REFORM in the Arab World: External Influences and Regional Debates by Talmiz Ahmad, is a one-stop book like a one-stop shop where one can find and buy everything under one roof. In the book, one can find, as the title suggests, everything concerning reform in the Arab World — who and what prompted the movement, the motivations and the machinations — disguised by the United States, but not unknown to the world at large, and thus bared by Arab and other intellectuals, thinkers, leaders, writers, commentators, analysts, journalists, and NGOs. Ahmad does not intrude or impose anything on the reader. He presents a mountain of information on the subject, all aspects of it, the parties, persons, and nations involved in reform activism, various sides of the issues and perspectives. The book could be called a forum of all forums — a sort of mother of all forums — highlighting the deliberations and recommendations of all such events held till the time of writing.
A diplomat who is no stranger to Saudi Arabia, he served as consul general in Jeddah and then as ambassador in Riyadh followed by a posting in Oman. He has also served in Kuwait, Iraq, and Yemen over the last 30 years, his presentation and tackling of the delicate subject is a tribute to his profession. Long ago he developed a special interest in the countries of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, and also served as joint secretary (Gulf/Haj) in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs between 1998-2000. That he is keenly interested in Islamic affairs and the politics of West Asia, has also contributed to a successful and interesting presentation.
A question often asked by educators and parents in the US is “Why can’t Johnny read?” The answer is that he watches too much television. The incumbent US president neither reads nor watches television and so cannot read the signs of the times. Nor can he understand what harm his policies are doing to America’s prestige and reputation nor the havoc they are causing all round. Bush has no “vision,” let alone “grand vision” for the Middle East. He is a person suffering from ‘Ameropia.’
The Arab Muslim nations need no lessons in democracy, least of all from a country that is a clear case of a doctor needing to heal himself.
Quoting Nadar Fergany, Ahmad says that when the Abu Ghraib abuses were revealed, Fergany was firmly convinced that the US could not be the harbinger of reform in the Middle East. Writing in Al-Ahram Weekly, Fergany said, “To those Arabs who dream of freedom at the hands of the Americans, I have this to say: Look at what is happening to the Iraqis.”
Says Ahmad, “The US continues to have little moral authority and less credibility as a sponsor of reform and change due to its record in the region...” He observes that the urge “for reform had already been making itself felt before 9/11; indeed, the case can be made that, but for US neocon-driven policies, resort to armed action in Iraq, continued military occupation of Iraq, and confrontationist policies vis-à-vis Syria and Iran, the pace of reform would have been faster and some real change achieved by now.”
According to Ahmad, Islamic societies have at no time been static. “It is important to recall that the essential feature of Islamic societies through the ages has been dialogue,” he says. He quotes French President Chirac as saying “There is no ready-made formula for democracy readily transposable from one country to another. Democracy is a method; it is a culture. For democracy to take root solidly and durably in the Arab world, it must be an Arab democracy before all else.”
Saner, knowledgeable US presidents have learnt from Islam. Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s founding fathers, used a concept from the Qur’an in his writings. He once wrote, “There is no coercion in religion,” which is a direct translation of a verse in the Qur’an.
As Aziza Al-Hibri, a professor of law at the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in Virginia said, a real knowledge of Islam and history is needed in order to frame any discussion of Islam and democracy. “It is important to know that the world is not polarized, and that the West and East cannot meet. To think that some concepts are strictly Eastern or Western is wrong,” she said during a panel discussion at the Middle East Institute’s (MEI) 56th Annual Conference held in Washington, DC, on Oct. 11, 2002, a year after 9/11.
Speakers stressed that democracy and liberalism were concepts found in Islam and are not unique to Western civilization. Western democracy is a style. Islamic democracy is a spirit. In Western democracy, the boss of a maid or a multinational corporation is “always right.” A person asking “unpleasant” question is likely to be insulted into silence. It is a system that is a fertile ground for breeding despots, dictators, and tyrants.
In Islamic democracy, even the rightly-guided caliphs never thought they were always right. Transparency and accountability were of the highest order. In a public assembly, a common man could stand up and without fear question the caliph — and get a satisfactory answer.
Today, in the Arab world, countries have wandered (not strayed) to varying degrees from the base (that is Islam). They are willing to get back but being tuned to different (Western) frequencies, the voices they receive to take the road to return are more like that of the infamous sirens — melodious but misleading. Western democracy looks for heroes and creates when there are none. In Islamic democracy, no person, however powerful, high and mighty, thinks himself a hero, but rather a humble servant of God, always afraid of doing the smallest injustice to the commonest of people.
Scholars at the MEI conference agreed that there was currently a momentum within the Muslim world to carry out reforms promoting democracy and freedom.
Al-Hibri said that in order to discuss democracy and reform successfully in the Muslim world, it is important to realize that liberal ideas such as the separation of religion and state, “exist in Islam, and are not just American ideas. Rather than transferring Western concepts to the Muslim world, Muslims should focus on existing Muslim concepts of reforms,” she added.
Muqtedar Khan, director of International Studies and holder of the Chair of the Political Science Department at Adrian College in Michigan, told the audience that liberal ideals such as tolerance and compassion were the true essence of Islam. He said that during the days of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), Madinah was “a city of virtue.” “The city was democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious. Decisions were made through shoura (consultation), where consent was given to non-Muslims. People were treated with respect; they lived an ethical life and politics sought to encourage goodness,” he added.
Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic Studies at the Ibn Khaldun Center and professor of International Relations at the American University in Washington, D.C., said that he was often perplexed when the notions from one civilization were taken and applied to other civilizations, and urged Muslims to take upon themselves the task of rediscovering Islam. He warned against the impact of some “narrow-minded messages coming from the United States, which “resonate with narrow-minded people in the Muslim world.” He stressed that education is the key to reform. “Only through education can Muslims rediscover the true essence of Islam and rediscover their sense of honor and dignity — and only then can they go forward on reforms,” he added.
Ahmad says of the reform movement in Saudi Arabia, “While at first sight the process of reform in Saudi Arabia appears hesitant and halting, the fact remains that, for the first time in recent Saudi history, issues of political participation, moderation in religious discourse, transparency and accountability in the economic arena, the status of women, and interdenominational and inter-religious dialogue, are being aired in public, with liberal intellectuals debating these issues vigorously with government officials and religious scholars.”
