If democracy envisaged by the freedom seekers is seen as a set of procedures that serve collectively to empower the people to freely elect governments and make them accountable and to make sure that basic human rights and civil liberties, the rule of law and equality before the law, and the rights of minorities are protected, then democracy is fully compatible with the Islamic value of shura. Certain circles in Islam might have a problem with liberal democracy because of the notion of secularism. Despite these objection the formidable problem facing transition to democracy in the Arab region is neither religious neither cultural.
It starts with late nineteenth and earlier twentieth century that Colonial authorities in occupation of the region attempted to impose secularism which was later seconded by successive postcolonial governments which led to undermining the civil society and doing away with minimum protection needed for individuals and groups to involve and create political life in the society. Ironically the phenomenon of Politics which is the vehicle to help build and move the societies and its institutions forward was considered as banned in the Arab world.
The modern Arab territorial states are the product of the collapse of Ottoman Empire at the turn of twentieth century. The world order that brought about the creation of all these artificial territorial states were by design antidemocratic and later Western installed Monarch and autocrats rulers till today have preserved the status quo and have shown no interest in the success of democracy anywhere in the region.
After the World War II when the colonial powers were compelled to abandon their colonies, the entire Middle East region was liberated. Jamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt emerged as the ambitious Arab leader to run the Arab nationalist movement and made certain major moves to unite and lead the Arab world but soon this dream was lost.
Suez Canal in Egypt is the only passage way for the global trade between West and East. In 1956 Jamal Abdul Nasser in pursuance of the Arab nationalistic movement nationalized the Suez Canal. This infuriated the western powers and old colonial powers of Britain and France reacted very vehemently. Both Britain and France asked Israel to attack and occupy both the banks of canal and Israel completed this mission very successfully. Egypt suffered heavy losses. US President Eisenhower finally negotiated the treaty to keep the Suez Canal open and Egypt conceded to become a remote control state and a US ally in the region and till date Egypt’s status quo remains the same. All the other Monarch autocrats and princely rulers of Gulf States in the region could only find their refuge in following the Egyptian lead and by keeping their swords once raised to advance the Arab nationalism cause back in their scabbards and to forget.
IN early fifties the discovery of oil in Middle East was expected to bring about a bigger change in the people’s life but sadly its revenue income remained entirely restricted to the ruling monarchs and autocrats. With the flow in of petro dollars; it abundantly filled the coffer of the Monarch and autocrats as persons; this also made their individual tribes and clan stronger and eventually a new dictatorial era of powerful clans and tribe started. The population under the rulers in order to exert their authority and to protect the monarchies raised new strong armies to keep the masses subdued.
The greed of rulers for possessing the wealth to themselves has been the most destructive in producing dramatic economic inequalities in the societies in the Middle East. Element of Greed and amassing wealth has also been the prime subject of exploitation of the far superior war crafts of western oppressing powers who preferred to keep them in power as a single identity to deal with. Peoples are subjected to double whammy of the suppression.
How all this came to this far may be the most satirical question but the way one is able to see the situation is that in early last century after the fall of Ottoman Empire, the majority of Muslims they characterized it as their utter degradation as Muslim Ummah and took it to their hearts and too humiliating for them.
It was taken as some wrath of God has befallen upon and—– in repentance Muslims took a refuge in isolating themselves from the worldly affairs. We find that study and research in sciences, arts, engineering and other knowledge which were once the hall mark of Muslims were totally abandoned. The entire region had gone in some sort of hibernation.
Even after the WWII that the Western colonial powers owing their economics constraints and the fall out of war were forced to abandon their colonies and Arab lands were set free. But we see that there was a little or no political awakening comes to surface among Muslims. Gradually the entire region was taken over by the local tyrants and turned into their personal sheikhdoms. Ever since, masses are ruled by monarch and autocrats--- as their subjugated and enslaved subjects.
But after century old hibernation since after the World War I; the masses especially the youth are finally seen coming back to their senses. An uprising free of any religious or cultural instilled tribal bondage is stirred up throughout the region. It is a secular, classless uprising of educated lot which also forms a majority of population in the region. As a first step they have asked their tyrant greedy aging rulers to step aside.
The political upheavals among the youth reflects political, social, and economic dynamics that have been brewing beneath the surface in this region for a decade—and that had already started to shift the balance of political power. Chief among these are the social networks telecommunications revolution, which brought news of democracy as well as regime misdeeds to people’s homes, the lack of jobs for major segments of the male population, and the increasing economic power of women and minorities. Thanks to youth of Egypt that sword of pan –Arab nationalism and freedom once ditched into Suez canal by Jamal Abdul Nasser in 1956 is about to see its day again.
The century old threshold of fear is since crossed. The rulers may try to suppress the movement of freedom but the fear of their tyranny may not be re-injected back. In face of tsunami of freedom movement touching all the shores; the rulers may not be able to keep their authority while at the same time meeting the demands of their peoples to remove the institutions and individuals who have kept monarchs in power for years?
The old men in power still trying to cling to power need to sample the blowing wind of change; better they step aside respectfully than to be made to do so forcibly. The peoples of this region want to see their aged rulers out.
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