http://www.iht.com/articles/35281.html
Growth of Democracy Is the Answer to Terrorism
Anwar Ibrahim IHT
KUALA LUMPUR Never in Islam's entire
history has the action of so few of its followers caused the
religion and its community of believers to be such an abomination
in the eyes of others. Millions of Muslims who fled to North
America and Europe to escape poverty and persecution at home have
become the object of hatred and are now profiled as potential
terrorists. .And the nascent democratic movements in Muslim
countries will regress for a few decades as ruling autocrats use
their participation in the global war against terrorism to
terrorize their critics and dissenters. .This is what Mohammed
Atta and his fellow terrorists and sponsors have done to Islam and
its community worldwide by their murder of innocents at the World
Trade Center in New York and the Defense Depart-ment in
Washington. .The attack must be condemned, and the condemnation
must be without reservation. The foremost Islamic religious
authorities are outraged and have issued statements denouncing the
monstrous murders. All efforts to punish the perpetrators must be
supported. .One is therefore perturbed by the confusion among
Muslims who responded to the attack with a misplaced diatribe
against the United States. In Malaysia, the government-controlled
media have been deployed to stir anti-American sentiments, while
members of the political elite use a different language for
international diplomacy. .Certainly there are legitimate
grievances against the United States and good reason for
despondency over the fate of the Palestinians, who now face an
even more arrogant Israel. But this is not the time for
sermonizing or moralizing over U.S. foreign policy. Had we
Malaysians been the victims in such a tragedy, we would find such
hectoring tasteless and repulsive. One wonders how, in the 21st
century, the Muslim world could have produced a bin Laden. In the
centuries when Islam created civilizations, men of wealth created
pious foundations supporting universities and hospitals. Princes
competed with one another to patronize scientists, philosophers
and men of letters. The greatest of scientists and philosophers of
the medieval age, Ibn Sina, was a product of that system. But bin
Laden uses his personal fortune to sponsor terror and murder, not
learning or creativity, and to wreak destruction rather than
promote creation. Osama bin Laden and his protégés are the
children of desperation; they come from countries where political
struggle through peaceful means is futile. In many Muslim
countries, political dissent is simply illegal. .Yet, year by
year, the size of the educated class and the number of young
professionals continue to increase. These people need space to
express their political and social concerns. But state control is
total, leaving no room for civil society to grow. .Muslim
intellectuals and elites carry the enormous moral responsibility
of stamping out terrorism in their midst, unless they want Islam
to be demonized everywhere because of the outrageous acts of a
small band of misguided faithfuls. .One must note also that these
terrorists belong to the energetic and resourceful new
professional class rather than the clerical class. Only when
political space is provided for their genuine participation can
their energies be channeled toward social progress. The need for
Muslim communities to address their internal social and political
development has become more urgent than ever. Economic development
alone is clearly insufficient. .Economic development creates its
own dynamics and tensions in the social and political spheres,
which must be addressed. Avenues must be provided for their
expression. .A proper orientation must be developed for Muslim
engagement with the world at large. Participation in the global
processes must not be the monopoly of the government. It is the
sense of alienation and the perception that the whole world is
against them that nurture desperation and bitterness among those
who resort to terrorism. .Confusion and bitterness against the
global order and its only superpower have been brought about by
the failure of the Muslim world to address several crucial issues:
Afghanistan's descent into chaos and anarchy as a result of Soviet
invasion and occupation from 1979 to 1989; the rise of the Taliban
following the expulsion of the Soviets; and the suffering
inflicted on the Muslim masses in Iraq by its dictator as well as
by sanctions. .For ethical reasons, Muslims will support the
global initiative against terrorism. But there is a growing
perception that autocrats in their midst will seize the
opportunity to prop up their regimes and deal a severe blow to the
nascent democratic movement. President Vladimir Putin of Russia
will use it to defend atrocities in Chechnya, Israel to reinforce
its instransigence, and Malaysia to defend its draconian
detentions without trial. Necessity will prompt the United States
to seek the collaboration of the governments of Muslim countries.
This is understandable. But they do not hold all the answers to
terrorism. The growth of democracy, political participation and
civil society is the final answer to terrorism. .Thus, by
softening its endorsement of the struggle for democracy and the
restoration of human rights, the United States will inadvertently
be strengthening dictatorial regimes, thus replicating past
associations of America with the late Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos, the former Indonesian strongman Suharto and the
shah of Iran. For more than a hundred years the Muslim world has
had to grapple with the problem of modernity and the issue of its
participation in the modern world. Of greatest urgency is the work
to inculcate an intellectual temper and political orientation that
promote democracy and openness. This work must be carried out with
conviction and fervor. .Intellectuals and politicians must have
the courage to condemn fanaticism in all its forms and reject
fanatics who seek change through violent means. But they must, in
the same breath, equally condemn tyrants and oppressive regimes
that dash every hope of peaceful change.
(The writer, a Muslim, is a former deputy
prime minister of Malaysia who is serving a 15-year prison term
after conviction on corruption and sex charges. He has denied the
charges, saying they were part of a political conspiracy to remove
him from government and thwart his challenge to Prime Minister
Mahathir bin Mohamad, in power for more than 20 years. Mr. Anwar
contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune).
