In Algiers last week I met a foreign correspondent who asked me, “Why?” To which I replied: Why what?
“Why does the Arab world lag behind almost every part of the world except of course sub-Saharan Africa?”
Good question, I thought. The man was reasonable. I have met him several times in the past. His question, however, did make me think. The total GDP of the Arab world is about $500 billion. This amount is less than that of Spain that was until recently one of the poorest European economies.
“What is wrong with the Arab world?”
Many things, I answered. And then I began the litany. First of all the region has been rocked by wars and conflicts. Israel is another matter altogether. Its occupation, suppression and oppression of the Palestinians have caused tension, anger and frustration and will continue to do so. Anger and frustration, if unaddressed, will produce problems of their own and what is often worse, their own attempts at solution.
I quickly added, however, that we Arabs must not use Israel as an excuse for our failures and shortcomings. We have enough problems that we ourselves have created and for which the Israelis, guilty as they are of so much, are not responsible. The takeover of power by colonels and generals, the brutal suppression of the Arab people by their own dictators, the lack of freedom and the absence of transparency and accountability have deprived us of the fruits of success.
When I read about how so many of these leaders, with their legions of fawning and parasitic sycophants, have wreaked havoc and caused grief among their own people, I find the answer to why the Arabs have lagged so far behind. Add to this the rampant and unchecked corruption and waste, the misuse and squandering of revenues and you begin to see not only the magnitude of the problem but also the superhuman efforts that will be required to change the status quo in most Arab countries.
My listener then asked, “But why did you allow this to happen? Where was your media? Why didn’t it alert you to what was going on?”
A deep sigh escaped me.
Where was the media, I asked myself. I dreaded the answer to the question that was, I realized, worse than no answer at all. It was silent, I replied. It overlooked barbaric practices; it did not trouble itself to report brutalities and crimes against the innocent. I remember when I wrote many years ago, in a very mild way, about the attack on Halabja. A fellow editor of another paper rebuked me, saying I was propagating Zionist propaganda. I can only say that what happened at Halabja was a crime and a grotesquely inhuman one at that; it was not, blinkered as we are and however much we don’t like the truth, Zionist propaganda.
I could fill pages with events and other matters that were conveniently blocked from being written about by the Arab media. Don’t ask me the reason; it is painful to remember our failings and even more painful to have to acknowledge them. I can say that I do now sincerely think many of these things belong to the past.
“Are you optimistic?” he inquired.
Yes, a Muslim or a Momin (faithful person) has to be optimistic. We can go ahead if we will only learn from our mistakes, accept differing views, be tolerant and empower others. In the Arab world there is no lack of talent. What is lacking is the opportunity to develop and use it. Our young men and women are intelligent, dedicated and have the will to realize their goals and visions which will put them on par with their contemporaries in Asia, Europe and the US. We could become tigers, just like the Asian ones but in order to do so, we must have the right atmosphere and that means an atmosphere conducive to progress. And an atmosphere conducive to progress will only be produced by a civil society free from religious extremism, free from the imposition of only one view or interpretation and free of intolerance toward all who are different in any way.
We must do away with the excessive red tape and bureaucracy that stifles everything and remove the suspicion that exists in the minds of the public sector about the role of the private one.
Look for a minute at the young entrepreneurs in the Arab world. Despite all the restrictions and obstacles — political, social and economic — they have managed to brand themselves. Let them flower. Do not snuff the life out of them. Economic necessities should decide our future and good economics, they say, make good politics.
“But can you people do it? Can you carry it off?” he wondered.
Yes, the resolve is there. We, the young and everyone else want to live as others do, with the power to control our lives and what we do. The sweeping winds of change that we are seeing across the Arab world are not the result of the Bush doctrine. No, they are a part of our strong yearning to live as free people with dignity and honor, shaping our own destiny and playing a vital role in the decision-making process. We deserve that just as all human beings do. And if these things are done, I told him, review our GDP again. You are sure to see a world of difference.
