proved to be neither transparent nor free when both state and citizens are so deeply in debt. Who is making the decisions today? Who has the power?

When Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou started playing politics with his call; for a referendum, he was criticized and eventually forced out of office: it is not time to consult your people, he was told, as their freedom to decide could lead to our collective collapse… The dominant economic powers and institutions as well as the ratings agencies have enforced their own logic: this is not the right time to consult your people. The media simply follow along behind; for them it natural and consistent for elected presidents and ministers to be forced out of office without the population having had its say. As if, in time of crisis, the rules of democratic procedure must be suspended: citizens are nothing but spectators.

The Muslim majority countries are being asked to reassess the relationship between the state and the religious authority. Islam should not impose its truth and dogma over the democratic elected state. The latter must be free, and must express the will of the majority. Theocratic regimes are dangerous, as they neither protect the equality of citizens before law nor their right to decide their future. Critical points indeed! The Muslim majority countries should by all means rid themselves of their secular or religious dictatorships. To call for democratization is legitimate and appears to be the only way forward: this is the essence of the Arab awakening, its hope as much as its goal.

Yet, we should be asking sharp questions about the model and the ends. Should the Arab countries follow in the footsteps of the West? Is the Western model worth duplicating? Where are this freedom and transparency the democrats are talking about? Whichever way you turn, you hear rising complaints: people feel as tough they are losing their rights, enjoying less freedom, becoming progressively marginalized. In the United States, the most recent and ever-deepening economic crisis is exposing the citizens' helplessness. Millions are unemployed and deep in debt; they have no medical insurance to cover their needs, no social services to protect their families. There are asked to vote for candidates who spend billions of dollars on election campaigns, yet end up being forgotten between elections. Some citizens tried to make their voices heard on Wall Street: real power lies is not in the White House but along that street where the dominant economic actors, agents and institutions, are not required to respect democratic rules. Theirs is the power of economic control and high finance, of money and media: here democracy has no room, no reality. The protestors numbered a few thousand indignant citizens expressing a common view: which way are the Western democracies heading?

In Europe, the feeling is the same. We may well have no religion exerting control over the state, but the transnational corporations, economic institutions, banks, media and well-structured lobbies are undermining the very essence of any democratic system (which should be based on transparency and majority rule). We talk about separating religious authority from state authority—but who will protect the state from the economic, financial and media powers that are imposing their anti-democratic decisions and policies.

It is all well and good to celebrate an idealized democratic model, but the truth of the matter remains that Western democracies are eroding; people are losing their rights and prerogatives. It is time for the citizens to wake up and to demand transparency, respect, and consistency. The Arab world needs political creativity; but the West, deep in crisis, cannot be a model. It is time to find other ways, new horizons. The globalized world is undermining national democratic dynamics. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya or even the United States, Greece, Italy, France or Germany cannot achieve “democracy” on their own.

Yet nationalism would be a new trap, as the non-democratic forces are lurking behind the existing nations, where the citizens have no status and have lost their rights. Democrats and free citizens must learn to look beyond their borders: an arduous and demanding task that will require transnational civic movements. There is no choice. With freedom come some constraints: an apparent paradox, yet a historical truth.

Published in Gulf News on November 15, 2011 : http://gulfnews.com/opinions/column...

Playing with Islam

Tariq Ramadan — 2011-11-01T20:59:21Z

Over the last few weeks the new Libyan leader, Mustapha Abd al-Jalil, chairman of the Transitory National Council (TNC), has been repeating, “Shari'a will be the main reference and will be implemented in Libya.” Several of his references to Islamic legislation came in the presence of Western politicians and intellectuals like the pro-Israel French self-styled philosopher Bernard Henri Levy, who, surprisingly, did not react with any shock whatsoever. Surprising indeed! It was as if Mustapha Abd al-Jalil was determined to show that the “Libyan revolutionaries” were truly independent and not supported or protected by France, the United States, or the West. The “West” kept silent, though some media have asked pointed questions about whom the French, the Americans, and the British were supporting.

Given Libya's extremely complex political situation, Abd al-Jalil's statement was timely and very smart. He referred intentionally to concepts seen as very controversial in the West to make it clear to the Libyan people he was not a Western puppet. In a way that seemed weird to a Western ear, he spoke of “Shari'a” and “polygamy,” knowing that for the emotionally wrought Libyan Muslims he was offering proof of his complete independence (such references are of course demonized in the West). For France, Britain and the United States it was a way to show the world that Libya was now “on its own;” time for NATO to allow the new Libya build its future by relying on its own traditions. The religious and political reference to Islam thus serves to appease the Muslims and lend traditional and religious legitimacy to the TNC while concealing the West's tri-dimensional—military, geopolitical and economic—penetration of Libya.

The Arab uprisings are showing that the peoples of the region are drawn to freedom, dignity and justice but are not prepared to betray their traditions and religious beliefs. The recent victory of Tunisia's Islamiist party, an-Nahda, in that country's constituent elections, underlines a historical reality: Islam remains an unavoidable reference for the Arabs and as such will be critical in building the future, especially through the democratic process by which peoples are now able to express their political demands, their concerns about identity and their economic hopes. The conservative parties that invoke Islam in one way or another (hence the Islamists as well) are gaining ground and achieving greater political legitimacy. They are operating on three distinct levels: acceptance of democratic rules, preservation of the nation's Islamic identity and readiness to open their markets to the dominant economic powers and the multinational corporations. The Turkish example has set a precedent: no one can deny that the AKP—coming from an Islamist background—is proving its leadership's success in these very three fields: they are religiously conservative, geopolitically prepared to deal with all the Western powers (including, until recently, Israel), and economically integrated into the dominant capitalist system. They have shown great openness (with the EU) and demonstrated considerable flexibility. The West can indeed do business with any Islamist party that evidences a similar willingness to adapt and to collaborate, from an-Nahda to the Muslim Brotherhood. Things are moving fast in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA); the new political strategies are based on new economic and geopolitical concerns, driven by the active presence of new state actors in the region: Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). The West has no time to waste in the race to win Arab minds, hearts and money.

In these highly complex political and economic games, one issue stands out as crucial. The Western countries have shown in the past (with the petro-monarchies or in Afghanistan) that they have no major problem in dealing with political Islam to protect their interests. Given the presence of the BRIC's countries, they have no choice as the latter are ready to establish strong political and economic ties whatever the situation in the respective Arab countries. The key factor will be Israel. All the Islamist parties have taken strong position against the Zionist state (even Turkey recently), which is the reason for their broad popular support (including the current Iranian regime). The Islamists may well be ready to promote the democratic process and to participate fully in the dominant economic system (the great majority of the Islamist parties accept it today) but they remain quite explicit in their stance against Israel. Here lies the core of the acute tensions and contradictions in the United States and the European countries: they need to be involved in MENA but they cannot distance themselves from Israel. Meanwhile, the BRIC countries do not have the same historical alliance with Israel and they seem ready to challenge the Western bias towards the Middle East conflict.

The Islamic reference is at the heart of the debate in the Arab world. Political Islam is at the crossroad: it faces numerous challenges and must deal with conflicting interests. Only a comprehensive approach can give us a sense of what is at stake. Many trends—even some Islamist parties—are playing with Islam in an attempt to gain legitimacy. There can be no doubt that politics corrupts. Who, in the Arab countries, will be able to hold power while respecting the Islamic imperatives of dignity, justice and transparency—let alone truly supporting the just cause of Palestine?

Published in Gulf News, November 1, 2011 : http://gulfnews.com/opinions/column...